'His Majesty's Fort of Crown Point' or more simply 'Fort Crown Point' was a
British fort built in
1759 on
Lake Champlain (on the border between modern
New York State and
Vermont in the
United States) to secure the region against the French. The fort is located near the town of
Crown Point, New York. Fort Crown Point was the largest earthen fort built in the United States.
Fort Crown Point was constructed by the British army under the command of Sir
Jeffery Amherst following the capture of
Fort Carillon (which he renamed
Fort Ticonderoga) and the destruction of
Fort St. Frédéric. Amherst used the construction of the fort at a means of keeping his men working through the winter 1759 after pushing the French into modern
Canada.
Fort Crown Point was never directly assaulted. Never having the comforts of the smaller Fort Ticonderoga to the south, Fort Crown Point was generally used most for staging, then as a position in its own right.
After the
French and Indian War the British left only a skeletal force at the fort, who
yielded easily to the Americans in
1775 at the start of the
American Revolution. The fort was used as a staging ground by
Benedict Arnold during the
American Revolution for his navy on Lake Champlain. After the destruction of that navy in
1776 during the
Battle of Valcour Island, the fort was abandoned to the British in
1777. With no reason for attacks in that region the fort was abandoned after the end of the revolution in
1780.
The large earthen walls of Fort Crown Point are still visible today. While several fires during the fort's history have destroyed several of the buildings, the stone framings remain and have been partially restored.
Gallery
External links
★
Office State Park Website