A full day at the archives of Fort Ticonderoga, interrupted only by a downpour outside and a lightning strike that hit the maintenance building and exit gate, interrupting electric service for a short time and the internet server for the rest of the day. I got answers to many of my questions about St. Clair’s time there and read some of the Orderly Books for his time there in 1776.
It seems that not many records were kept during his three weeks as commander of the fort. When he arrived the fort was disorganized and poorly managed. The previous commander had left several weeks before St. Clair arrived. He knew the British were coming, but not how close they were, and he knew there was no way to hold the fort with the men he had. At the same time, Congress and Washington considered the Fort essential to the defense of the northern states. Someone may have kept records but they don’t seem to have survived.
Matt Keagle , the archivist led a Gossip tour of Fort Ticonderoga, an adults only tour where, as he said, they did not ignore the fact that sex, alcohol, and death existed at the Fort. Much of his information came from reading accounts of the many courts martial over the years. His stories were amusing and sometimes shocking.
Today we hiked a couple of short trails in Vermont, Akalena said she wanted to see a moose. I told her that moose were hard to see this close to populated areas. She said “What do you mean hard to see? They are bigger than a deer and have huge horns.” I guess I should have said it is rare to see a moose, not hard to see a moose,
