TICONDEROGA, N.Y. — Fort Ticonderoga honors American Veterans with an exhibit open only on Nov. 10. This exhibit will display the knapsack and accompanying note carried by Connecticut soldier Benjamin Warner during his service with the Continental Army and is considered one of the rarest and most fragile artifacts to survive from the Revolutionary War.
As a veteran of some of the most difficult campaigns of the Revolution, Warner preserved his pack with a note to his children to keep it for posterity as a humble but lasting reminder of the sacrifices made to achieve independence and liberty.
This one-time exhibit will be on display as part of a living history event at Fort Ticonderoga. Visitors will explore how British sailors and soldiers prepared for a campaign to be launched from Ticonderoga in the fall of 1781. Living history demonstrations throughout the day will focus on the range of people that fought for and supported the British Empire and their different roles in this last active campaign in the Champlain Valley of the Revolutionary War.
Highlighted programming throughout the day brings to life the technical skill of British forces and the many complicated mechanisms and practices used. Examine original British cannon in the Fort Ticonderoga collection to understand the math, science, and art of their time. Discover how sailors used ropes, levers, pulleys, and other simple machines to move heavy cannon and supplies to and from ships. Watch as oxen haul boats, supplies, and the weapons of war. Meet loyalist refugees from the nascent United States seeking security within British territory. Grapple with the same questions Americans did 237 years ago when British forces occupied Ticonderoga.  Will the British Army stay at Ticonderoga for long? Will they move further into New York, or retreat back north?
Admission to the event is $12 for the general public and free to Fort Ticonderoga Members, Ambassador Pass holders, and children age four and under. For more information, visit fortticonderoga.org or call 518-585-2821.