On March 17, 1776, the British evacuated Boston—driven out not by a pitched battle, but by the sight of cannon perched on Dorchester Heights, aimed straight down at their positions. Those guns had traveled nearly 300 miles through frozen wilderness to get there, hauled from a crumbling fortress in upstate New York by a 25-year-old former bookseller named Henry Knox.
How did a dilapidated French fort become the key to breaking the Siege of Boston?
Dr. Matthew Keagle, Curator at Fort Ticonderoga, joins us to explore the full story. Our exploration includes Fort Ticonderoga’s origins as a French wartime fortification in the 1750s, through its dramatic capture by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775. We’ll also explore Henry Knox’s legendary expedition to move nearly 60 tons of artillery across lakes, rivers, and mountain passes in January 1776.
This episode was made possible with support from the Massachusetts Historical Society, the first historical society in the United States.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Episode Summary
Dr. Matthew Keagle is the Curator at Fort Ticonderoga, where he oversees one of the largest collections of 18th-century military material culture in North America. He holds a PhD from the Bard Graduate Center, and his research focuses on the American Revolution and the material world of 18th-century warfare.
As we investigate the history of Henry Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery, Matthew reveals:
-
- How a French wartime fort built of timber and limestone in the 1750s became one of the most strategically important positions on the continent
- Why the chaotic capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775 by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold created a political headache that reached all the way to the Continental Congress
- How Henry Knox, aided by Philip Schuyler, Continental soldiers, local teamsters, and the citizens of Albany, pulled off the logistical miracle of moving 58 cannon across frozen lakes, treacherous rivers, and the Berkshire Mountains to break the Siege of Boston
What You’ll Discover
- The origins of Fort Ticonderoga as the French Fort Carillon
- Why the Champlain Valley was a corridor of conflict for more than 150 years before the Revolution
- How the French felled a forest and built a log breastwork in 48 hours to defend against a British army of 16,000
- The catastrophic British frontal assault at Ticonderoga in July 1758
- Why the 1758 battle taught a generation of Americans that a well-positioned force could defeat a larger British army
- The 1773 fire at Crown Point
- How just six or seven soldiers sometimes garrisoned a fort designed for hundreds
- The competing commissions carried by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold
- What George Washington saw in Henry Knox
- The critical but overlooked role of Philip Schuyler in organizing the logistics of Knox’s expedition
- How teamsters used draft horses and oxen to haul cannon on log sleds
- The ingenious techniques used to cross frozen rivers
- Why Knox moved cannon tubes without their carriages
- How Washington planned to use Dorchester Heights not just to pressure the British, but to lure them into a fight
Links to People, Places, and Publications
Massachusetts Historical Society Resources
Time Warp Question
What might have happened if the British had had the ability to send reinforcements to Fort Ticonderoga after Lexington and Concord? How might the course of the American Revolution and its war have been different?
Complementary Episodes
🎧 Episode 130: Paul Revere’s Ride Through History
🎧 Episode 194: Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters, NHS
🎧 Episode 238: Stephen Brumwell, Benedict Arnold
🎧 Episode 296: Serena Zabin, The Boston Massacre: A Family History
🎧 Episode 409: The Battles of Lexington & Concord, 1775
🎧 Episode 413: Dr. Joseph Warren & the Battle of Bunker Hill
Support Our Work
Love what you hear on Ben Franklin’s World? Support the show and help us keep history accessible, independent, and deeply researched. Make a tax-deductible donation at benfranklinsworld.com/donate.
Request a Topic
📨 Topic Request Form
📫 liz@benfranklinsworld.com
When You’re Ready
🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter
👩💻 BFW Listener Community
🌍 The History Explorers Club
Take the Quiz
🧭 Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes)
👉https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/quiz
Connect
🦋 Liz on Bluesky
👩💻 Liz on LinkedIn
🛜 Liz’s Website
Listen!
Enjoy the Podcast? Follow it!
| 
Sponsors
Say Thanks
💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
💚 Leave a rating on Spotify
* All book links are for the Ben Franklin’s World Bookshop, the official affiliate bookstore of Bookshop.org. By purchasing a book with our affiliate links, you help support this podcast.
Ben Franklin’s World is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. To advertise on Ben Franklin’s World contact sales@advertisecast.com.