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Ticonderoga in Essex County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Split 13-inch Mortar

English ca. 1760-1775

 
 
Split 13-inch Mortar Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
1. Split 13-inch Mortar Marker
Inscription. On August 1, 1776 this English mortar exploded at Ticonderoga during a test firing. In the War of 1812, this piece was used as ballast in an American warship on Lake Champlain. It was in the remains of that vessel that this fragment was recovered in 1949.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and CastlesWar of 1812Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is August 1, 1776.
 
Location. 43° 50.491′ N, 73° 23.284′ W. Marker is in Ticonderoga, New York, in Essex County. Marker can be reached from Fort Ti Road (New York State Route 74) 1½ miles east of Mountain Road (New York State Route 22). Marker and subject mortar are located on the southwest bastion at Fort Ticonderoga. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 Fort Ti Road, Ticonderoga NY 12883, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Colonel John Brown (a few steps from this marker); Fort Carillon (a few steps from this marker); 150th Anniversary of the Capture of This Fort (within shouting distance of this marker); 200th Anniversary of Washington’s Inspection (within shouting distance of this marker); Through this entrance . . . (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Ethan Allen
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(within shouting distance of this marker); Gen. Henry Knox Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); History of Fort Ticonderoga (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ticonderoga.
 
Also see . . .
1. A 1,300-pound hunk of iron on display at Fort Ticonderoga certainly has gotten around. Originally cast in France and capable of lobbing 13-inch-diameter, 200-pound shells more than 3 miles, the big gun was used in the French and Indian War to bombard British and American troops besieging the French-held fort, then known as Carillon. During the Revolutionary War, American troops hauled the mortar from upstate New York to Boston and later to Canada before it wound up back at Ticonderoga, where it split in two, lengthwise, while being test fired in 1776. One 1,300-pound half of the mortar was used as ballast in a ship that was part of the American fleet Benedict Arnold commanded on Lake Champlain in 1776, four years before he turned traitor. Shifted to a British ship for ballast during the War of 1812, the split mortar was eventually pulled from a shipwreck on the lake’s southern end in 1949. (Submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

2. Fort Ticonderoga. The French built
Split 13-inch Mortar (<i>wide view; marker mounted on supporting beam</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
2. Split 13-inch Mortar (wide view; marker mounted on supporting beam)
the fort to control the south end of Lake Champlain and prevent the British from gaining military access to the lake. Consequently, its most important defenses, the Reine and Germaine bastions, were directed to the northeast and northwest, away from the lake, with two demi-lunes further extending the works on the land side. The Joannes and Languedoc bastions overlooked the lake to the south, providing cover for the landing area outside the fort. (Submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

3. Fort Ticonderoga/Mount Independence National Historic Landmark - National Park Service. Download National Historic Landmark documentation (Submitted on February 6, 2024, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 
 
A different, intact mortar (<i>located near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
3. A different, intact mortar (located near marker)
Fort Ticonderoga Officers' Barracks (<i>view from near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
4. Fort Ticonderoga Officers' Barracks (view from near marker)
Fort Ticonderoga Officers' Barracks image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
5. Fort Ticonderoga Officers' Barracks
Cannons, La Chute River / Lake Champlain (<i>view from Fort Ticonderoga</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
6. Cannons, La Chute River / Lake Champlain (view from Fort Ticonderoga)
Fort Ticonderoga Soldiers' Barracks image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
7. Fort Ticonderoga Soldiers' Barracks
Fort Ticonderoga Rampart (<i>wide view from ground-level</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
8. Fort Ticonderoga Rampart (wide view from ground-level)
La Chute River / Lake Champlain (<i>view from Fort Ticonderoga</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2005
9. La Chute River / Lake Champlain (view from Fort Ticonderoga)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 225 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   3. submitted on October 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   4. submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   5. submitted on October 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   6, 7. submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   8. submitted on October 30, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   9. submitted on October 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024