Revolutionary Lives: Forts along the Frontier by Matthew Keagle

Forts along the Frontier
Matthew Keagle

The British inherited a series of forts north of Albany taken or surrendered by the French during the French and Indian War. Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Oswegatchie, St. Jean, and others became new British garrisons. Their occupation varied as Britain shifted from seeing them as targets to viewing them as integral parts of its empire.

By the eve of the Revolution, financial, social, and political issues changed how intensively these posts were garrisoned and maintained. The forts along the Hudson-Champlain-Richelieu corridor remained vital links in Britain’s colonial communication networks, but were not considered front-line duty stations. As war loomed in 1775, these forts would once again be drawn into conflict in new ways. Dr. Matt Keagle will discuss the state of Fort Ticonderoga and related forts in the decade leading up to the Battles of Saratoga in 1777.

Matthew Keagle has been Curator of Collections at Fort Ticonderoga since 2015, having previously served as Director of Exhibitions. He has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s in American Material Culture from the Winterthur Museum, and a Ph.D. from the Bard Graduate Center.

Revolutionary Lives is a free event series produced by the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga. The series includes these events, an exhibition, and an online StoryMap. It is made possible by grant funding from the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership, with additional funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, supported by the Governor’s Office and the New York State Legislature.