National Republican., 1879-10-02
MY VACATION.
About tho Old Forts at Crown Point, N. 4.
and Other Places.


SIR; My late summer walton took me, via
Philadelphia, through a portion of the Koy-
stone State. travelling along amidst her richly
cultivated farms, by tho banks of her lovely
rivers, and in view of her majestic mountains;
thence to Elmira N. Y, Watkins Glen, over
the beautiful waters of lakes Seneca and
Cayuga, crossing the historic old "Cayuga
Bridge" and to Ithaca. Thence 10 Oswego,
Schenectady, Saratoga. Geus Falls, Lake
George, Ticonderoga and down Lake Cham
lain rs far as the old Crown Point forts, still
immense and grand in their ruins. All these
places and waters are famed In history and In
story. As beautiful as are lakes Seneca
and Cayuga, they are excelled by Lake
George, the shores and waters Of which, by tho
taste OF nun, have been turned into lowell
ness rs bewitching as our highest conceptions
of Fairy Land, by cottages shrubs, vines.
flowers and boats as charming us ii created by
the magic touch of tho geni.
But 1t Is of Crown Point am impelled TO
write Born and raised in sight of those speak
ing ruins; visiting them annually from earliest
boyhOOd; remembering when soldiers and
officers of the army still occupied quarters
there having seen tho Stars aud Stripes float
ing thence to the breeze, and heard the drum
and fife beating the r0veile and tattoo, yet
never fully realized the extent Of tho military
works there, nor their early significance in
the estimation of tho statesmen of France aud
England, until recent visits.
During my vacation of last year / went
somewhat more carefully over the ground
than formerly, but only to be left in a mood
| for further investigation. Ere my day of rest
for this year, the ruins on Crown Point had
last hold of my mind. Sailing past the old
forts on one of the steam palaces of Lake
Champlain, tho landing is made at Port Henry,
N. Y. hron
bay on the New York side the Qualifications
having been erected on the point thus formed
Here really, the lakes begins. From White-
hall its head or source to this locality is forty
miles, aud being narrow, with some current,
this part of the hike has been locally called
" The Narrows," but by one carly writer, a
river, describing the lake as beginning here.
where, passing between Crown Point, N. Y,
and Chimney Point VT, not One-third Of "A
mile apart, it wdens out, broad and deep,
forming tho beautiful sheet of water which is
so intimately associated in history with events
which shook two continents.
My route took me across tho lake to CHM
ney Point, W., where were Notifications aud
settlements, coeva and in connection with
those on the opposite point. Joined here by
robust nephew, wearing navy-blue shirt,
with u broad collar, wo two passed over tho
narrow channel, he pulling the oars to tho his.
toric grounds.
makes only this brief mention Grown
Point, town of Essex County, N. Y, on tho
west shore of Lako Champlain, about ninty
miles north of Albany population in 1870,
2,ii9. 1t joins the town of Ticondoroga on
tho south, and is travorsod by the south d-
vision of the Whitehall and Plattsburg rail-
road Itisprincipally noted as the site of Fort
Frederick, now in ruins, erected by the French
in 1871. The fort came into the hands of the
British in 1852 and with its garrison of twelve
men was taken in May, 1775, by q detachment
of Americans under Seth Warner, forming
part of the force with which Ethan Allen
surprised Fort Ticondoroga."
By this meagre notice the editors and pub
fishers of that valuable work do themselves,
as well as the subject, injustice. 1t will bo
seen that this locality WAS occupied by the
French for twenty-eight years. The English
occupied 1t sixteen years. The latter ex-
pended upward of sl0,000,O00 in the erec-
tion of new large fort and outworks Bc-
sides the French aud English forts there were
no less than six largo redoubts, two of them
nearly us large us Fort Frederick. Four of
these extend across the point from water to
water, distant about one-half or three -fourths
OF mile south of the main forts Connecting
| the redoubts with the main forts both for re-
| treat and Defense are continuous parapets or
breastworks, besides numerous smaller, inde-
| pendent works for repeated stands aud rally
| ing places. Noarly mile square is literally
| covered with these various and extensive do
fcnscs. To the west of the main forts are the
remains of dwellings sufficient for the accom-
modation of at least 1000 inhabitants. Tho
cellars and chimneys and fallen stone walls
are clearly disccrnible. There were stone
barracks in the English fort for four regiments,
| or 1000 men. Not less thnn 5000 men would
| be required to man the Qualifications even
moderately, and 10000 or more would have
ample room and protection.
| In this connection, Chimney Point, across
tho narrow channel on the Vermont side,
should be remembered for there were also,
as already stated, fortifCations, troops and
| settlement OF village ON Crown Point side
there is not only historical evidence, but
during the writer's youth Hat stone marked
| extensive sidewalks where tho remains OF
the village are now seen. These stones with
those in the English fort from which the bar
racks were built, have been hauled away for
building purposes in the last fow years.
There is also evidence that windmill 0nco
existed on Crown Point. III short, here wero
military works, which, when completed,
would have excelled in extent and cost any
others OH this Continent. These were to hold
in check all tho country north of the Potomac
and the Great Lakes. BY the courts OF England
and France they were in their day held TO
be of the very first Importance. Compared
with these, Fort Ticonderoga was utterly in
significant. The retreat of st. Clair and its
jehovah aud the Continental Congress" have
given prominence to Fort TicOnderoga
which in military point of view it does
not merit. Modern history gives Crown
Point merely a passing notice, yet at ono
period as the records and libraries of England
and France aud those ut Montreal aud Que
bee, if not in New York, will prove, it held "A
prominence in the minds of military men and
statesmen of tho two great countries mem
toned second TO no other in America. Un-
dOubtedly, also, our own Congressional Library
possesses volumes whose pages will support
this view. There are two volumes of peculiar
interest, written by Peter Kahn, Swedish
traveller who was ut Crown Point In l7i3.
These volumes are entitled, Travels Into
North America; !" containing its natural his
tory and u crcumstautial account of its plan
tatons and agriculture in general with the
civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of
the country, &c, &C. An accurate survey and
map of the Notifications OF Crown Point aud
Chimney Point, with their military and po-
litical history, would be valuable oontribu-
tion to the intelligence and Literature of this
country. Here was the true location for tho
United States Military Academy, rather than
at West Point This is so for reasons for