The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-18
CROWN POINT PARK
Proposal Of Unusual Interest to
Vermonters.


at Crown Point containing the his
toric sites of Forts Frederic and Am
herst, from Messrs. Witherbee and
Foot as State park, and the prob
ability that the Senate will agree
thereto, is an event of national inn
pOrtanee.
1t will be of particular interest
to Yermonters, because the early
history of Vermont is closely inter-
woven with the fortunes of the ia
nous Champlain fortTesses. Crown
Point and Ticonderoga. Indeed, the
region known as Crown Point extend
ed for some distance along both
shores of Lake Champlain. 1t is
claimed that as early as 1880 the
French constructed a small fort at
Chimney Point, on the Vermont shore
at the narrowest part of the lake
where the channel is only two-fifths
of a mile wide.
During the following year, 1881,
Marquis de Beauharnois being Gov
ernor General of Canada, fort was
erected at Crown Point by the French
called st. Frederic, in honor of Fred
eric de Maurepas, the Secretary of
State, the term Saint being preflxed
as custom had decreed that it should
be attached to the name of the for
tress. At first only small stockade
was erected but in 1894 ii was en-
larged to accommodate 100 men and
in 1742 it was enlarged and strength
ened so that 1t was considered, with
the exception of Quebec, the strong
est of the French fortTesses in AmeT-
| lea.
Great Britain regards this occupa-
| ton of Crown Point as a gross VIC
lation of the Treaty of Utrecht, claim
ing authority over all the Champlain
valley by virtue of sovereignty over
the Iroquois country. Peter Kahn, a
Swedish traveller, who visited this
region in the summer of l749 gives
an interesting description of Fort st.
| Frederic and life in the military set
telment there, NJ. Lusignan being the
French commandant.
With the outbreak of the French
and Indian War, one of the principal
objects OF which was the capture of
the Champlain stronghold by the
English, William Johnson was chosen
| In 1853 to lead an army against
Crown Point A conflict occurring at
Lake George, however, Johnson did
not attempt TO go farther north. In
1857 the great William Pitt became
the strong power in English affairs
and he choose James Abercrombie as
the man to capture Crown Point In
June 1853, Abercromble gathered
at the head of Lake George the larg.
est army Of European origin ever
assembled in America. consisting OF
more than $4,000 men In an at
tempt Ito take by assault Fort CARL
Ion, or TiconderOga, commanded by
Marquis de Montcalm. his army was
repulsed with great loss and the
English fed in confusion southwark
to Lake George. Again Crown Point
was saved to the French.
In 1859 the French we're so weak
that they dared not attempt to de-
fend the Champlain forts and Bour-
lamaque blew up the works at Ticon-
deroga and Crown Point and fed to
Canada. General Amherst lmmedi-
ately occupied Crown Point and pro
ceeded to lay out a new fortress
about 200 yards west Of Fort Fred
eric with ramparts % feet high and
% feet wide, of solid masonry. The
whole circuit. including the bastion
was S53 yards. a board moat sur
rounded the fort. This fortress which
was never entirely completed and
never saw a battle cost Great Brit
ain about SlO,0OO0O0 During the
British occupancy military road
was built across Vermont to a fort on
the Connecticut at Charlestown. y.
H.. known as Number Four.
Not many years after the construc.
ton of Fort Amherst. a powder mag.
azine containing 90 barrels caught
fire and the explosion that resulted
practically ruined the fort.
The story of the taking OF Crown
Point by Seth Warner AND Remember
Baker and the Green Mountain Boys,
upon the outbreak OF the American
Revolution. is well known. Large
quantities OF ordinance and stores
were captured. the spells OF war In.
GLIDING nearly POO cannon. In the
stormy days that followed Ethan Al
len and Benedict Arnold spent much
time at Crown Point
On Aug. 30. 1875. General Richard
Montgomery set out from Crown
. Point TO invade Canada and on july
3, i776. the day before the Declare
ton OF Independence was declared
that army. beaten. dispirlted, and
stricken by disease returned TO this
post on Lake Champaign. council
OF war decided that the fort could
not be defended successfully, and the
retreat was continued TO Ticonder
oga. but during stay Of ten days at
Crown Point 300 graves were dug.
A part OF Arnolds Lake Champlalr
fleet was equipped at Crown Point
and from that place he sailed north
ward August 20. i776. General Carrie
ton occupied Crown Point Oct. IL
l7T6. but abandoned Il after repair
ing the Notifications. On June 81
l777, General Burgoyne occupied
Crowned Point and established maya
zines and a hospital there.
With Burgoyne's defeat and cap
re the British hastily abandoned
te posts on Lake Champlaln ant
the military history OF Crown Point
practically ends with that campaign
The history OF this point Of Ian,
great Importance and the ruins
odd Fort Amherst are prohnhly "a vol