The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-05-21
IlCOnDEROGA IS
To Be RESTORED
ARCHITECT COMPLETES PLANS FOR
REBUILDING HIsToRic OLD
FORTRESS.
FRANCE GIVE BUST
pt>TtNelrsHEp FRENCHNE> ARE
COMING TO COMMEMORATIVE 4.
u,scoyrRrEs ny CHANPLatN
THREE CENTURIES AGO.

have been removed. ia te0' '"~
.,eo;,le eli France presented this gov
eminent With tina, immortal gift
whisa, represents the fundamental
principle OF democracy. the statue OF
t4irerts
This only strengthened the bonds
an is shown by the fact that this
week Witnessed the arrival OF a party
af DISTINGUISHED French citizens on
board the new French line stea mshlpt
La France. on her maiden voyage TO
the United States. TIE same friend
r. - la preaeu=
taiion OF the Statue of Liberty, now
again presents Itself They brought
with them "a bust entitled, La
France. the work of the we'll known
sculptor. Mons Rndiu
II will be placed at the base OF the
Champlain Memorial Lighthouse.
now being erected at Crown Point, on
Lake Champlain, under the auspices
Of The States OF New York and Ner-
mont The presentation will be
made IN commemoration of the dis
coveries by Champlain. one OF
Frances citizens. three hundred
years age. The noted bust will be
presented through the New York and
Vermont Lake Champlain Tercenten-
AIRY Commission.
Entertainment Plans.
Among the prominent men who
will entertain the commission during
their stay In America, are President
Taft, Mons. Jnsserand. the French
am hassador: Governor Dix, of New
York; GOV. Mead of Vermont; May
or Gaynor. of New York. and DIR,
John Fl. Finley. president OF the Col
lege of the City of New York. All
the French patriotic societies will
also be represented.
The French party will go to Fort
Ticonderoga. where they will examine
the work OF restoring Notifications
and buildings as they were during
the struggle of q century and a half
ago. The Frenchmen will visit Fort
Henry and Crown Point. inspecting
the site OF the Champlain Memorial
Lighthouse, where the bust. La
France" Ia to be placed, and will in
spect the ruins of Forts St. Frederick
and Amherst. The party will visit
Niagara Falls and then go TO Montreal
and Quebec
Surrender in the name OF the
great Jehovah and the Continental
Congress" were the words uttered
by Col. Ethan Allen. when at the
head OF little band OF Green Noun
tain boys. he demanded the surren-
der of Fort Ticonderoga from the
British In 1775. No resistance was
vac.
and ammunition then much needed by
the American troops at Boston. fell
into the hands OF the ContinentaIs,
without the loss OF Il single man.
Soon after, Crown Point wac az easily
taken.
A Disputed Stronghold.
From the time OF Its foundation
by Samuel de Champlain in 1909,
until the end OF the Revolution, Fort
Tlcopderoga WAS constantly dis
puted stronghold. II was captured
and recaptured SO often TINT 'the
names OF many prominent in the
early history OF the continent are
connected with It. II was here, on
July 8. 1853. that the great Mont
calm attacked the English forces
under Abererombie, intiicting upon
him. nerhapa the greatest proper
tomato defeat that the British arms
had ever suffered at the hands of the
French, In ten hours he threw up
earthworks across the promotory on
which the fort. then called Carlton,
stood. and with between four and Ave
thousand troops. defeated the Brit
ish force OF about fifteen thousand,
- Killing two thousand men and utterly
routing the rest.
Ii WAS from Tieonderoga that Bur-
.goype drove ST Claire and faliowed
and harraSsed him down to Saratoga,
where he was defeated and captured
by General Gates. This changing of
possession took place again, until fin
ally the British army. the last mill
tary force 10 occupy the fort, svac-
uated in 1850, leaving 1t to slowly
crumbie away until the present time,
when 1t IL being restored to Its for
mer condition. and. II IL hoped, It
will remain 30 forever--a historic
landmark. e43t
Reservation IL Sold.
The military reservation on which
Fort Ttconderoga stands happened
10 be one OF those which was handed
back by the Federal government to
the State OF New York. A vigorous
protest was made against the appro-
priation by the government of all
places which had been military GEN.
tiers while this country was In the
control OF the British. and IN re-
Spouse TO this protest the land was
granted 10 Columbia and Union Col
leges, who In turn rented 1t for
summer residence to the great-grand-
father OF the present generation OF
the Peil family. Later Mr.. PsIi
bought IT. outright, and this led TO
the oHndatien the present effort
to secure to the world at least one
complete fort OF the Revolutionary
period
Time has slowly. but inaidiously
eaten Its way into the old fort to such
HS, extent that had IL been left for
another twenty-five years a rugged.
shapeless pile OF stone 10 all that
would have been left to mark the
spot that stands for more perhaps In
our history than any other.
Innumerable but unsuccessful, at
tcmpts 10 induce the government 20
preserve the Old fort had been made
from time TO time by patriotic eitf-
1erss, local enthusiasts. Sons OF THE
Revolution and other historical bod
- But the hanar of rebuilding and