Fort Independence, Vermont — History & Visitor Guide

Fort Independence (Orwell, Vermont)

Orwell · Vermont · American Revolutionary War

Quick BriefFrom July 1776 to July 1777, the fate of the newly independent United States of America rested on this rocky peninsula on the east side of Lake Champlain, located in what is today Orwell, Vermont. The defensive position was first called East Point or Rattlesnake Hill but was renamed Mount Independence after the Declaration of Independence was read to the soldiers assembled here. Mount Independence was the largest fortification constructed by the American colonial forces. The 300-acre site is now one of Vermont's premier state-operated historic sites.

Coastal defense

History & Significance

Construction began in July 1776, following the American defeat in Canada, and continued through the winter and spring of 1777. By late October 1776, three brigades had completed encampments, the large shore battery and horseshoe-shaped battery, and began a picket fort in the center of the Mount.

At the height of the American fortification of Mount Independence in the late fall of 1776, the site was occupied by three brigades of New England troops or more than six thousand men, which were reinforced by temporary militia from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Grants (the territory that was to become Vermont). The sight of Mount Independence, Fort Ticonderoga, and 12,000 assembled troops proved so impressive that British General Guy Carleton and his fleet abandoned an attempted invasion, retreating to Canada for the winter.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeduthan Baldwin of Massachusetts, chief engineer of the American Northern Army, with assistance from Thaddaeus Kosciusko, designed the sophisticated fortification. The American soldiers strategically retreated in July 1777 as the German and British troops occupied the area.

Over a period of four months, the enemy strengthened the defenses to withstand an American counterattack as the bulk of the invading army under British General John Burgoyne marched south to defeat at Bennington and ultimately to surrender at Saratoga. The former defense was preserved in 1911 when Stephen Pell of Fort Ticonderoga purchased the northern 113 acres of Mount Independence. In 1961, the State of Vermont began buying parcels of the southern section.

Key Facts

StateVermont

LocationOrwell

War / eraAmerican Revolutionary War

Current statusHistoric Site

Coordinates43.82694444, -73.38055556

Fort Independence (Orwell, Vermont)

History & Significance

Key Facts

Map

🧳 Visiting

Sources

Other Forts in Vermont

Explore Other States