Revolutionary War Letters Reunited at Fort Ticonderoga After 250 Years

In a remarkable twist of history, two Revolutionary War letters, penned 250 years ago, have been reunited at Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. These missives, exchanged between Benedict Arnold and John Stevens in May 1775, capture a pivotal moment when the fort—then a British stronghold—was seized by American forces, marking a bold early strike in the fight for independence.

Fort Ticonderoga, perched near Lake Champlain, was no stranger to conflict, having seen action in both the French and Indian War and the Revolution. Its capture by Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys and Arnold was a daring coup, but the letters reveal a less glamorous aftermath. Arnold’s note, dated May 17, describes a weary Allen retreating from a raid on Fort St. Jean in Québec, short on provisions and exhausted. Stevens, in reply, assures Arnold that Albany and surrounding areas are rallying supplies to bolster the American cause, despite recruitment woes.

What makes these letters compelling isn’t just their age but the human drama they hint at. Arnold, not yet the infamous traitor, was locked in a tense rivalry with Allen. Authorized by Massachusetts, Arnold clashed with Allen’s unruly militia over discipline and supplies, a feud that fractured their alliance just days after Ticonderoga’s fall. Stevens, less celebrated but no less vital, emerges as a key player, later commanding forces at Fort George and enduring British capture in 1776.

The reunion of these letters—Arnold’s recently donated to the museum, Stevens’ long in its collection—feels almost poetic. They haven’t shared the same space since Stevens scribbled his response in 1775. Now, they’re part of Fort Ticonderoga’s 'Treasures of 1775' experience, where visitors can confront these fragile relics up close. This reunion underscores New York’s outsized role in the Revolution, echoed by the recent display of a Revolutionary-era ship at the New York State Museum in Albany.

These letters aren’t just artifacts; they’re a window into a time when courage, rivalry, and sheer grit shaped a nation’s birth. Their reunion reminds us how history’s threads, once scattered, can weave back together to tell a story that still resonates.