Fort St. Frédéric
Encyclopedia
Fort St. Frédéric was a French
fort built on Lake Champlain
(in modern New York State close to modern Vermont
in the United States
) at Crown Point
to secure the region against British colonization and to allow the French to control the use of Lake Champlain.
.
The fort gave the French control of the New France
/Vermont
border region in the Lake Champlain Valley. It was the only permanent fort in the area until the building of Carillon
at Ticonderoga starting in 1755. Many French raids originated from here and many British raids targeted this stronghold. It was constructed on the tip of a strategic peninsula, at a very narrow point. The cannons of Fort St. Frédéric and of the later British fort here, Fort Crown Point, were capable of halting all north-south travel on the lake.
In 1759 when the British forces
moved against Fort St. Frédéric during the French and Indian War
, the French destroyed Fort St. Frédéric immediately before retreating northward. The British Army and Provincial troops from nearby British Colonies then built Fort Crown Point
, a vast fortification just southwest of the ruins of the French fort, starting in the fall of 1759. At the same time they built a fleet to use to gain military control of Lake Champlain and they also built the 77-mile-long Crown Point Road
across the Green Mountains to connect Crown Point to the Connecticut River. The remains of both forts on the Crown Point peninsula are, since 1910, a state historic site located in New York
. Both are also U.S. National Historic Landmark
s. Fort St. Frédéric was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
fort built on Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
(in modern New York State close to modern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) at Crown Point
Crown Point
Crown Point is the name of several towns or cities, and geographic features:United States*Crown Point, Alaska*Crown Point, Indiana - Lake County*Crown Point, New York**Fort Crown Point, built in 1759 on Lake Champlain by the British...
to secure the region against British colonization and to allow the French to control the use of Lake Champlain.
History
Construction started in 1734. When complete, the walls of the towering redoubt were twelve feet thick and four stories high, with cannons on each level. Fort St. Frédéric was manned by hundreds of officers and troops, principally from Les Compagnies Franches de la MarineCompagnies Franches de la Marine
The Compagnies Franches de la Marine was the main organization for the defence of New France from 1683 to 1755. In 1683, the Naval Department of France began using the Compagnies to defend the fur trade and the local civilians. They were superseded by the arrival of large units of the army under...
.
The fort gave the French control of the New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
/Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
border region in the Lake Champlain Valley. It was the only permanent fort in the area until the building of Carillon
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
at Ticonderoga starting in 1755. Many French raids originated from here and many British raids targeted this stronghold. It was constructed on the tip of a strategic peninsula, at a very narrow point. The cannons of Fort St. Frédéric and of the later British fort here, Fort Crown Point, were capable of halting all north-south travel on the lake.
In 1759 when the British forces
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
moved against Fort St. Frédéric during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, the French destroyed Fort St. Frédéric immediately before retreating northward. The British Army and Provincial troops from nearby British Colonies then built Fort Crown Point
Fort Crown Point
Crown Point, was a British fort built by the combined efforts of both British and Provincial troops in North America in 1759 at narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between modern New York State and Vermont...
, a vast fortification just southwest of the ruins of the French fort, starting in the fall of 1759. At the same time they built a fleet to use to gain military control of Lake Champlain and they also built the 77-mile-long Crown Point Road
Crown Point Road
In 1759, the British built the Crown Point Road following the defeat of French forces at Forts Carillon and St. Frederic on Lake Champlain during the French and Indian War. The Crown Point Road connected the Fort at Crown Point on Lake Champlain to Fort No. 4 at Charlestown, New Hampshire. Today,...
across the Green Mountains to connect Crown Point to the Connecticut River. The remains of both forts on the Crown Point peninsula are, since 1910, a state historic site located in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Both are also U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
s. Fort St. Frédéric was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1962.
See also
- New FranceNew FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
- Fort TiconderogaFort TiconderogaFort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
- Fort Crown PointFort Crown PointCrown Point, was a British fort built by the combined efforts of both British and Provincial troops in North America in 1759 at narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between modern New York State and Vermont...
- Crown Point State Historic SiteCrown Point State Historic SiteCrown Point State Historic Site is the site of a former military stronghold at the south end of the wider part of Lake Champlain. The location is in Essex County, New York, USA. The site is on a peninsula in the town of Crown Point, New York....
- François-Antoine Pécaudy de ContrecœurFrançois-Antoine Pécaudy de ContrecœurFrançois-Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur was a military man by career and had inherited the seigneury of Contrecœur from his father, Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur....
- Bécart de GranvillePaul Bécart de Granville et de FonvillePaul Bécart de Granville et de Fonville was an officer in the colonial regular troops and a seigneur.Bécart de Fonville, was the brother of Charles Bécart de Granville et de Fonville, a king’s attorney. He entered military service in 1712 and had achieved the rank of captain by April, 1737...
External links
- Crown Point State Historic Site (Official State park web site), at NYS OPRHP