Connecticut Builds an Army: Samuel Mott, Military Engineer

Posted on June 22, 2025

Connecticut Builds an Army: Samuel Mott, Military Engineer

On this day 250 years ago—June 22, 1775—the American garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point were steadily growing. Colonial military forces were becoming more united, but for the first few months of American occupation of the Ticonderoga area, the majority of the troops there were from the colonies that had authorized initial attacks on the fort, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Troops from one or both colonies would remain at Ticonderoga for almost all of its American occupation, and Connecticut’s government was especially involved in supplying and protecting the fort.

Early garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point had many tasks to perform, including building vessels for the Lake Champlain fleet and repairing the forts. Fort Ticonderoga was dilapidated from years of neglect, while much of Fort Crown Point had been destroyed in a fire in 1773. Repairing the remaining fortifications was one thing, but more could be done to improve the defenses of these vital posts.

To build new fortifications, a military engineer was needed to map terrain, design optimal fortifications for the conditions, and oversee their construction. The man that Connecticut chose for the job at Ticonderoga was Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Mott, younger brother of Edward Mott, a leader of Connecticut’s original expedition to Ticonderoga. In this pay order dated June 22, 1775, Connecticut’s Committee of the Pay Table orders, “Pay Sam’ll Mott Esq. One Hundred Pounds in Bills, to enable him to Erect Batteries Fortifacations &c. at Ticonderoga & Crown Point, he being appointed Engineer for [said] Posts.”

Mott had served in the Seven Years’ War as a lieutenant, but it is not known whether any of that service involved designing or building fortifications. Without a regular military, many Americans found opportunities in the Revolution to advance into specialized areas of service. Whatever experience Mott had, it was now his job to assess and strengthen Ticonderoga and Crown Point, keeping them in American hands for as long as possible.

Learn more about the Mott pay order (object ID MS.3059) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database here.