Tools to Ticonderoga: Supplying the Army in the North

Posted on July 13, 2026

Tools to Ticonderoga: Supplying the Army in the North

On July 13, 1776—250 years ago today—streams of supplies and troops were flowing towards Fort Ticonderoga. The troops were coming from the north, as soldiers fresh from the invasion of Canada evacuated Fort Crown Point to dig in at Ticonderoga. Supplies traveled in the opposite direction, with goods being shipped north from Albany and points south. For the American stand at Ticonderoga to succeed, a wide variety of supplies were needed, and so were officials to coordinate their movement. 

In Albany, merchant and Committee of Safety member Philip Van Rensselaer had been chosen by Northern Department commander Philip Schuyler to serve as departmental storekeeper, storing and distributing military supplies. On July 13, he wrote a letter to General Horatio Gates, the new commanding officer at Ticonderoga, informing him that supplies were headed his way. 

“General Schuyler desired me to acquaint you,” Rensselaer wrote, “that I have just sent two sets of Carpenters tools & two sets of Blacksmiths tools to Fort George & to be forwarded to Ticonderoga. I also have sent…8 Boxes of musket Ball containing 1136 lbs, twenty reams of Cartridge Paper, & 2 tuns of bar Lead”. The ammunition, cartridge paper, and lead, which could be used to cast musket balls or shot, built up the American stockpile for a potential fight with the British. The carpentry and blacksmith’s tools were just as important. Americans plied many trades, and there were plenty of soldiers with prior carpentry and blacksmithing skills at Ticonderoga. Providing them with tools and raw materials let them produce some of what the army needed on the spot instead of shipping finished items north.  

While Rensselaer’s shipment contained literally tons of goods, it was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to the dizzying array of supplies needed at Ticonderoga. Throughout 1776, food, clothing, tools, and supplies of all types would stream north towards Ticonderoga and Mount Independence. Rensselaer and other officials like him had a busy year ahead.

Learn more about this letter (object ID MS.1985) on the Ticonderoga Online Collections database: https://fortticonderoga.catalogaccess.com/archives/30020