07/04/2026
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Two hundred and fifty years ago, in early July of 1776, congressmen from thirteen English colonies resolved that collectively they represented a new nation. On July 4, 1776, they signed their names to a declaration proclaiming this and listing the reasons for their break from Great Britain. For two hundred and fifty years, Americans have celebrated this anniversary as the official birth of the United States.
For the soldiers of the Northern and Canadian Departments of the Continental Army, these dates in 1776 were not ones of celebration. At that time, the remains of the Continental Army, sickly, demoralized, and disorganized, were retreating from the failed invasion of Canada. Many of them arrived at Crown Point on July 2, just as Congressmen in Philadelphia resolved that the thirteen colonies were free and independent states.
News of the Declaration took days to reach the Continental Army in the north. It was a week and a half before they even learned that independence had been declared, and almost two more weeks until they learned what it said. By that point, the army’s generals had decided to halt their retreat and make a stand at Ticonderoga. It was not until July 28 that the Declaration of Independence was read to troops assembled behind the "Old French Lines" at Ticonderoga.
As elsewhere, the document’s significance had an immediate impact on the army. One eyewitness reported that “the Army manifested their joy with three cheers. It was remarkably pleasing to see the spirits of the soldiers so raised, after all their calamities; the language of every man's countenance was. Now we are a people; we have a name among the States of this world.” The point of land opposite Ticonderoga across Lake Champlain was renamed Mount Independence, and the "Old French Lines" became Liberty Hill.
For all this, however, an enormous amount remained to be done. Pennsylvania Captain John Lacey wrote in his diary that the excitement “soon subsided & was forgotten.” The Declaration did not lack poignancy, but the sheer necessity of preparing for a British counterattack took precedence. In the face of a looming British invasion, enormous efforts were needed to rebuild the shattered American force. This realization, and the volume of labor required, shaped the experience of the Continental Army at Ticonderoga in 1776.
The lofty rhetoric of the Declaration, among the most powerful and significant words ever set to paper, required equivalent actions. The deeds of Continental soldiers consecrated the Declaration’s words and made its ideals a reality.
Over the summer of 1776, Americans declared independence and their soldiers labored to make it a reality. At that moment, they did not know whether it would succeed or fail. To them, it was a birthday fraught with anxiety and fear mixed with power and promise. In deeds and words, the nation sought to assert its independence, and for generations, Americans have both celebrated our origins and looked forward to our future.
This year, we reflect on a milestone in that history, 250 years of the republic that was born amidst a grueling conflict with an uncertain outcome. This Independence Day, as we reflect on the birth of our nation, let us remember that its fate was not certain and relied, then as now, on its citizens to preserve and defend its blessings.
