Bloodiest battle on American soil before Antietam

250 years ago this July the French defeated the British in the Battle of Carillon. Carillon was the name of the fort the French built on a slip of land between Lakes George and Champlain. The British suffered heavy losses during the battle. They captured the Fort a year later and renamed it Fort Ticonderoga.

One of the most illustrious regiments in military history, the 42nd Highland, better known as the Black Watch, lost two-thirds of its thousand men that day. The regiment was devastated, especially its officer corps.

… The Black Watch Regiment, to this day, has no trouble remembering. Westbrook says the regiment, deployed in Iraq, has its base camp near Basra named Fort Ticonderoga.

I grew up 90 miles from Ticonderoga, but I've only been to the Fort once. Have to drag the children there someday.