"The Battle of Fort Carillon (1758)" Topic

"By July of 1758, the French and Indian War had been raging in North America for four years. What began as skirmishes on the edges of the French and British colonial empires had escalated and expanded into a wider conflict, known as the Seven Years War, with fighting in Europe, West Africa, India, and eventually even the Philippines. But for British Prime Minister William Pitt, the focus remained on North America. Pitt was determined to strip France of her colonial empire, and that meant conquering New France, which covered Canada and the land around the Great Lakes.

Pitt envisioned a grand campaign for 1758, with three simultaneous offensives by land and sea. One army would march into the Pennsylvania frontier and capture Fort Duquesne (on the site of modern Pittsburgh), depriving the French of the base from which their Indian allies had raided the colonial frontiers. An amphibious invasion would land on Cape Breton Island and capture the Fortress of Louisbourg, the "Gibraltar of the North," to open the way for an invasion of Canada via the Saint Lawrence River. The final campaign was an offensive to open up the invasion corridor along Lake Champlain. To do this, General James Abercrombie was tasked with capturing Fort Carillon. The first two prongs of the British strategy would succeed, and set the stage for further victories in 1759. But Abercrombie would ultimately suffer defeat in the bloodiest battle of the French and Indian War…"

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Armand

I amcurious as to why in recent years "Battle of Carillon" is increasingly substituted for the historic name of Ticonderoga for this bloody encounter. There is after all no place called Carillon- as opposed to the short-lived French post of 'Fort Carillon' as in the title of the article – and which is the term that appears in French references of the time.

I imagine the action features more prominently in British military tradition- somewhat masochistically- particularly in the annals of the Black Watch, The 42nd Royal Highland Regiment who suffered most grievously in the course of their valorous but futile assaults. Ticonderoga is still observed each year by THIRD SCOTS, the Black Watch Battalion of the Royal Highland Regiment.

Assuming that observation is correct, it seems more sensible to identify the fight for "the place between the waters" by its traditional name.

Perhaps there is some latter day Canadien pride in the mix.

Thanks

Armand