Tonight is the start of Rosh Hashanah, which kicks off a 10-day period that I like to use to reflect on where I am, where I’ve come from, and where I hope to go. I thought perhaps that today’s #stampoftheday would have some powerful metaphor for the journey but I’m not sure that’s the case. I am sure that I should keep this shorter than usual because there are many things I’d like to wrap up before sundown, including today’s post.

The stamp is a 3-cent stamp issued on September 18, 1955 to mark the 200th anniversary of Fort Ticonderoga, which some historians have called “The Key to a Continent.” The fort earned this name due to its strategic location on Lake Champlain in New York, a position that allowed the fort’s occupants to control the water route from Lake Champlain to Lake George and from there to the Hudson River Valley. This was particularly true because both lakes are long and narrow and oriented north-south, as were the many ridge lines of the nearby mountains, which created nearly impassable terrains to the east and west of the Great Appalachian Valley that the site commanded.

Not surprisingly, then, the French built fort on the site to protect their holdings in Quebec from the British further south. The British ultimately took the fort during the French and Indian War and controlled it at the start of the Revolutionary War. By that time, the fort did not appear to have as much strategic importance as it had in the past so it only housed a small detachment of two officers, 46 men, and 25 women and children. However, it was still heavily stocked with cannons, howitzers, mortars, and other heavy artillery the American patriots needed.

So on May 3, 1775, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety gave Benedict Arnold a colonel’s commission and put him in charge of a “secret mission” to capture the fort. At the same time, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont were on their way to the fort for the same reason. Although Arnold had formal authorization for the capture, he and Allen agreed to work together. After approaching by water in the early hours of May 10, 1775, the patriots attacked the fort, waking the sleeping troops at gunpoint and confiscating their weapons. Allen, Arnold, and a few others stormed the officers’ quarters, first encountering Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham, assistant to Captain William Delaplace. When asked on whose authority they were entering the fort, Allen replied, “In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.” When Delaplace emerged from his quarters, he was fully dressed and willingly surrendered his sword. No one was killed in the capture, though a bayonet injured one American. For years after the capture, Allen and Arnold had a war of words over which one deserved the most credit, offering varying accounts of the day. Later in 1775, Henry Knox would transport the heavy weapons captured at Ticonderoga to Boston for the Continental Army where they played a major role in convincing the British to abandon the city.

Two years later, in June 1777, British General John Burgoyne launched his Saratoga Campaign, aimed at dividing the rebel colonies. Part of his plan included retaking Fort Ticonderoga before proceeding down the Hudson River Valley. With an army of about 7,000 regulars and 800 Native Americans, he greatly outnumbered the 2,500 American defenders. On July 2 there was a brief skirmish, during which there were no injuries or damage, but one British soldier was captured and tricked into revealing the size of the attacking force. In the meantime, the British figured out that nearby mountain overlooking Ticonderoga could be strategically useful. They quietly began moving large weapons up the mountain and prepared for a surprise attack that they would launch when German Baron Riedesel was in a position to attack the retreating Americans. However, on July 4 British-allied Native Americans lit fires on the mountain, alerting the Americans to their presence.

Completely outnumbered, the American General Arthur St. Clair knew he had a tough decision, stating he could “save his character and lose the army” by defending the fort or “save the army and lose his character” by retreating. He chose the latter and planned to evacuate the following night under the cover of darkness. His men filled more than 200 boats with weapons, injured soldiers, civilians, and supplies. The remainder of the army then evacuated the fort and crossed to Mount Independence toward Castleton. The British took the fort without firing a shot on July 6, though there were small skirmishes and battles in the area in the days that followed. The British victory at Ticonderoga became world news. King George reportedly exclaimed, “I have beat them! I have beat all Americans!” and threatened the French and Spanish to close their ports to America. In September, American General Benjamin Lincoln led an unsuccessful attack on Ticonderoga. But with the failure of Burgoyne’s campaign in New York State, left Ticonderoga in November.

After gaining independence, the United States allowed the fort to fall into ruin; local residents stripped it of much of its usable materials, particularly stone, which they used for buildings. Purchased by a private family in 1820, it became a stop on tourist routes of the area. Early in the 20th century, its private owners restored the fort and a museum was opened on an about 2,000 acre site that preserves the historic landscape which includes the largest series of untouched Revolutionary War era earthworks surviving in America.

What’s striking to me about this story is that so much effort was put into defending and attacking a site that was important but ultimately proved to be of little strategic value. Perhaps it’s a reminder as the holidays are about to begin that some things are worth fighting for but also that sometimes we fight for things that turn out not to be that important. The challenge is knowing which is which.

Shana Tova and, of course, be well, stay safe, fight for justice and work for peace.