Mt. Independence Military Road -- Route to Hubbardton, 1777

This vital American military road to the south of here was built on the September 7, 1776, orders of Gen. Horatio Gates to connect Mount Independence, a new Revolutionary War fortification on Lake Champlain, to Hubbardton, Rutland, and Fort No. 4 in New Hampshire. Gates called the road Essential to the Interest of the United States and the safety and protection of the inhabitants of all the Middle States of this Union. The road was used by soldiers traveling to the Mount and suppliers sending military stores for the new fort. On the night of July 5 and 6, 1777, as the British approached, American forces withdrew from Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga along the road, fighting the British at the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7.