Fort Ticonderoga's New Author Series
Fort Ticonderoga announces its 2019 Author Series featuring authors of recent books related to the history of Fort Ticonderoga and the surrounding region. The series will begin on Sunday, June 9 with additional programs scheduled for June 23 and September 8.All programs will take place in the Mars Education Center at 2:30 p.m. followed by a book signing with the author. The programs are included in general admission and are free for Members of Fort Ticonderoga and Ticonderoga Ambassador Passholders.
2019 Author Series Schedule:
June 9: Christian Di Spigna, a writer based in New York City and Williamsburg, Va., author of Founding Martyr: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero.
Dr. Joseph Warren, an architect of the colonial rebellion, and a man who might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did, had he not been martyred at Bunker Hill in 1775. Warren was involved in almost every major insurrectionary act in the Boston area for a decade, from the Stamp Act protests to the Boston Massacre to the Boston Tea Party. Yet, after his death, his life and legend faded, leaving his contemporaries to rise to fame in his place and obscuring his essential role in bringing America to independence.
June 23: Former Albany, N.Y. Associated Press Journalist, Chris Carolla, presents The Man Who Captured Tojo.
Saratoga Springs native Lt. John “Jack” Wilpers, serving in the Counter Intelligence Corps, was part of a small group ordered to locate and capture Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo after the September 2, 1945 Japanese surrender that ended the war in the Pacific. Carola interviewed Wilpers in 2010 and shares his story through this presentation. This event is a presentation only and will not be followed by a book signing. Wilpers was born in Albany and grew up in Saratoga Springs, where he graduated from St. Peter’s Academy (now Saratoga Central Catholic High School) in 1937. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, serving in New Guinea and the Philippines. After his role in capturing Tojo, he served in the CIA for 33 years.
September 8: Author Eric Schnitzer, an interpreter and historian at Saratoga National Historical Park, talks about his book Campaign to Saratoga-1777: The Turning Point of the Revolutionary War in Paintings, Artifacts, and Historical Native.
The Battles of Saratoga are cited as a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Beginning when the armies prepared to face off in June 1777 through the surrender of the British Army in October, the battles of the Northern Campaign were significant to the outcome of the War and the fight for independence. As a result of the Saratoga battles, the patriots gained confidence, the French entered the war, and the British plan to win the war quickly was put to an end.