This September marks the 271st Anniversary of the Battle of Lake George, a series of three engagements between French and British forces fought at the head of Lake George.
In the 1930s, a road-building crew excavating along what is now State Route 9 discovered the remains of four combatants of the 1755 battle. The unnamed soldiers were reinterred in Lake George Battlefield Park. Their resting place on Fort George Road in Battlefield Park is the oldest government-recognized burial site of unknown American soldiers.
On Labor Day, Monday, September 7, at noon, the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York will dedicate a historical plaque at the Grave of the Four Unknowns. The Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance and Fort William Henry are hosting the ceremony. The public is invited to attend the free event. Organizers expect the ceremony to take 30-40 minutes and suggest attendees bring their own chairs.
In a press statement, J. Barclay Collins II, Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York, says, “The New York Society of Colonial Wars is devoted to education about the colonial period, and as part of that mission, to memorializing those brave individuals whose ideas and deeds formed the foundation for building our great nation. This plaque honors four individuals who, though unknown, gave their lives in that cause.”
A series of speakers, including Andrew Menzie, Director of Historical Interpretation at Fort William Henry, and John DiNuzzo, President of the Battlefield Park Alliance, will present the story behind the Battle of Lake George and the Americans who fought for England.
The ceremony will conclude with an unveiling of the new historical marker, the Colonial War Society’s traditional Broken Arrow Ceremony, and a benediction by the Society’s Chaplain General, Reverend Ian Bruce Montgomery and former Governor General Charles Neuhauser. A Fort William Henry Honor Guard will fire a salute to the fallen soldiers.
“The Alliance is very grateful to the Society of Colonial Wars for once again recognizing the importance of the Battle of Lake George in American history,” says DiNuzzo. “By continuing to honor the four soldiers whose remains are left to our stewardship in Lake George Battlefield Park, we help to ensure that, while their names aren’t known, they are not forgotten.”
The New York Society of Colonial Wars’ past contributions to Lake George Battlefield Park include the raising of the Battle of Lake George Monument, the iconic sculpture of Sir William Johnson and Mohawk Chief King Hendrick that overlooks the lake. The monument was dedicated in 1903 and refurbished last year.
The Lake George Battlefield Park Visitor Center at 75 Fort George Road will be open on September 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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