Revolutionary War soldier’s belt axe, recovered at Fort Ticonderoga, NY (ON HOLD,MW)

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War/Revolutionary War artifacts. Being offered is a soldier’s axe head measuring 5” x 2” x 2 ¼”. It was recovered many years ago at Fort Ticonderoga, New York.

This style of axe with a short blade is a style that became quite popular amongst Americans by the middle of the 18th century, although many similar styles were manufactured in England. With all of the fort building and clearing land, there was a dramatic shortage of tools on both sides.

Located on Lake Champlain in northeastern New York, Fort Ticonderoga served as a key point of access to both Canada and the Hudson River Valley during the French and Indian War. On May 10, 1775, Benedict Arnold joined Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont in a dawn attack on the fort, surprising and capturing the sleeping British garrison. Although it was a small-scale conflict, the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga was the first American victory of the Revolutionary War and would give the Continental Army much-needed artillery to be used in future battles.

There is a nearly identical example of this axe in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum. It was recovered during excavations of the parade ground at the fort (see pictures). As far as field recoveries, smaller axes are much rarer then the larger examples. They were small enough and light enough to be carried for everyday use. Soldiers also fought with axes during Revolutionary War, including in hand-to-hand combat, naval battles, and trench warfare. This example is in solid condition, even having overall surface rust, but no chipping or flaking. It has been coated for preservation.

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, diggers, and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust.

This is the first time this piece has been on the open market, and It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. There are examples in “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the America Revolution”, by Neumann and Kravic (see pictures). As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included.