 General John Burgoyne began his 1777 campaign for control of the Hudson River valley by moving an army of 8 @,@ 000 down Lake Champlain in late June , arriving near Fort Ticonderoga on July 1 . On July 5 , General Arthur St. Clair 's American forces defending Fort Ticonderoga and its supporting defenses discovered that Burgoyne 's men had placed cannons on a position overlooking the fort . They evacuated the fort that night , with the majority of the army marching down a rough road ( now referred to locally as the 1776 Hubbardton Military Road ) toward Hubbardton in the disputed New Hampshire Grants territory . The day was hot and sunny , and the pace was rapid and <unk> ; most of the army marched 30 miles ( 48 km ) to Castleton before making camp on the evening of July 6 . 
