The fort, whose construction began in 1734, was never attacked, and was destroyed in 1759 before the advance of a large (more than 10,000 man) British army under General Jeffery Amherst.

Its small garrison was captured in 1775 in the early days of the American Revolutionary War, after which Fort Crown Point also fell into ruin.

When complete, Fort Saint-Frédéric walls were twelve feet thick and four stories high, with cannons on each level.

It was manned by hundreds of officers and troops, principally from Les Compagnies Franches de la Marine.

At the same time they built a fleet to gain military control of Lake Champlain and the 77-mile-long Crown Point Road across the Green Mountains to reach the Connecticut River.