Posted on Sep 25, 2019
Learn All About Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War Hero
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On September 25, 1775, American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen was captured by the British. From the article:
"Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1738. He fought in the American Revolutionary War. Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys and along with Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 in what was the first American victory of the war. After Allen’s attempts to have Vermont become a state failed, he then unsuccessfully petitioner to have Vermont become part of Canada. Vermont became a state two years after Allen’s death in 1789.
Early Years
Ethan Allen was born on January 21, 1738, to Joseph and Mary Baker Allen in Litchfield, Connecticut, Shortly after birth, the family moved to the neighboring town of Cornwall. Joseph wanted him to attend Yale University, but as the oldest of eight children, Ethan was forced to run the family property upon Josephs’ death in 1755.
Around 1760, Ethan made his first visit to the New Hampshire Grants, which is presently in the state of Vermont. At the time, he was serving in the Litchfield County militia fighting in the Seven Years’ War.
In 1762, Ethan married Mary Brownson and they had five children. After Mary’s death in 1783, Ethan married Frances "Fanny" Brush Buchanan in 1784 and they had three children.
The beginning of the Green Mountain Boys
Although Ethan served in the French and Indian War, he did not see any action. After the war, Allen purchased land near the New Hampshire Grants in what is now Bennington, Vermont. Shortly after purchasing this land, a dispute arose between New York and New Hampshire over the land’s sovereign ownership.
In 1770, in response to a New York Supreme Court ruling that the New Hampshire Grants were invalid, a militia named the “Green Mountain Boys” was formed in order to keep their land free and clear from the so-called “Yorkers”. Allen was named as their leader and the Green Mountain Boys used intimidation and sometimes violence in order to force the Yorkers to leave.
Role in the American Revolution
At the onset of the Revolutionary War, the Green Mountain Boys immediately joined forces with the Continental Army. The Revolutionary War officially began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A major consequence of the “Battles” was the Siege of Boston whereby colonial militiamen surrounded the city in an attempt to keep the British Army from leaving Boston.
After the siege began, Massachusetts military governor for the British, General Thomas Gage realized the importance of Fort Ticonderoga and sent a dispatch to General Guy Carleton, Quebec’s governor, ordering him to send additional troops and munitions to Ticonderoga.
Before the dispatch could reach Carleton in Quebec, the Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan and in a joint effort with Colonel Benedict Arnold were ready to attempt to overthrow the British at Ticonderoga. At the break of dawn on May 10, 1775, the Continental Army won the first American victory of the young war when it crossed Lake Champlain and a force that numbered around one hundred militiamen overran the fort and captured the British forces while they slept. There was not a single soldier killed on either side nor were there any serious injuries during this battle. The following day, a group of the Green Mountain Boys led by Seth Warner took Crown Point, which was another British fort just a few miles north of Ticonderoga.
One major result of these battles was that colonial forces now had the artillery that they would need and use throughout the War. Ticonderoga’s location made the perfect staging ground for Continental Army to initiate their first campaign during the Revolutionary War – an invasion of into the British-held province of Quebec, Canada.
Attempt to Overtake Fort St. John
In May, Ethan led a detachment of 100 Boys to overtake Fort St. John. The group was in four bateaux, but failed to take provisions and after two days without food, his men were extremely hungry. They came across on Lake St. John, and while Benedict Arnold provided the men food he also attempted to discourage Allen from his goal. However, he refused to heed the warning.
When the group landed just above the fort, Allen learned that at least 200 British regulars were approaching. Being outnumbered, he led his men across the Richelieu River where his men spent the night. While Ethan and his men rested, the British began to fire artillery at them from across the river, causing the Boys to panic and return to Ticonderoga. Upon their return, Seth Warner replaced Ethan as the leader of the Green Mountain Boys due to their losing respect for Allen’s actions in trying to overtake Fort St. John.
Campaign in Quebec
Allen was able to convince Warner to allow him to stay on as a civilian scout as the Green Mountain Boys were participating in the campaign in Quebec. On September 24, Allen and about 100 men crossed the Saint Lawrence River, but the British had been alerted to their presence. In the ensuing Battle of Longue-Pointe, he and about 30 of his men were captured. Allen was imprisoned in Cornwall, England for approximately two years and returned to the United States on May 6, 1778, as part of a prisoner exchange.
Time After the War
Upon his return, Allen settled in Vermont, a territory which had declared its independence from the United States as well as from Britain. He took it upon himself to petition the Continental Congress to make Vermont the fourteenth U.S. state, but due to Vermont having disputes with surrounding states of over the rights to the territory, his attempt failed. He then negotiated with Canadian governor Frederick Haldimand to become part of Canada but those attempts also failed. His attempts to have Vermont become part of Canada which would have reunited the state with Great Britain, eroded the public’s confidence in his political and diplomatic capabilities. In 1787, Ethan retired to his home in what is now Burlington, Vermont. He died in Burlington on February 12, 1789. Two years later, Vermont joined the United States.
Two of Ethan’s sons graduated from West Point and then serve in the United States Army. His daughter Fanny converted to Catholicism and then she entered a convent. A grandson, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, was a Union Army general in the American Civil War."
"Ethan Allen was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1738. He fought in the American Revolutionary War. Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys and along with Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 in what was the first American victory of the war. After Allen’s attempts to have Vermont become a state failed, he then unsuccessfully petitioner to have Vermont become part of Canada. Vermont became a state two years after Allen’s death in 1789.
Early Years
Ethan Allen was born on January 21, 1738, to Joseph and Mary Baker Allen in Litchfield, Connecticut, Shortly after birth, the family moved to the neighboring town of Cornwall. Joseph wanted him to attend Yale University, but as the oldest of eight children, Ethan was forced to run the family property upon Josephs’ death in 1755.
Around 1760, Ethan made his first visit to the New Hampshire Grants, which is presently in the state of Vermont. At the time, he was serving in the Litchfield County militia fighting in the Seven Years’ War.
In 1762, Ethan married Mary Brownson and they had five children. After Mary’s death in 1783, Ethan married Frances "Fanny" Brush Buchanan in 1784 and they had three children.
The beginning of the Green Mountain Boys
Although Ethan served in the French and Indian War, he did not see any action. After the war, Allen purchased land near the New Hampshire Grants in what is now Bennington, Vermont. Shortly after purchasing this land, a dispute arose between New York and New Hampshire over the land’s sovereign ownership.
In 1770, in response to a New York Supreme Court ruling that the New Hampshire Grants were invalid, a militia named the “Green Mountain Boys” was formed in order to keep their land free and clear from the so-called “Yorkers”. Allen was named as their leader and the Green Mountain Boys used intimidation and sometimes violence in order to force the Yorkers to leave.
Role in the American Revolution
At the onset of the Revolutionary War, the Green Mountain Boys immediately joined forces with the Continental Army. The Revolutionary War officially began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. A major consequence of the “Battles” was the Siege of Boston whereby colonial militiamen surrounded the city in an attempt to keep the British Army from leaving Boston.
After the siege began, Massachusetts military governor for the British, General Thomas Gage realized the importance of Fort Ticonderoga and sent a dispatch to General Guy Carleton, Quebec’s governor, ordering him to send additional troops and munitions to Ticonderoga.
Before the dispatch could reach Carleton in Quebec, the Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan and in a joint effort with Colonel Benedict Arnold were ready to attempt to overthrow the British at Ticonderoga. At the break of dawn on May 10, 1775, the Continental Army won the first American victory of the young war when it crossed Lake Champlain and a force that numbered around one hundred militiamen overran the fort and captured the British forces while they slept. There was not a single soldier killed on either side nor were there any serious injuries during this battle. The following day, a group of the Green Mountain Boys led by Seth Warner took Crown Point, which was another British fort just a few miles north of Ticonderoga.
One major result of these battles was that colonial forces now had the artillery that they would need and use throughout the War. Ticonderoga’s location made the perfect staging ground for Continental Army to initiate their first campaign during the Revolutionary War – an invasion of into the British-held province of Quebec, Canada.
Attempt to Overtake Fort St. John
In May, Ethan led a detachment of 100 Boys to overtake Fort St. John. The group was in four bateaux, but failed to take provisions and after two days without food, his men were extremely hungry. They came across on Lake St. John, and while Benedict Arnold provided the men food he also attempted to discourage Allen from his goal. However, he refused to heed the warning.
When the group landed just above the fort, Allen learned that at least 200 British regulars were approaching. Being outnumbered, he led his men across the Richelieu River where his men spent the night. While Ethan and his men rested, the British began to fire artillery at them from across the river, causing the Boys to panic and return to Ticonderoga. Upon their return, Seth Warner replaced Ethan as the leader of the Green Mountain Boys due to their losing respect for Allen’s actions in trying to overtake Fort St. John.
Campaign in Quebec
Allen was able to convince Warner to allow him to stay on as a civilian scout as the Green Mountain Boys were participating in the campaign in Quebec. On September 24, Allen and about 100 men crossed the Saint Lawrence River, but the British had been alerted to their presence. In the ensuing Battle of Longue-Pointe, he and about 30 of his men were captured. Allen was imprisoned in Cornwall, England for approximately two years and returned to the United States on May 6, 1778, as part of a prisoner exchange.
Time After the War
Upon his return, Allen settled in Vermont, a territory which had declared its independence from the United States as well as from Britain. He took it upon himself to petition the Continental Congress to make Vermont the fourteenth U.S. state, but due to Vermont having disputes with surrounding states of over the rights to the territory, his attempt failed. He then negotiated with Canadian governor Frederick Haldimand to become part of Canada but those attempts also failed. His attempts to have Vermont become part of Canada which would have reunited the state with Great Britain, eroded the public’s confidence in his political and diplomatic capabilities. In 1787, Ethan retired to his home in what is now Burlington, Vermont. He died in Burlington on February 12, 1789. Two years later, Vermont joined the United States.
Two of Ethan’s sons graduated from West Point and then serve in the United States Army. His daughter Fanny converted to Catholicism and then she entered a convent. A grandson, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, was a Union Army general in the American Civil War."
Learn All About Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War Hero
Posted from thoughtco.com
War of Independence
World History
American History
Military History
Combat
Posted 5 y ago
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Ethan Allen: An Unnoticed, Incredible Leader
This is a documentary about the leadership and legacy of Ethan Allen. This was created for National History Day 2014-15; Leadership and Legacy.
Thank you, my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on September 25, 1775 farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, and American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician Ethan Allen was captured by the British at the Battle of Longue-Pointe. He "was imprisoned in Cornwall, England for approximately two years and returned to the United States on May 6, 1778, as part of a prisoner exchange."
His challenge to the British Captain in command of Fort Ticonderoga "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" demonstrated his faith in God and that he was a patriot.[
Ironically now when most people hear or see Ethan Allen they think furniture.
Rest in eternal peace Ethan Allen.
Images:
1. Young Ethan Allen
2. This is a rendition of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capturing Fort Ticonderoga
3. This is a print of an engraving depicting Ethan Allen being held captive before Captain Prescott in Montreal, 1775
4. Ethan Allen, later in life
Ethan Allen: An Unnoticed, Incredible Leader
This is a documentary about the leadership and legacy of Ethan Allen. This was created for National History Day 2014-15; Leadership and Legacy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCQa2Ynwfg
Background from revolutionary-war.net/ethan-allen.html
"Ethan Allen by Janelle Pavao
Ethan Allen is a Revolutionary War hero who was a general in the Continental Army, a British prisoner of war, and the founder of the legendary Green Mountain Boys.
Childhood
He was born on January 21, 1738 in Litchfield, Connecticut. He was the first child of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen. Shortly after he was born, they moved to Cornwall. His father was on a quest for religious freedom, and believed that he'd found it in the frontier land of Cornwall. In Cornwall, Joseph and Mary had seven more children, all of whom survived to adulthood.
Ethan's passion for philosophy emerged and blossomed, most likely from his father's religious passions. As a young boy, Allen could quote many verses from the Bible and loved to argue their meaning with the adults who came by.
Not much other than that is known about his childhood. He grew up in Cornwall, which was frontier land, so Ethan would have learned a lot about hunting, fighting, growing crops, and learning to survive off of your immediate surroundings. By the late 1740's, the frontier finally started to resemble a town.
As a young man, Ethan studied under a minister with the hope that it might help him get accepted into Yale. In the middle of his studies, his father died and he abandoned his schooling and went to be with his family. After his father's death, he joined the army, but it was not long before his time was up and he was back in Cornwall. There he met Mary Browson. After a very short courtship they were married, and to support his family, Allen took part-ownership with his brother Heman in an iron furnace in Salisbury. He and Mary settled in Cornwall at first, but a year later, the trips to Salisbury were too much, so they moved to Salisbury with their baby girl. He bought a small farm and kept developing his iron business.
His iron business began to cost him a lot of money. At first he financed it by selling a large sum of his land, but after that proved to not be enough, he sold his share in the business to Heman. His marriage was in bad shape; Ethan felt he did not know Mary well enough before he married her and their personalities clashed. He was miserable with her. Mary was very critical and complained a lot. She was also unable to read and write and could not enjoy his love of literature and learning. Ethan felt that she was very focused on the rules of religion, and he questioned everything and wanted to discover a relationship with his creator for himself. He loved to be very flamboyant with his beliefs and argue his views on religion. However, Ethan did not abandon the mother of his children, and he stayed with her until she died many years later.
During those years, he was introduced to the wrong side of the law. This became a recurring aspect in his life. He was first brought to court after his neighbor would not keep his pig from wandering onto Allen's land and destroying his crops, Ethan and Heman seized the beast and served it to their families for dinner.
The neighbor was very angry and the courts made Allen pay a fine of 10 shillings to replace the pig. His next visit to the court, Allen had given himself a smallpox immunization without the permission of the town selectman, which was against the law at the time. Allen protested that every man's safety should be up to himself, not the government. He was also fined for this.
While he was in Salisbury, he ran into Thomas Young, a doctor living on the border of New York, quite near Salisbury. The two became really great friends rather quickly. Young taught Allen a great deal about philosophy and political theory, and Allen taught Young about life in the frontier and the appreciation of nature. Shortly after, they decided to start writing a manuscript together. The writing went quite well, until Young had to move away in 1764 and took the manuscript with him. Ethan did not find it until years after Young had died, at which point he fleshed it out, edited and published the book he called Reason: the Only Oracle of Man.
The Green Mountain Boys
For the next few years, history loses sight of Ethan Allen. There is no new documentation on him until late April of 1775. After the battle of Lexington and Concord, a military group called on Ethan. They were planning on capturing Fort Ticonderoga and they wanted to know if he would help. Allen said that he felt a patriotic obligation, but others suggested that he may have seen it as a good way to make up for the run-ins with the law he'd recently had. Whatever his reasoning, Ethan Allen began rounding up the Green Mountain Boys. On May 2, 1775 Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys met up with a group of soldiers from Massachusetts and Connecticut in Bennington. Allen and the other officials planned their attack on Ticonderoga for May 10.
Everyone voted, and Allen was dubbed in charge of the attack. On May 9, however, General Benedict Arnold showed up without warning, and asserted his right to command. The men said they would not follow Arnold, and they would only fight if Allen led the fight. Ethan Allen went to General Arnold and suggested they lead the attack together. At 2 o'clock the next morning, Arnold, Allen and the soldiers loaded into boats and headed across the lake to Fort Ticonderoga. Only 83 soldiers made it over before Allen and Arnold decided to attack for fear that dawn would take away their cover soon. As soon as the attack took place, Ethan headed straight for the Captain's quarters.
The Captain's second-in-command had aroused him at the first sight of attack, and the captain was dressing in the back. His second, trying to stall for time, demanded "In whose authority do you take this fort?!"
Allen, believing that he was talking to the captain, announced: "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" The Captain then came out fully clothed and surrendered his sword to Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold successfully took Fort Ticonderoga without firing a single shot. This was the first win for the American Continental Army.
After their success at Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were called on for many other battles. They became a small legend around the Northern regions of America. Later, the Boys became discontent with their chain of command, and held a vote to instill new leadership. Ethan Allen was not elected to any position at all. The Boys were most likely tired of Allen's egotistical behavior after their success at Fort Ticonderoga, and their growing fame around the country. Allen was distraught by the rejection, however most people around him thought it would be good for him to reduce his ego.
Prisoner of War
Starting on September 8, Allen and Massachusetts Major, John Brown, were sent out on a series of recruiting trips. They were very successful in the sense that they had many men sign up for the American army. However, while they were out on one of these recruits near New York, Ethan and several of their soldiers were captured and taken as prisoners by the British.
They were kept on a few different British ships before they were sent to England. The circumstances were harsh and filthy, and they were made to endure many hardships. A short while after they'd been in England, King George III decreed that all American prisoners were to be held in America and treated as prisoners of war. The next day, Allen was back on a ship on his way to America. During their stay in Ireland on the way back, a group of Irish men heard of the famous Ethan Allen being held on the ship, and took up a collection of clothes and supplies for him and his men.
After that, he was held on a ship outside of New York for several months. During his stay, the captain of the ship entertained a visit from the governor of New York. Allen reports that while he was on the ship the governor looked directly at him, and pretended not to recognize him, but it is very likely that he actually knew who Allen was and chose to leave him there.
After a while, the prisoners were moved on shore to New York, and Allen (being considered an officer) was afforded a limited parole. During his time in New York, he received news that his son had died from smallpox. Devastated, Allen wandered off and was arrested by the British for breaking his parole. He was put in solitary confinement and all comforts previously afforded him were taken away.
Allen was finally released to General George Washington on May 14, 1778, after three years of imprisonment. He arrived at home on May 25, only to find that his closest brother Heman had died one week before, and his brother Zimri, who had been taking care of Allen's family and farm, had died the spring after Allen's imprisonment. Ethan was really hit hard by the news and had a lot of trouble coping with the loss of his two brothers and his son. A few weeks later he traveled to Bennington to check in with the American army. His visit was highly anticipated and he was met with all the glory and honor deserved by a war hero.
There he learned of the Declaration of Independence and The US Constitution. This relit the flame in Ethan, and he was excited to start working on politics again. He spent the last years of the Revolutionary War fighting the political side of things.
After his unhappy wife died in 1783, Allen married Fanny Montresor Brush Buchanan. Allen was very happy with Fanny. She took good care of him, and supported him in all of his passions. He was woven in with politics until the day he died on February 11, 1789. Fanny supported him in all of his politics and studies because it was what made him happy, and Allen died a happy man because he had a wife who loved and cared for him very much. Even though Allen did not get to spend very many years with Fanny, she was truly the love of his life."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen LTC Orlando Illi LTC Greg Henning LTC Jeff Shearer Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price CMSgt (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSG William Jones CPT Scott Sharon CWO3 Dennis M. SGT John " Mac " McConnell PO1 H Gene Lawrence Sgt Albert CastroSPC Tom DeSmet CPT Gabe Snell Maj Kim Patterson
His challenge to the British Captain in command of Fort Ticonderoga "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" demonstrated his faith in God and that he was a patriot.[
Ironically now when most people hear or see Ethan Allen they think furniture.
Rest in eternal peace Ethan Allen.
Images:
1. Young Ethan Allen
2. This is a rendition of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold capturing Fort Ticonderoga
3. This is a print of an engraving depicting Ethan Allen being held captive before Captain Prescott in Montreal, 1775
4. Ethan Allen, later in life
Ethan Allen: An Unnoticed, Incredible Leader
This is a documentary about the leadership and legacy of Ethan Allen. This was created for National History Day 2014-15; Leadership and Legacy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCQa2Ynwfg
Background from revolutionary-war.net/ethan-allen.html
"Ethan Allen by Janelle Pavao
Ethan Allen is a Revolutionary War hero who was a general in the Continental Army, a British prisoner of war, and the founder of the legendary Green Mountain Boys.
Childhood
He was born on January 21, 1738 in Litchfield, Connecticut. He was the first child of Joseph and Mary Baker Allen. Shortly after he was born, they moved to Cornwall. His father was on a quest for religious freedom, and believed that he'd found it in the frontier land of Cornwall. In Cornwall, Joseph and Mary had seven more children, all of whom survived to adulthood.
Ethan's passion for philosophy emerged and blossomed, most likely from his father's religious passions. As a young boy, Allen could quote many verses from the Bible and loved to argue their meaning with the adults who came by.
Not much other than that is known about his childhood. He grew up in Cornwall, which was frontier land, so Ethan would have learned a lot about hunting, fighting, growing crops, and learning to survive off of your immediate surroundings. By the late 1740's, the frontier finally started to resemble a town.
As a young man, Ethan studied under a minister with the hope that it might help him get accepted into Yale. In the middle of his studies, his father died and he abandoned his schooling and went to be with his family. After his father's death, he joined the army, but it was not long before his time was up and he was back in Cornwall. There he met Mary Browson. After a very short courtship they were married, and to support his family, Allen took part-ownership with his brother Heman in an iron furnace in Salisbury. He and Mary settled in Cornwall at first, but a year later, the trips to Salisbury were too much, so they moved to Salisbury with their baby girl. He bought a small farm and kept developing his iron business.
His iron business began to cost him a lot of money. At first he financed it by selling a large sum of his land, but after that proved to not be enough, he sold his share in the business to Heman. His marriage was in bad shape; Ethan felt he did not know Mary well enough before he married her and their personalities clashed. He was miserable with her. Mary was very critical and complained a lot. She was also unable to read and write and could not enjoy his love of literature and learning. Ethan felt that she was very focused on the rules of religion, and he questioned everything and wanted to discover a relationship with his creator for himself. He loved to be very flamboyant with his beliefs and argue his views on religion. However, Ethan did not abandon the mother of his children, and he stayed with her until she died many years later.
During those years, he was introduced to the wrong side of the law. This became a recurring aspect in his life. He was first brought to court after his neighbor would not keep his pig from wandering onto Allen's land and destroying his crops, Ethan and Heman seized the beast and served it to their families for dinner.
The neighbor was very angry and the courts made Allen pay a fine of 10 shillings to replace the pig. His next visit to the court, Allen had given himself a smallpox immunization without the permission of the town selectman, which was against the law at the time. Allen protested that every man's safety should be up to himself, not the government. He was also fined for this.
While he was in Salisbury, he ran into Thomas Young, a doctor living on the border of New York, quite near Salisbury. The two became really great friends rather quickly. Young taught Allen a great deal about philosophy and political theory, and Allen taught Young about life in the frontier and the appreciation of nature. Shortly after, they decided to start writing a manuscript together. The writing went quite well, until Young had to move away in 1764 and took the manuscript with him. Ethan did not find it until years after Young had died, at which point he fleshed it out, edited and published the book he called Reason: the Only Oracle of Man.
The Green Mountain Boys
For the next few years, history loses sight of Ethan Allen. There is no new documentation on him until late April of 1775. After the battle of Lexington and Concord, a military group called on Ethan. They were planning on capturing Fort Ticonderoga and they wanted to know if he would help. Allen said that he felt a patriotic obligation, but others suggested that he may have seen it as a good way to make up for the run-ins with the law he'd recently had. Whatever his reasoning, Ethan Allen began rounding up the Green Mountain Boys. On May 2, 1775 Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys met up with a group of soldiers from Massachusetts and Connecticut in Bennington. Allen and the other officials planned their attack on Ticonderoga for May 10.
Everyone voted, and Allen was dubbed in charge of the attack. On May 9, however, General Benedict Arnold showed up without warning, and asserted his right to command. The men said they would not follow Arnold, and they would only fight if Allen led the fight. Ethan Allen went to General Arnold and suggested they lead the attack together. At 2 o'clock the next morning, Arnold, Allen and the soldiers loaded into boats and headed across the lake to Fort Ticonderoga. Only 83 soldiers made it over before Allen and Arnold decided to attack for fear that dawn would take away their cover soon. As soon as the attack took place, Ethan headed straight for the Captain's quarters.
The Captain's second-in-command had aroused him at the first sight of attack, and the captain was dressing in the back. His second, trying to stall for time, demanded "In whose authority do you take this fort?!"
Allen, believing that he was talking to the captain, announced: "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" The Captain then came out fully clothed and surrendered his sword to Ethan Allen. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold successfully took Fort Ticonderoga without firing a single shot. This was the first win for the American Continental Army.
After their success at Fort Ticonderoga, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys were called on for many other battles. They became a small legend around the Northern regions of America. Later, the Boys became discontent with their chain of command, and held a vote to instill new leadership. Ethan Allen was not elected to any position at all. The Boys were most likely tired of Allen's egotistical behavior after their success at Fort Ticonderoga, and their growing fame around the country. Allen was distraught by the rejection, however most people around him thought it would be good for him to reduce his ego.
Prisoner of War
Starting on September 8, Allen and Massachusetts Major, John Brown, were sent out on a series of recruiting trips. They were very successful in the sense that they had many men sign up for the American army. However, while they were out on one of these recruits near New York, Ethan and several of their soldiers were captured and taken as prisoners by the British.
They were kept on a few different British ships before they were sent to England. The circumstances were harsh and filthy, and they were made to endure many hardships. A short while after they'd been in England, King George III decreed that all American prisoners were to be held in America and treated as prisoners of war. The next day, Allen was back on a ship on his way to America. During their stay in Ireland on the way back, a group of Irish men heard of the famous Ethan Allen being held on the ship, and took up a collection of clothes and supplies for him and his men.
After that, he was held on a ship outside of New York for several months. During his stay, the captain of the ship entertained a visit from the governor of New York. Allen reports that while he was on the ship the governor looked directly at him, and pretended not to recognize him, but it is very likely that he actually knew who Allen was and chose to leave him there.
After a while, the prisoners were moved on shore to New York, and Allen (being considered an officer) was afforded a limited parole. During his time in New York, he received news that his son had died from smallpox. Devastated, Allen wandered off and was arrested by the British for breaking his parole. He was put in solitary confinement and all comforts previously afforded him were taken away.
Allen was finally released to General George Washington on May 14, 1778, after three years of imprisonment. He arrived at home on May 25, only to find that his closest brother Heman had died one week before, and his brother Zimri, who had been taking care of Allen's family and farm, had died the spring after Allen's imprisonment. Ethan was really hit hard by the news and had a lot of trouble coping with the loss of his two brothers and his son. A few weeks later he traveled to Bennington to check in with the American army. His visit was highly anticipated and he was met with all the glory and honor deserved by a war hero.
There he learned of the Declaration of Independence and The US Constitution. This relit the flame in Ethan, and he was excited to start working on politics again. He spent the last years of the Revolutionary War fighting the political side of things.
After his unhappy wife died in 1783, Allen married Fanny Montresor Brush Buchanan. Allen was very happy with Fanny. She took good care of him, and supported him in all of his passions. He was woven in with politics until the day he died on February 11, 1789. Fanny supported him in all of his politics and studies because it was what made him happy, and Allen died a happy man because he had a wife who loved and cared for him very much. Even though Allen did not get to spend very many years with Fanny, she was truly the love of his life."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen LTC Orlando Illi LTC Greg Henning LTC Jeff Shearer Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price CMSgt (Join to see) MSG Andrew White SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSG William Jones CPT Scott Sharon CWO3 Dennis M. SGT John " Mac " McConnell PO1 H Gene Lawrence Sgt Albert CastroSPC Tom DeSmet CPT Gabe Snell Maj Kim Patterson
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