The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1779-11-09 00:00:00, page 1

A NARRATIVE of Col. ETHAN ALLEN's
CAPTIVITY, from the time of his being taken
by the British, near Montreal, on the 25th day of Sep
tember, 1775, to the time of his exchange on the 6th
day of May, 1778; containing his VOVAGES and
T RAVELS, with the most remarkable occurrences
rerpediog himfelf, and many other Continental prison.
ers of different ranks and charaders, which fell under
his observation in the course of the fame; particularly
the deftrudion of the prifomers at New-York, by Ge
neral Sir William Howe, in the years 1776 and 1777,
interspersed with some Political Observations.
Written by Himfelf, and published for the information of
the curious in all nations.
When God from Chaos gave this World to be,
Man then he form'd, and form'd him to be free.
American Independence, a Poem, by Freneau.
INTRODUCTIO N.
INDUCED by a sense of duty t© my country, and
by the application of many of my worthy friends,
some of whom are of the firfl characters, I have conclu
ded to publilh the following narrative of the extraordina
ry feeties of my captivity, and the discoveries which I
have made in the course of the fame, of the cruel and re
lentless disposition and behaviour of the enemy, towards
the prisoners in their power; from which the state poli
tician, and every gradation of character among the peo.
ple, to the worthy tiller of the foil, may deduce such in
ferences as they shall think proper to carry into practice.
Some men are appointed into office, in these States, who
read the hiflory of the cruelties of this war with the fame
careless indifferency as they do the pages of the Roman
hiflory; nay, some are preferred to places of trust and
profit by the tory influence. The instances are (I hope)
but rare; and it (lands all freemen in hand, to prevent
their further influence, which, of all other things, would
be the most baneful to the liberties and happiness of this
country ; and so far as such influence takes place, robs us
of the victory we have obtained, at the expence of so
much blood and treasure.
I should have exhibited to the public a history of the faffs
herein contained, soon after my exchange, had n®t the
urgency of my private affairs, together with more urgent
public business, demanded my attention, 'till a few weeks
before the date hereof. The reader will readily discern,
that a narrative of this fort could not have been wrote
when I was a prisoner; My trunk and writings were
often searched, under various preteuces; so that! never
wrotea syllable, or made even a rough minute, whereon
I might predicate this narration, but trusted solely to my
memory for the whole. I have, however, taken the great
est care and pains to re-collect the fads, and arrange
them; but as they touch a variety of characters and op
posite interests, I am sensible that all will not be pleased
with the relation of them : Be this as it will, I have made
truth my invariable guide, and flake my honor on the
truth of the fads. I have been very generous with the
British, in giving them full and ample credit for all their
good ufageof any considerable consequence, which I met
with among them, during my captivity ; which was easily
done, as I met with but little, in comparison es the bad,
which, by reason of the great plurality of it, could not be
contained in so concise a narrative ; so that I am certain,
that I have more fully enumerated the favours which I re
ceived, than the abuses I fuffered. The critic will be
pleased to excuse any inaccuracies in the performance itfelf,
as the author has unfortunately miffed of a liberal educa
tion.
EVER since I arrived to a state of manhood, and ac
quainted myfelf with the general history of mankind,
I have felt a sincere passion for liberty. The history of
nations doomed to perpetual slavery, in consequence of
yielding up to tyrants their natural-born liberties, I read
with a fort of philosophical horror; so that the firft sys
tematical and bloody attempt at Lexington, to enclave
America, thoroughly electrified my mind, and fully de
termined me to take part with my country : And while I
was wishing for an opportunity to signalize myfelf in its be
half, directions were privately sent to me from the then
colony (now state) of Connecticut, to raise the Green
Mountain Boys; (and if pdffible) with them to furprize
and take the fortrefs Ticonderoga. This enterprize Ichear
fully undertook; and, after firft guarding all the several
passes that led thither, to cut off all intelligence between
the garrison and the country, made a forced march from
Bennington, and arrived at the lake opposite to Ticonde
roga, on the evening of theninth day of May, 17 5, with
two hundred and thirty valiant Green Mountain Boys ;
and it was with the utmost difficulty that I procured boats
to cross the lake: However I landed eighty three men near
the garrison, and sent the boats back for the rear guard
commanded by Col. Seth Warner; but the day began 10
dawn, and I found myfelf under a necessity to attack the
iIiWWM
Si^^
ETHAN ALLEN.
Bennington, March 25th, 1-79.
GENERAL
A NARRATIV E, &c.
TUESDA Y;
O R
[ Published every Tuelday, Thursday and Saturday. ]
fort, before the rear could cross the lake ; and, as it was
viewed hazardous, I harangued the officers and foldiersin
the manner following: " Friends and fellow-foldiers, you
" have, for a number of years past, been a scourge and
" terror to arbitrary power. Your valour has been famed
" abroad, and acknowledged, as appears by the advice
"and orders to me (from the General Assembly of Con
" nefticut) to furprize and take the garrison now before
" us. I now propose to advance before you, and in person
" conduct you through the wicket-gate; for we must this
" morning either quit our pretensions to valour, or pof
" fefs ourselves of this fortrefs in a few minutes ; and, in
" as much as it is a desperate attempt, (which none but
" the bravest of men dare undertake) I do not urge it cn
" any contrary to his will. You that will undertake vo
“ luntarily, poise your firelocks."
The men being (at this time) drawn up in three ranks,
each poised his firelock. I ordered them to face to the
right ; and, at the head of the center-file, marched them
immediately to the wicket-gate aforefaid, where I founda
centry pofled, who inffantly snapped his fufee at me:l
run immediately toward him, and he retreated through the
covered way into the parade within the garrison, gavea
halloo, and ran under a bomb-proof. My party who fol
lowed me into the fort, I formed on the parade, in such
manner as to face the two barracks which faced each other.
The garrison being asleep, (except the centries) we gave
three huzzas which greatly furprized them. One of rhe
centries made a pass at one of my officers with a charged
bayonet, and slightly wounded him: My firft thought was
to kill him with my sword ; but, in an inflant, altered the
design and fury of the blow to a flight cut on the fide of the
head ; upon which he dropped his gun, and asked quarter,
which I readily granted him, and demanded of him the
place where the commanding officer kept; he shewed me
a pair of flairs in toe front of a barrack, on the weft part
of the garrison, which led up to a second story in said bar
rack, To which I immediately repaired, and ordered the
commander (Captain Delaplace) to come forth inflantly,
or I would facrifice the whole garrison ;at which the Cap
tain came immediately to the,door with his breechesin
his hand, when I ordered him to deliver to me the fort in
stantly, who asked me by what authority I demanded it :
I answered him, “ In the name of the great Jehovah, and
" the Continental Congress." (The authority of the Con
gress being very little known at that time ) he began to
speak again; but I interrupted him, and with my drawn
sword over his head, again demanded an immediate surren
der of the garrison; to which he then complied, and order
ed his men to be forthwith paraded without arms, as he
had given up the garrison : In the mean time fome' of my
officers had given orders, and in consequence thereof,
sundry of the barrack doors were beat down, and about
one third of the garrison imprisoned, which Consisted of
the said commander, a Lieutenant Feltham, a conductor
of artillery, a gunner, two Serjeants, and forty four rank
and file; about one hundred pieces of cannon, one 13 inch
mortar, and a number of swivels. This furprize was car
ried into execution in the gray of the morning of the 10th
day of May, 1775. The fun seemed to rife that morning
with a superior luftre; and, Ticonderoga and its depen
cies smiled on its conquerors, who tossed about the flow
ing bowl, and wished success to Congrfs, and the Liberty
and Freedom of America. Happy it 'was for me, (at that
time) that the then future pages oft e book of fate, which
afterwards unfoldeda miferabie feewe of two years and eight
months imprisonment, was hid from my view. But to re
turn to my narration; Col. Warner, with the rear guard,
crossed the lake, and joined me early in the morning,
whom I sent off, without loss of time, with about one
hundred men, to take possession of Crown Point, which
was garrisoned with a Serjeant and twelve men ; which he
took possession of the fame day, as ado upwards of one
hundred pieces of cannon. But one thing now remained t 0 be
done,to make ourselves complete makers of lake Champlain;
This was to possess ourselves of a floopof war, which was
then laying at St. John's; to effect which, it was agreed
in a council of war, to arm and man out a certain schoo
ner, which lay at South Bay, and that Captain (now
General) Arnold Ihould command her, and that I should
command the batteaux, The necessary preparations be
ing made, we set fail from Ticonderoga, in quest of the
sloop, widen was much larger, and carried more guns and
heavier metal than the schooner. General Arnold, with
the schooner faling sister than t:e batteaux arrived at
St Jolin's ; and by furprize, possessed himfelf of the sloop,
before I could arrive with the batteaux: He also made
prisoners of a Serjeant and twelve men, who were garri
soned at that place. It is worthy remark, that as soon as
General Arnold had secured the prisoners on board, and
had made preparation for failing, the wind, which but a
few hours before was frefh in the south, and well lerved to
carry us to St. John's, now sh fted, and came frefh from
the north ; and in about one hour's time, General Arnold
faded with th pr ze and schooner for Ticonderoga : When
I met him with my party, within a few miles of St. John's,
he saluted me with a difeharge of cannon, which I return
ed witn a volley of small arms : This being repeated three
times, I went on board the sloop with my party, when
o&*v3&#ttf tar,^tfs%»rtCTpr'^'a
THE
ADVERTISER
Early in the fall of the year, the little army, under the
command 01 tneGenerals Schuyler and Montgomery were
ordered to advance into Canada. I was at Ticonderoga,
™ h e n ^ °^ er arr ^ ed i and th e general, with most of the
held officers, requeued me to attend them in t e expediti
on ; and tho at that time, I had no commission from Con
gress, yet they engaged me, that I should be considered as
an officer the fame as tho' I had a commission, and should
as occasion might require, command certain detachments
of the army —This I cenfidered as an honourable offer
and did not hesitate to comply with it, and advanced with
the army to the isle Auix Noix; f rom whence I was or
dered (by the general) to go in company with ma<or
Brown, and certain interpreters, through the woods into
Canada, with letters to the Canadians, and to let them
know, that tae design of the army was only against the
Engl ih garrisons, and not the country, their liberties, or
religion: And having through much danger negotiated
th^ business, I returned to theifle Auix Noix the fore part
of September, when General Schuyler returned to Alba
ny ? a ? d in consequence the command devolved upon Gen
eral Montgomery, whom I assisted in laying a line ofeir
cumvailation round the fortrefs St. John's: After which I
was ordered by the General, to make a second tour into
Canada, upon nearly the fame design as before; a^d with
al to observe the disposition, designs and movements of the
inhabitants of the country: This reconnoitre I under
t^ w ^ r ^ fta " ce/ chufil ^ ra ^ er to assist at the fiere
of St. John s, which was then closely inverted ; but
e ", ee ™ '° r the General's person, and opinion of him as a
politician and brave officer, induced me to proceed.
I passed through all the parities on the river Sorrel to
a parilh at the mouth of the fame, which is called b; the
famename preaching politics; and went from thence
across the Sorrel to tne river St. Laurence, and up the ri
ver through the pariffies to Longale, and so far ^t with
good success as an itinerant. In this round, my guard was
Canadians, (my interpreter and some few attendants ex
cepte h) On the morning ofth^th day of September t
set out with my guard of about eighty men, from Lon
'° La P raler i , front whence I determined to
to General Montgomery's camp; but had not advanced
two miles before I met with Major Brown, (who has since
been advanced to the rank of a Colonel,) who desired
me to halt, faying that he had something of importance to
^CT^ate to meand my confidents; upon whi^h
I halted the party, and went into an house, and took'a
private room with him and several of my a ss ociates ,
where Col Brown proposed, that « Provided I would
return to Longale, and procure some canoes, so as to
cross the over St. Lauren e a little north of Montreal,
he would cross it a little to the south of the town, with
near two hundred men, as he had boats fufficient ; and
that we would make ourselves masters of Montreal."
fh^ pian was readily approved by me and those in
council; and in consequence of which I returned to Lon
gale, collected a few canoes, and added ^bout thirty En
glish Americans to my party, and crossed the river in the
night of the 24th, agreeable to the before proposed plan
My whole party, at this time, consisted of about one
hundred and ten men, near eighty of whom were Canadi
ans. We were the most of the night crossing the river as
we had so few canoes that they had to pass and re-pafe
three times, to carry my party across. Soon as er day
break, I set a guard between me and the town, with spe
cial orders to let no person whatever pass or re pass them
and another guard on the other end of the road, with like
directions; in the mean time, I reconnoitred tie bt ft
ground to make a defence, expeding Colonel Brown's
party was landed on the other file of the town, he having
(the day before) agreed to give three huzzas with his men
early in the morning, which figna! Iwas to return, that
we might each know that both parties were landed; but
several loyal Congress healths were drank. We were now
mutters oi Lake Champlain, and the garrisons depending
t ereon. 1 his success I viewed of consequence in the scale
of American politics; for if a fettlernent oetween the then
Colonies and Great-Britain had soon taken place, it would
have been easy to have restored these acquifitiops; but
viewing tne then future consequences of a cruel war, (as
it has really proved to be) and the command of that lake,
garrisons, artillery, &c. must be viewed to be of signal
importance to the American cause, and it is marvellous to
me, that we ever loft the command of it. Nothing but
the taking a Burgoyne, with a whole British army, could
(in my opinion) atone for it ; and notwith handing such
an extraordinary victory, we must be obliged to regain
the command of that lake again, be the cost what it will.
By doing this, Canada will easily be brought into union
and confederacy with the United States of America Such
an, event would put it out of the power of the weftem
trioes ol Indians to carry on a war witii us, and be a solid
and durable bar again ft any further inhuman barbarities
committed on our frontier inhabitants, by cruel and blood
tnirfty lavages; for it is impossible for them to carry on a
war, except they are supported by the trade and commerce
of some civilized nation; which to them would be imprac
ticable, did Canada compose a part of the American em
pire-
NOVEMBER 9 , tf 9 .
THE