Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-12
of the committee for that expedition, remaining
! in charnn Of tIc E-.a la..c...la...i...

of the committee for that expedition, remaining
in charge of the fort and its dependencies.
without taking upon ourselves the task of vim
dleatlng the truth of history in this respect,
which has been effectually done by Professor
Benedict OF Vermont, and Mr. j. Hammond
Irumoull OF Connecticut we may refer to the
disputed declaration of Colonel Allen when he
demanded the surrender of the fort. That gal
lant soldier had something of the weakness Of
the Scotch wife, who excused her husbands pro-
fanity-'' it was such a guide set aft to his con-
versatiOn;'' aad he would have been astonishei
if he had known that his speculative opinions
would ever be quoted as a reason why he could
not have used one form Of an oath instead Of an
other. There is indeed tradition, repeated by
Losing on the authority Of revolutionary
soldier whom he met at Ticonderoga, and who
stood within few feet Of Allen when he made
the famous declaration, rounding it, according
to this witness, with the more common oath
which is still regarded by some as . necessary
clincher to all solemn averments." Whether
Allen really emphasized his demand in this way
may be questioned; but he certainly was not the
man to be restrained by any scruples he may
have had as to the nature Of the Supreme Being.
Bancroft, and indeed most Of the historians Of
the fight at Lexington, report that Major Pit
cairn, when he came in sight # those Lexington
farmers, addressed them in this stately man.
ner sc Disperse, ye villains, We rebels, dis
perse; lay down you arms: why don't you lay
down your arms and disperse - But the re-
ports brought from the scene by eyewitness,
and printed with the accounts Of the battle a
day or two after, represent Major Pitcairn as
shouting -" Disperse, you'd - rebels; lay
down your guns and disperse 80 1t is only
another illustration Of the subdue1 and dec0rous
form in which such exclamations made in the
heat CT great enterprises, appear when history
takes them within its portals
The Continental Congress was a fact in Oar
history before the capture Of Ticonderaga was
dreamed Of The first Congress met in Septem-
Der, l77I, and was already memorable not only
On account of the illustrious men who belonged
10 it, but the first great result Of the political
union Of the colonies The second Congress,
which met on the day Of the surrender, was al
ready known by the eminent men who had been
sent to it, and by the important part which
everybody foresaw it must take in the approach
ing conflict To swear, therefore, by the Cont
mental Congress Was at that moment the most
natural thing for a man Of Colonel Allen : tenn
perameHt AMI habits to do.
It required some courage in Mr.. De Costa, if
he has reli the documents 1t the State House TO
which our intention has been invited, TO give the
impression that Allen could not have had the
caum4Hl or the expedition because he knew
nothing OF 10 tii ia hal been in the field nearly
week. and was then 'Grlmme'l up " % join IT,
Allen himself says in is narrative jlAt Sc iirec-
tons were privately sent TO him from the then
colony (u0w -tate) cf Connecticut TO raise the
Green Mountains boys for this enterprise.
That Arnold, arriving after the organization
at C..stl-tou, claimed the right to take the COM
maud by virtue Of a commission from the Mas
slchuse Is Committee on Slfety 10 raise the
volunteers for that enterprise, has been known
TO the writers Of all cur Histories. But there is
nothing to show that the claim WAS ever recogn-
lied by the Committee Of Safety, as it certainly
was not by Colonel Alien ami those who placed
him In command