Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-19
EIhan LIIen al IIeondero.a.

/ TO The Editors Of the Boston DqiIy .4frertiser.
] IL your readers are not vet quite tired Of the
controversy which has grown out of DR.. De
1osta article IN the GalGru, on the capture of
/ Alconderoga, you may thiuk it worth while to
{ eall attention to some important testimony. NOT
before introduced, as to the fact of Ethan Al
lens command at that enterprise. No addition
al testimony, indeed, is required to su.ta;n the
established truth Of history It is only nv conr-
tesy that there can be said 70 have beer. on tbis
point, any controversy at all and Professor
Benedict had SO good a case, that he did not feel
obliged to call all his witnesses to the stand
But 1t may save a future historian some trouble.
to be referred, in addition, to authorities which
have been cited in the DAILY advertiser and the
Burlington Free Press.
First, to the ' Authentic Account Of the
Foriresses Of Ticonderoga and Crown Point -
which was published in the Hartford Courant
Of May p, l77J. For obvious reasons, this &C
count may be regarded as semi-ofiicial. 1t ap-
peared in the first issue Of the C0uraaf after
the return tMay l3) Of the Connecticut officers.
captain Hickok, Lieutenant Halsey. AMI Viii
ham Nichols, who conducted the British officers
as prisoners Of war to Hartford, and who brought
Ethan Aliens report Of May u, to Governor
Irumbull This account states explicitly, that
:" Colonel ellen c0mmaadiHg tie solqiery, on
Wednesday morning they surprised and took
possession Of the Fortress
Secondly, 70 the dre.t testimony Of CAPTAIN
William Delaplace, the British - eommandant
OF he iort and garrison Of Ticonderoga" Cap
tam DeLaplace was certainly in position to
know to whom the fort was SURRENDERED, and on
whose demand On the 9th Of Nav. the week
after he was brought to Hartford, he addressed
to the General Assembly a memorial '' in behalf
OF NHmgnIf and fl.s ~ L
eommand, then detained as prisoners Of war
Ihis memorial is printed in The appendix to
" Humans Historical Collection Of the Part
Sustained by Connecticut in the Revolution. -
(Hartiord, loi2, P 5i4 1t begins as follows
-" Your mem0rialists would represent. that on
the morning Of the l0th Of May, the garris1u Of
the Fortress Of Iconicroga, in the Province Of
New York, WAS surprised by party Of armed
men, under he c0mmGuf o. one Ettcn Allen.
consisting q about 80, who hal taken such
measures so eiectually % surprise the same. that
very little resistance could be made, and to whom
your memorialists were obliged to surrender as
prisoners; and 0yerp0wered by a superior force
were disarmei, AMI by sad Alien ordered i'm
mediately to be sent to fllrtfori, - ETC.
. That your memorialists being ignorant of
any cr.iue b. them committel whereby they
should be thus taken and held, are also ignorant
that they are thus detained in strange country.
and at a distance from the post assigned them
etc.
Is not this explicit enough 10 satisfy even a
disciple Of "a the new school of history.'' Not
word about Benedict Arnol5's 'sequal authori-
ty, OF about '' Colonel John Brown Of Pitts
fell - In the '' little unpleisantness 80 Of that
tenth Of May morning, Capt. Dellpace does not
appear-to have seen or heard any other CON-
manling ofioer than the one Allen, - 10 whom.
Sc IL the name Of the great Jehovah and the
Continental Congress" lie gave up his sword.
That Arnold accom- panied the volunteers who,
under Aliens command, captured the fortress.
is not denied Ii r. be Costa means this. and
nothing m5re, by his statement thai 81 Iiconde-
r0ga was captured by Beneiict Arnold and
Ethan Allen, in company with volunteers from
Vermont Masgachusets and Connecticut, there
Is DO room ior eoatIoyer>y. With any other
construction, his position is SO maniiestly un;en-
able that TO asslil it would be o waste Of time.
J. H. T.
Hartford. Feb. 3. lsfg.