Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-07-25


when he took a part with a war party
of Algonouins. whom he accompanied
in a battle with the Iroquois at Crown
Point, and gained the victory by the
first discharge of fire arms on Lake
Champlain down to the close of the
war of the Revolution, the narrow neck
of land between Lakes Champlain and
George had been the theatre of bloody
contests. Some of the more important
events which took place at this point in
the old French wharf.-the defeat of Dies
Kau, in 1855; the capture of Fort Will
liam Henry, by Montcalm, and the mas
sacre of the garrison the defeat of Alb
ercrombie, in 1853; the capture of Fort
Ticonderoga, the next year, by Gen.
Amherst, were sketched in passing to
the main subject.
He said TicOnderoga was the first fort
captured and that led to independence.
| 1t belonged to VermOnters and their
hero, Ethan Allen, and not to the traitor,
Benedict Arnold, Notwithstanding the
| assertions of those modern historical
| writers-Stone, Dawson and De Costa
who first suggested the capture of Tt
! conderoga was unimpOrtant, but dOcu-
| mentary evidence shows that Ethan Al
! len suggested it to Capt. John Brown.
| Proofs were advanced from the letters
| of Mr.. Brown that before the outbreak
of hostilities the people of the New
| Hampshire Grants had undertaken to
| seize Fort TiconderOga in case of such
| outbreak fact substantiated by let
| ter of Ethan Aliens not before cited by
writers on the subject written four
wears after the capture. A reference
was made to Gov. Halls history, in
which it is said that the Council of Con-
necticut is entitled to the honor of de-
vising and putting in motion the expe-
ditiOn against TicOndeTOga. From these
| proofs it was claimed for Vermont the
devising. while the impulse which actu-
| ally set it in motion was due to the peo-
| pie of Connecticut.
The speaker proceeded to describe the
shirt which animated the rallying OF
the Green Mountain Boys by Allen from
the small and distant settlements. The
battle of Lexington warmed the blood
of the VermOnters and Allen says in his
vindicatiOn. that they resolved to take
active part in the coming struggle and
thus end their quarrel with New York
by a capture of TicOndcrOga and Crown
! Point. and offer them to Congress. Hav-
ING rendevOuzed at CastletOn, on Mon
day. Nav Sth, 1875, they resolved to
capture the forts at once and sent Capt.
| Herrick to SkeensbOrO (Whitehal) TO
capture Major Skeene and his boats.
| They further resolved to make Ethan
| Allen their leader Few men occupied
a more prominent place at that time
than Allen although he was an out
law. with a price upon his head, he was
| recognized as a bold, intrepid man, and
that the leader of the Green Mountain
| Bows should be at the head of this adven-
ture was a natural result. 1t should be
borne in memory that in May 1910. -
| the primeyal forests covers the New
Hampshire Grants a single road leads
from Boston to Canada. along which are
/ some scattered settlements. There was
/ no organized law. The settlers were
very poor. but they were rich in love OF
country. From these people were raised
this band of Green Mountain Boys and
in seventy-twO hours from the time the
! question was first voted, a band was
raised and were on the western shore Of
| Lake Champlain in ShOreham. ready to
capture the famous fortress Of TicOnder-
/ Oga. Home or business affairs do not
. delay these men coming from their farms
1t was Ethan Allen that called and they
came not by platOOns. but by tWOs and
singly to meet their leader at ShOTeham.
The spirit of liberty filed their hearts
. and this was the answer TO her hugle
cali. At this time Benedict Arnold ap-
pears at Shoreham. a six days colonel,
in full uniform. with its gold tinsel. a.
tended by his valet, and with a cool inn
/ audience proposes to Ethan Allen to take
the command Can any one imagine the
/ scorn with which the old hero received
this holiday soldier? The Green Noun
tain Bows refused TO follow Arnold and
they left Shoreham with Arnold as a
thigh" private. They reached the lake
at Hands Cove on the 9th of May. They
had no boats and could not procure any.
There was a ScOw at BridpOrt and two
young NermOnters sent it down to the
Cove. Three hundred strong. in the
early dawn they crossed the lake. Allen
/ addressed his men, and led them To th"
covered way and entered the Fort. fol
lowed by his men. La Place yields 10
/ that immortal demand "by the Great
/ Jehovah aud the Continental Congress,
and the sun rises on the first fortress Of
the American nation. captured without
the loss of a life. bv the brave Green
Mountain Bows. Allen generously al
lowed Arnold to enter the fort side by
side with him by the advice of some Of
his men. and after the fort was captur-
ed. Arnold claimed the command.
In explanation of Aliens statement
that Arnold entered the fort with him
side by side. Mr. Chittenden quoted tes-
timonv from Rev. Mr. Goodhue's history
of ShOreham. The historians informal
ton came from Major Noah Calender.
who was with the attacking force, and
for whom he vOuches as a truthful wit
ness. He says that when Allen gave
the word to march forward. Arnold in
/ terpOsed and claimed the command and
sw0re he would go into the fort first.
Allen sworV he should not but that he
himself would enter first. The dispute.
running high. Allen, turning to Amos
/ Calender. of ShOreham Gather of Major
| Callender), said: ''What shall | do with
/ the damned rascal? Shall put him I'M
der guard?" Calender, regrettidg such
! an occurrence at such a critical time. ad-
vised them to settle the difficulty by
agreeing TO enter the fort together. The
/ speaker at this point. spoke in caustic
| language of the worthless of the so-called
new school of history" especially of
! De Costa. who had endeavored to make
/ Benedict Arnold the actual hero of Ii
| conderOga. saying that if Rev. Mr.. De
| CNstd wis ilpt Il safer 9uiltt III tIlt Ldi-
row way than in the history Of Ticon
| deroga, his flock must have some need of
! missiOnary!" He also said in paving
fine tribute to Allen, that ArnOld's
claims to the distinction of the leader of
this band. rests solely on his own evil
dence; the American public will not
tear away the laurels from Aliens brow
to deck the head of traitor There
was place for Allen in the Revolution;
there is place for him in history; there
| is place for the hero and the fraud.
The speaker added that though the
traducers of Allen and his Green Noun
tain boys came chiefly from. New York,
yet none of the acts or words of indiyid-
uals should be charged against any sister
! StaEas Vermont had no Marfara with