The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-10-29
COL. ETHAN ALLEN AND
GOVERNOR CHlTTENLEN
Concluding Section of Hon. J. K
Ratchclder's Address at Arlington
Saturday Afternoon.

Saturday Afternoon.
Before he led his men up the heights
on which the fortress stood he lined
them up and spoke to them words,
which represent so well one phase of
the cha acter OF the man, that they
will bear repeating here.
Friends and fellow soldiers We
must this morning quit cur pretens.
ions to valor or possess ourselves of
this fortress, and in as much as it is
desperate attempt which none but
the bravest men dare to undertake
do not urge it on any contrary TO his
will. You that will undertake yolun-
tarily poise your firelocks.' They did
to q man
Then he led them up the heights to
the fortress and through the wicket
gate to the parade. The commandant
of the Fort, Colonel de la Place UNI
mindful of danger was still sleeping
as also the soldiers, except the senti-
nels.
Learning the locations Of the apart
ments occupied by the Commandment,
Allen at once repaired to them and
ordered him to come forth instantly
or he would sacrifice the whole gar
risen. Using Aliens own language
when he described what took place
between him and the Colonel he
says:
The Colonel came Immediately TO
the door with. his small clothes in his
hand, When | aksed him to deliver
me the fort instantly he asked by
what authority | demanded it, and /
answered him:
"In the name of the Great Jehovah
and he Continental Congress"
IT, fort was Immediately surrend-
cred. The British flag was hauled
down The first one. as the historian
has well said, to surredner" to the
coming Republicr
And what flag could they float in
1 its place? None. The New Hamp-
shire Grants had adopted no flag of
/ its own. They acknowledged no al
legiance to either of the colonies, and
/ If we mistake not the Continental
/ Congress at that time had adopted
none
/ And so the men of the New Hamp.
shire Grants, without a flag, without
ernment-without authority
from any one vino could give. tive
might almost say without a country,
had. impeled by their love of liberty,
captured a fortress that was thought
4 mpregnable and commenced war.
which should last for eight years and
/ in it's far reaching effect was to shape
the destiny OF half a world
The next day after the capture Of
/ TicCnderoga Allen sent Seth Warner
with a detachment Of his troops to
capture the fort at Crown Point situ-
ated few miles above, on the west
/ side of the Lake Champlain
/ That able Captain performed the
duties assigned him at once and took
/ the forts Benedict Arnold. who came
to Allen at Castleton and was at
! the capture of Ticonderoga cleared
Lake Champlain of whatever armament
( the British had on it and so the way
was left open for the army OF the Con
/ tinental Congress to invade Canada,
which il did under General Mpntgo-
merry and On the nth Of September
+ ITS he laid siege to the fortified
forts of St John Allen accompani-
ed him and on the 25th, day of Sep.
( TENDER in an unsuccessful attack on
Montreal was captured and sent in
chains to England, where he remain
ed until the summer of 1777 when ne
was brought back 10 New York, then
! held by the British. and remained a
prisoner there until May 1873 and
then was exchanged, and returned to
the New Hampshire Grants, they hav-
ing. during his absence, become an
independent state and was welcomed
'by the inhabitants with marks Of es-
( TEEN
*e*e
We will leave him there for the pres
ent while ! call your attention for a
short time to that other man whose
name your honor and whose services
| to Vermont you recognize today
Governor Thomas chttenden.
Governor Chittenden was born in
/ 1880 at East Guilford, in the Colony
! of Connecticut, and while a young
man removed TO Salisbury in the
same colony and become influential
there He represented that town for
several years in the Colonial Assemb-
/ ly. In 1774 moved with his family
to Williston, township in the New
Hampshire Grants purchased large
tract Of land and became a farmer
He was not soldier like Allen, but
a statesman as his subsequent life
clearly shows, and took an active part