ALLELUIA ALLEN 



117 



book, entitled " An Alarm to Unconverted Sinners," 

 was born at Devizes in Wiltshire in J 623 ; educated 

 at Oxford ; became minister of Taunton in Somer- 

 setshire, from which benefice he was ejected for non- 

 conformity ; died in 1688, at the early age of thirty- 

 BJX. 



ALLELUIA. See Halleluia. 



ALLE.MAND ; 1, a well-known dance, originally 

 German, distinguished for its sprightliness ; 2, a very 

 lively dancing tune, in two-four time, which lias 

 much resemblance to the French tambourine. 



ALLEN, Etlian, a brigadier-general in the Ameri- 

 can revolutionary army, was born in Salisbury, Con- 

 necticut, but was educated principally in Vermont, 

 to which state his parents emigrated whilst he was 

 yet young. His education was of a limited charac- 

 ter. In the disturbances which agitated Vermont, 

 he took an active part against the royal authority, in 

 favour of the Green mountain boys, the name by 

 which the settlers in tliat territory were designated. 

 In 1775, soon after the battle of Lexington, in 

 compliance with the request of the legislature of 

 Connecticut, A. collected a body of about 230 Green 

 mountain boys, and marched against the fortresses 

 of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, for the purpose of 

 taking them by- assault. At Castletou, he was 

 joined by colonel Arnold, who had received direc- 

 tions from the Massachusetts committee of safety to 

 raise a corps of men for the same purpose, but, fail- 

 ing to accomplish that object, he determined to pro- 

 ceed with the small force of colonel A. They 

 arrived at the lake opposite to Ticonderoga, on the 

 ?vening of May 9, and, having with great difficulty 

 procured boats, landed eighty-three men on the 

 opposite shore during the night. The day beginning, 

 however, to dawn, A. was ooliged to attack the fort 

 before his rear could cross the lake, having pre- 

 viously animated his soldiers, by a harangue, which 

 he concluded with saying, " I now propose to ad- 

 vance before you, and in person to conduct you 

 through the wicket-gate ; but, inasmuch as it is a 

 desperate attempt, I do not urge on any one contrary 

 to his will. You that will undertake voluntarily, 

 poise your firelocks." They all immediately poised 

 their firelocks. He then advanced at the head of 

 the centre file to the wicket-gate, where a sentry 

 snapped his fusee at him, and retreated through the 

 covered way, followed by A., who formed his men 

 npoii the parade. The apartments of the command- 

 ing officer having been pointed out to him by a 

 ceiitry who asked quarter, he instantly repaired 

 thither, and, holding his sword over captain de La- 

 place, whom he found undressed, demanded the sur- 

 ivndcr of the fort. The latter asking him by what 

 authority, " I demand it," said A., " in the name of 

 the great Jehovah, and of the continental congress." 

 De Laplace was constrained to comply with the 

 summons, and the fort, with its stores and garrison, 

 was given up. On the same day, also, A. obtained 

 possession of Crown Point, and soon after captured 

 a sloop of war, the only armed vessel on lake Cham- 

 plain, and thus acquired the entire command of that 

 lake. In the following autumn, he was twice de- 

 bpatched into Canada, to engage the inhabitants to 

 lend their support to the American cause. In the 

 last of these expeditions, he formed a plan, in con- 

 cert with colonel Brown, to reduce Montreal. Sep- 

 tember 10, 1775, A. accordingly crossed the river, 

 at the head of 110 men, but was attacked, before 

 Brown could join him, by the British troops, con- 

 sisting of 500 men, and, after a most obstinate resis- 

 tance, was taken prisoner. The events of his cap- 

 tivity he himself has recorded in a narrative compiled 

 by him after his release, in the most singular style, 

 but apparently with great fidelity. For some time 



he was kept in irons, and treated with much severity. 

 He was sent to England as a prisoner, with an 

 assurance, that, on his arrival there, lie would meet 

 with the halter. During the passage, extreme 

 cruelty was exercised towards him and his fellow 

 prisoners. They were all, to the number of thirty- 

 four, thrust, hand-cuffed, into a small place in the 

 vessel, enclosed with white-oak plank, not more than 

 twenty feet wide by twenty-two long. After about 

 a month's confinement in Pendennis castle, near Fal 

 mouth, he was put on board a frigate, January 8, 

 1776, and carried to Halifax. Thence, after an 

 imprisonment of five months, he was removed to 

 New York. On the passage from Halifax to the 

 latter place, A. was treated with great kindness by 

 captain Smith, the commander of the vessel, and 

 evinced his gratitude by refusing to join in a con- 

 spiracy to kill the British captain and seize the fri- 

 gate. His refusal prevented the execution of the 

 plan. He remained at New York for a year and a 

 half, sometimes in confinement, and sometimes at 

 large, on parole. On May 6, 1778, A. was ex- 

 changed for colonel Campbell, and immediately 

 afterwards repaired to the head-quarters of general 

 Washington, by whom he was received with much 

 respect. As his health was impaired, he returned to 

 Vermont, after having made an offer of his services 

 to the commander-in-chief, in case of his recovery. 

 His arrival in Vermont was celebrated by the dis- 

 charge of cannon ; and he was soon appointed to the 

 command of the state militia, as a mark of esteem 

 for his patriotism and military talents. A fruitless 

 attempt was made by the British to bribe him to lend 

 his support to a union of Vermont with Canada. 

 He died suddenly at his estate in Colchester, 

 February 13, 1789. General Allen was a man of a 

 strong and enterprising, but haughty and restless 

 mind. Although his education had been circum- 

 scribed, he was daring in his pretensions to know- 

 ledge, and bold and peremptory in his assertions. 

 Besides the narrative of his captivity, which we have 

 noticed, and a number of pamphlets in the contro- 

 versy with New York, he published a " Vindication 

 of the Opposition of the inhabitants of Vermont to 

 the Government of New York, and their Right to 

 form an independent State," 1779, and a work, en- 

 titled " Allen's Theology, or the Oracles of Reason," 

 the first formal publication, in the United States, 

 openly directed against the Christian religion. A. 

 was a confirmed infidel. He adopted some of the 

 most fantastical and absurd notions imaginable, be- 

 lieving, with Pythagoras, that the soul of man, after 

 death, would live again in beasts, birds, fishes, &c. 

 He often told his friends, that he himself would live 

 again under the appearance of a large white horse . 

 However, there is an anecdote extant, which proves 

 that he professed to entertain those ideas more from 

 an affectation of singularity, than from conviction. 

 Whilst sitting in his library, conversing with a phy- 

 sician of the name of Elliot, A. was informed that 

 his daughter was dying, and desired to speak with 

 him. He immediately repaired to her chamber, fol- 

 lowed by doctor Elliot. His wife was distinguished 

 for piety, and had instructed her daughter in the 

 principles of Christianity. As soon as her father 

 stood at her bedside, she said to him, " I am about 

 to die ; shall I believe in the principles you have 

 taught me, or shall I believe in what my mother has 

 taught me ?" He became greatly agitated ; his 

 chin quivered ; his whole frame shook ; and, after 

 waiting a few moments, he replied, " Believe what 

 your mother has taught you." 



ALLEN, Thomas, an eminent mathematician of the 

 reign of Elizabeth, was a native of Staffordshire ; 

 died in 1632. He is author of several astronomical 



