Chap. 3. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



33 



EXPEDITION AGAINST TICONDEROG A. 



CAPT. NOAH PHELPS. 



CHAPTER III. 



EVENTS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



Section I. 



Events of 1775 — deduction of Ticonderoga 

 — Invasion of Ctmada — Carleton defeat- 

 ed by Col. Warner — St. Johns and Mont- 

 real taken hif Gen. Montgomery — Jls- 

 sauLt %ipon Quebec. 



As all minor contests and sectional 

 difficulties were, for a while, swallowed 

 up by the great and momentous concerns 

 of the Revolution, we shall now proceed 

 to a brief statement of those incidents in 

 tlie war for independence, with which the 

 people of Vermont were more immediate- 

 ly concerned. The affair at Lexington 

 produced a shock, which was felt I'rom 

 one extremity of the colonies to the oth- 

 er; and it was now perceived that their 

 only reliance for safety was to be placed 

 on a vigorous and effectual resistance to 

 the arms and arbitrary power of Great 

 Britain. 



The military posts on lake Champlain 

 were at this time gnrrisoned by British 

 soldiers, arid the British government had i 

 been pursuing measures, by which they i 

 might, if necessary, avail themselves of 

 the strength and resources of Canada, for i 

 the purpose of sul)jugating tlieir other j 

 colonies, in case of revolt. The im])or- 1 

 tance, tlierefore, of securing these posts; 

 to the Americans was at once perceived, ! 

 and the design of effecting this object en- | 

 gaged at the same time the attention of j 

 several adventurers, both in Massachu- I 

 setts and Connecticut, who were utterly | 

 ignorant of each other's views. But the | 

 first active measures for accompli.sliing an \ 

 undertaking so desirable as the reduction i 

 of these jtosts, ajipear to have been taken [ 

 by several enterprising gentlemen of Con- 

 necticut. I 



As the success of the enterprise de- ' 

 pended upon its being managed with se- j 

 crecy and despatch, they obtained of the i 

 Connecticut legislature a loan of $1800, ! 

 and, havini;- procured a quantity of pow- j 

 der and balls, they hastened forward to i 

 Bennington with the view of engaging 

 Ethan Allen in the business. Allen read- 

 ily undertook to conduct the enterjirise 

 and set off to the northward with his usu- 

 al spirit of promptness and activity for 

 the purpose of enlisting and collecting 

 men for the expedition. The gentlemen , 



Pt. II. 5 



from Connecticut, having purchased a 

 quantity of provisions, proceeded to Cas- 

 tleton, where they were joined by Allen 

 with his recruits. 



While they were collecting at Castle- 

 ton, Col. Arnold arrived there attended 

 only by a servant. Tliis officer had been 

 chosen captain of an independent compa- 

 ny at New Haven in Connecticut, and, as 

 soon as he heard of the battle at Lexing- 

 ton, he marched his company to Cam- 

 bridge, where tlie Americans were assem- 

 bling to invest Boston. There he receiv- 

 ed a Colonel's commission from the Mas- 

 sachusetts committee of safety with orders 

 to raise 400 men for the reduction of 

 Ticonderoga and Crown Point, wliich he 

 represented to be in a ruinous condition 

 and feebly garrisoned. His commission 

 being examined, Arnold was permitted to 

 join the party ; but it was ordered by a 

 council that Allen should also have the 

 commission of Colonel, and should be 

 first in command. 



i To procure intelligence, Capt. Noali 

 i Phelps, 9ne of the gentlemen from Con- 

 necticut, went into tlie fort at Ticonde- 

 I roga in the habit of one of the settlers, 

 I where he inquired for a barber, under the 

 I pretence of wanting to be shaved. By 

 ; affecting an awkward appearance, and 

 ! asking many simple questions, he passed 

 I unsuspected, and had a favorable oppor- 

 j tunity of observing the condition of the 

 I works. Having obtained the necessary 

 I information, he returned to the party, and 

 the same night they began their march 

 for the fort. And these affairs had been 

 conducted with so much expedition, that 

 Allen readied Orwell, opposite to Ticon- 

 deroga, with liis men, in the evening of 

 the Oth of May, while the garrison were 

 without any knowledge of the proceed- 

 ings, and without any apprehension of a 

 hostile visit. 



The whole force collected on this occa- 

 sion amounted to 270 men, of wiiom 230 

 were Green Mountain Boys. It was 

 with difficulty that boats could be obtain- 

 ed to carry over the troops. A Mr. 

 Douglas was sent to Bridport to procure 

 aid in men, and a scow belonging to Mr. 

 Smith. Douglas stopped by the way to 

 enlist a Mr. Chapman in the enterprise, 

 when James Wilcorc and Joseph Tyler, 



