Ethan Allen, the Robin Hood of Vermont

CHAPTER XV.

VERMONT'S TREATMENT BY CONGRESS.—ALLEN'S LETTERS TO COLONEL WEBSTER AND TO CONGRESS.—REASONS FOR BELIEVING ALLEN A PATRIOT.

The conduct of Congress in asking New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire to empower it to settle Vermont, without allowing her to act as a party but allowing her to look on, dallying and postponing the measure indefinitely, indicated New York's control of Congress, and, as might have been expected, Vermont's prowess and pluck would not submit to organic annihilation without a fight. The British, under advice from home, might easily strive to take advantage of the bitter feelings engendered. Congress was struggling with the question of the ownership of western lands. Virginia and New York claimed almost all, the former by virtue of Clarke's conquests and the latter by purchase of the Iroquois, both shadowy, attenuated claims. The smaller States wanted Vermont in the Union to vote against these claims. Ethan Allen's letters, showing the turmoil of feeling in Vermont, as well as his own patriotism, have often been quoted.

To Colonel Webster he wrote:

Sir:—Last evening I received a flag from Major Carleton commanding the British forces at Crown Point, with proposals from General Haldimand, commander-in-chief in Canada, for settling a cartel for the exchange of prisoners. Major Carleton has pledged his faith that no hostilities shall be committed on any posts or scouts within the limits of this state during the negotiation. Lest your state [New York] should suffer an incursion in the interim of time, I have this day dispatched a flag to Major Carleton, requesting that he extend cessation of hostilities on the northern parts and frontiers of New York. You will therefore conduct your affairs as to scouts, &c., only on the defensive until you hear further from me.

I am, &c., Ethan Allen.

To Colonel Webster. To be communicated to Colonel Williams and the posts on your frontier.

He also wrote to Colonel Webster:

Rupert, about break of day

of the 31st October, 1780.

Sir:—Maj. Ebenezer Allen who commands at Pittsford has sent an express to me at this place, informing me that one of his scouts at 1 or 2 o'clock P.M. on the 29th instant, from Chimney Point, discovered four or five ships and gun-boats and batteaux, the lake covered and black, all making sail to Ticonderoga, skiffs flying to and from the vessels to the batteaux giving orders, and the foregoing quoted from the letter verbatim. But I cannot imagine that Major Carleton will violate his truce. I have sent Major Clarke with a flag to Major Carleton, particularly to confirm the truce on my part, and likewise to intercede in behalf of the frontiers of New York. What the motion of the British may be, or their design, I know not. You must judge for yourself. I send out scouts to further discover the object of the enemy. Maj. [Ebenezer] Allen thinks they have a design against your state.

From your humble servant,

Ethan Allen.

He wrote to the president of Congress:

Sunderland, 9 March, 1781.

Sir:—Inclosed I transmit your excellency two letters which I received under the signature thereto annexed, that they may be laid before congress. Shall make no comments on them, but submit the disposal of them to their consideration. They are the identical and only letters I ever received from him, and to which I have never returned any manner of answer, nor have I ever had the least personal acquaintance with him, directly or indirectly. The letter of the 2d February, 1781, I received a few days afore with a duplicate of the other, which I received the latter part of July last past, in the high road in Arlington, which I laid before Governor Chittenden and a number of other principal gentlemen of the state (within ten minutes after I received it) for advice; the result, after mature deliberation, and considering the extreme circumstances of the state, was to take no further notice of the matter. The reasons of such a procedure are very obvious to people of this state, when they consider that congress has previously claimed an exclusive right of arbitrating on the existence of Vermont as a separate government. New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay at the same time claiming this territory, either in whole or in part, and exerting their influence to make schisms among the citizens, thereby in a considerable degree weakening this government and exposing its inhabitants to the incursions of the British troops and their savage allies from the province of Quebec. It seems that those governments, regardless of Vermont's contiguous situation to Canada, do not consider that their northern frontiers have been secured by her, nor of the merit of this state in a long and hazardous war, but have flattered themselves with the expectation that this state could not fail (their help) to be desolated by a foreign enemy, and that their exorbitant claims and avaricious designs may at some future period take place in this district of country. Notwithstanding those complicated embarrassments, and I might add discouragements, Vermont during the last campaign defended her frontiers, and at the close of it opened a truce with General Haldimand (who commands the British troops in Canada) in order to settle a cartel for the mutual exchange of prisoners, which continued near four weeks in the same situation, during which time Vermont secured the northern frontiers of her own, and that of the state of New York in consequence of my including the latter in the truce, although that government could have but little claim to my protection. I am confident that congress will not dispute my sincere attachment to the cause of my country, though I do not hesitate to say I am fully grounded in opinion that Vermont has indubitable right to agree on terms of cessation of hostilities with Great Britain, provided the United States persist in rejecting her application for a union with them, for Vermont of all people would be the most miserable were she obliged to defend the independence of United States and they at the same time claiming full liberty to overturn and ruin the independence of Vermont. I am persuaded when congress considers the circumstances of this state, they will be more surprised that I have transmitted them the inclosed letters than that I have kept them in custody so long, for I am as resolutely determined to defend the independence of Vermont, as congress are that of the United States, and, rather than fail, will retire with hardy Green Mountain Boys into the desolate caverns of the mountains and wage war with human nature at large.

(Signed) Ethan Allen.

His Excellency Samuel Huntingdon, Esq., Pres. of Congress.

Allen wrote to General Schuyler:

Bennington, May 15, 1781.

A flag which I sent last fall to the British commanding officer at Crown Point, and which was there detained near one month, on their return gave me to understand that they [the British], at several different times, threatened to captivate your own person: said that it had been in their power to take some of your family the last campaign [during Carleton's invasion in October, 1780, probably], but that they had an eye to yourself. I must confess that such conversation before my flag seems rather flummery than real premeditated design. However, that there was such conversation I do not dispute, which you will make such improvement of as you see fit. I shall conclude with assuring your honor, that notwithstanding the late reports, or rather surmises of my corresponding with the enemy to the prejudice of the United States, it is wholly without foundation.

I am, sir, with due respect, your honor's obedient and humble servant,

Ethan Allen.

To General Schuyler.

The following letter, believed by some people to have been written by Allen to General Haldimand, June 16, 1782, though unsigned, contains what is considered by his traducers damning evidence:

Sir:—I have to acquaint your excellency that I had a long conference with ... [a British agent] last night. He tells me that through the channel of A [Sherwood] he had to request me in your name to repair to the shipping on Lake Champlain, to hold a personal conference with his [your] excellency. But as the bearer is now going to get out of my house to repair to his excellency, and would have set out yesterday had not the intelligence of the arrival of ... postponed it until to-day. I thought it expedient to wait your excellency reconsidering the matter, after discussing the peculiar situation of both the external and internal policy of this state with the gentleman who will deliver this to you, and shall have, by the time your excellency has been acquainted with the state of the facts now existing, time to bring about a further and more extended connection in favor of the British interest which is now working at the general assembly at Windsor, near the Connecticut River. The last refusal of congress to admit this state into union has done more to awaken the common people to a sense of that interest and resentment of their conduct than all which they had done before. By their own account, they declare that Vermont does not and shall not belong to their confederacy. The consequence is, that they may fight their own battles. It is liberty which they say they are after, but will not extend it to Vermont. Therefore Vermont does not belong either to the confederacy or the controversy, but are a neutral republic. All the frontier towns are firm with these gentlemen in the present administration of government, and, to speak within bounds, they have a clear majority of the rank and file in their favor. I am, etc.

N. B.—If it should be your excellency's pleasure, after having conversed with the gentleman who will deliver these lines, that I should wait on your excellency at any part of Lake Champlain, I will do it, except I should find that it would hazard my life too much. There is a majority in congress, and a number of the principal officers of the continental army continually planning against me. I shall do everything in my power to render this state a British province.

Ira Allen, that shrewd politician, says of the letter:

This we consider a political proceeding to prevent the British forces from invading this State.

Our reasons for believing Ethan Allen always a patriot are:

First. His known faithfulness to the American cause in every case.

Second. His hatred of the British and contemptuous rejection of their proffers of honor and emoluments when in their power and in no personal danger if he accepted them.

Third. His natural obstinacy in clinging to a cause he had espoused.

Fourth. The repeated efforts of the Vermont government, in which Allen was engaged, to induce Congress to admit it to the Union continued during the negotiation.

Fifth. At Allen's request the truce offered by the British included New York's eastern frontier, and Vermont promptly responded to all calls upon her for help.

Sixth. There is reason to believe that General Washington was informed by General Allen, in advance of the Haldimand negotiations, of their purpose.

The state's peculiar frontier, threatened by Canada, unsupported by the other states, disturbed by internal dissensions, unable to defend herself by force, made it necessary to use strategy. No authority was given the commissioners by the executive or by the legislature to treat of anything but an exchange of prisoners. There is no record that I can find that an effort was made at any time to induce Vermonters at large to consider the subject of a British union. Indeed, Governor Chittenden, in 1793, giving a list of those in the secret, mentions only eight, although Ira Allen said, in 1781, that more were added.

It seems to me that Allen shows in this correspondence the talent of a diplomat, a talent which our state needed in its formative period to supplement the audacity of the hardy Green Mountain Boys. There could be no question of disloyalty to the United States, because Vermont had never belonged to them. He was intensely loyal to his own state, for whose welfare he strove, and if Congress still refused to admit her to the Union, there was no other resource than to ally her with Great Britain in self-defence.

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