T6+-+6.1A

T6 - 6.1A Cara Burns, Tennyson Hendershott, Logan Roliff (Attack at Ticonderoga)

"Secret Militia" New Hampshire Grants, 1776

Recently, the Green Mountain Boys made history by invading the British Fort Ticonderoga. This group of patriots consists of uneducated farmers, sharp shooters, and volunteers. The Green Mountain Boys, led by Ethan Allen, who fought in the French and Indian War. They began by protecting the New Hampshire Grants and later progressed to fighting in the revolution. Ethan Allen quotes his reasons for fighting in the war, "while we are under the tyranny of Priests, it will ever be their interest, to invalidate the law of nature and reason, in order to establish systems incompatible therewith." They were a truly amazing paramilitary society.

The green mountain boys were formed by Ethan Allen. Allen fought in the French and Indian war and it is no surprise that he is the leader of this patriotic group. It all began with a border war between New Hampshire and New York. Allen decided he could gain land from this feud. He formed his group of sharpshooters, farmers, and uneducated men. Allen later decided that he wanted to fight for something more and began fighting for the revolution. There is no doubt that this “secret militia” will help the patriots win the war with the British.

The Green Mountain Boys were formed to protect the New Hampshire grants, also known as Vermont. In the 1760’s, both New York and New Hampshire sold land grants to colonists for land in Vermont. These grants often conflicted with each other and soon New York and New Hampshire began a battle for Vermont. The Green Mountain Boys fought against the New York authorities to protect their land. They used both force and intimidation to keep the New Yorkers from taking their homes. New York was put in charge of the Vermont territory by Great Britain in the middle of the conflict. This gave the Green Mountain Boys even greater reason to form their militia. In the end, the Green Mountain Boys successfully kept the authorities from taking their land.

The Green Mountain Boys also made a huge success by capturing the British Fort Ticonderoga. They seized the Lake Champlain structure while being led by Ethan Allen. The group was after the valuable weapons for the patriots. The surprise attack that May night began with the Green Mountain Boys overpowering the guard at the fort and then by Ethan Allen forcing the British commander to surrender the fort. This was considered an embarrassment to the British and it was was also a huge problem losing all of the weapons. As for the patriots, the key route to Canada belongs to them.

Overall, the Green Mountain boys were a huge success for a group of uneducated men. Through their attack on Fort Ticonderoga, they have shown their determination and love for the patriots.Allen also quotes, "those who invalidate reason ought seriously to consider whether they argue against reason, with or without reason." Ethan Allen also has shown his positive attitude by taking in the group, and leading them to their successes. Patriots hope they will see more of this group throughout the war.

Reported by: Cara Burns, Tennyson Hendershoot, and Logan Roliff; Tyrrell 6