In his History of Vermont, Walter Crockett made reference to
Ethan Allen and the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. Crockett
wrote, "The first surrender of a British fortress in the long struggle
for American Independence was made to Ethan Allen and his Green
Mountain Boys, and in the history of the military affairs of the United
States the capture of Ticonderoga hedged the list as the first
important aggressive movement in the Revolutionary War."
Charles Jellison, in Ethan Allen: Frontier Rebel, wrote that
Ticonderoga "must be considered a major military victory, for it
drastically altered the power potential in the northern colonies and
may very well have meant the difference between success and failure for
the Revolutionary cause."
In the winter of 1775-76, George Washington, commander in chief of the
Continental Army, found himself short of military equipment needed to
drive the British out of Boston. Henry Knox, colonel of the artillery,
suggested to Washington that captured military supplies from Crown
Point and Ticonderoga could be transported to Boston. Washington, in a
letter to Knox, wrote the following: "You're to immediately examine
into the state of the artillery of this army, and take an account of
the cannon, mortars, shells, lead and ammunition that are wanting. The
want to them is so great that no trouble or expense must be spared to
obtain." In December of 1775, Knox removed heavy military equipment
from Ticonderoga. He floated the supplies on Lake George, and then
transported the equipment by land with 42 sleds and 81 yoke of oxen.
When these supplies reached Boston in March 1776, the British decided
to evacuate and Washington's military strategy prevailed.
The following excerpt was printed in Earle Newton's The Vermont Story:
"Fort Ticonderoga's immortal guns go to General George Washington ...
in the winter of 1776 ... over hundreds of miles of roadless,
trackless, snow-clad mountains and valleys, through thick forest, over
ice-covered lakes and rivers ... on sledges pulled by oxen ... in the
charge of General Knox and his artillery men in their red-trim
regimentals, who deliver the guns at Dorchester Heights. There, roaring
down at the enemy, they drive him out of Boston Town."
The next year, in 1777, Vermonters fought with valor at the Battle of
Bennington. Edward Conant said that the battle led to the British
surrender of Saratoga, often referred to as one of the decisive battles
in the history of the world. Washington was impressed by the fighting
qualities of Vermonters and was of great assistance to our joining the
Union.
On January 15, 1777, Vermont declared its independence from Great
Britain and New York. Vermont's Declaration, influenced by the American
Declaration, stated that "we will, at all times, consider ourselves as
a free and independent state and the people have an inherent right of
ruling." The Vermont Declaration went on to support the War of
Independence.
While Vermont fought to win American independence, she was not admitted
into the Union until 1791, 14 years later, to become the 14th state.
The American Declaration of Independence proved a great example for
Vermont to follow.
When we celebrate the Fourth of July this year, we should remember the
role of Vermonters in a revolution that changed the course of history.
Senator Bill Doyle is the vice chair of the Senate Education Committee,
vice chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee and senate
minority leader. He teaches government history at Johnson State
College.
