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.