Overview

This work takes us beneath the veneer of the famous “Green Mountain Boys” to reveal the true story of how a hardened, quasi-commando army happened to be present in America’s northern colonies at the start of the Revolution. Under their first dynamic commander, Ethan Allen, the Green Mountain Boys indeed formed and fought against a larger, oppressive power—this was the Colony of New York, which repeatedly tried to make claim to Vermont land. Meantime Vermont itself was termed the “Hampshire Grants,” and was considered to be a part of that similarly nebulous New England territory. The Vermonters would have little of it, however, even as British Canada also extended its covetous eye, and under Ethan Allen formed their own militia to combat encroachers from either side. Allen was not an innocent in the mix, and had his own agenda, including financial or landowning ones. But the spirit he and his men showed in defense of their isolated mountains has come to epitomize America’s own spirit of independence against any untoward or unwanted regime. When the Revolution against Britain arrived, the Green Mountain Boys were one of the few organized, experienced combat units Washington could call on from the northeast. And they were immediately put to good use, seizing the British fortress at Ticonderoga and afterward helping to invade Canada. But in mid-1777 was declared the “Republic of Vermont,” sending a signal to all comers that those rustic fighters didn’t wish to be governed by anyone except themselves. Nevertheless, at the Battle of Hubbardton, and then Bennington, the Green Mountain Boys performed good service on behalf of the United Colonies. Eventually the Vermonters would be persuaded to join the new nation itself, even if, as this fascinating book proves, they never considered that path such an easy one.

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9781612002408

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Reviews

A different angle on the history of Ethan Allen has come out this year, and it will surprise those who look on Ethan as an untarnished hero. --The Rutland Herald an outstanding work, a major contribution to early vermont history and a must read for anyone seriously interested in the latest research on Ethan Allen and his associates --Walloomsack Review ...lays out a three way relationship between Allen, the British in Canada during the ARW and the Republic of Vermont...delves into archival sources to reveal how Ethan and other members of the Allen family were very serious about turning Vermont into a crown colony. Their efforts came close to becoming an open and public issue in late 1781...The Ethan Allen who emerges from this 276 page hardcover book still ranks as an opportunistic war hero. But he was a unique combination of patriot and betrayer of the public trust. His Fight was for Vermont's autonomy, not the independence of the American Colonies as a whole. The businessman, farmer, land speculator, philospher, writer and politician's greatest success was as an ardent Vermont seperatists. Allen is justly celebrated as the prinicipal founder of the Green Mountain State.--Toy Solder & Model Figure ...a very scholarly book...the history is covered closely and well, it is easy to be swept up in the fervor of the times. I recommend this book to those who want to know much more about a little known but interesting facet of our early nation. --San Francisco Book Review ...may be the best American Revolutionary War era book to come out in years... exhaustive research challenges many previous researchers... Historians and biographers alike will be impressed with the author's depiction of Allen and his efforts to ensure Vermont's sovereignty ...a must read for all those with an interest in the period of American Revolutionary. --Military Review ...presents close readings of early documents as well as secondary sources on Vermont and Allen. .. Insightful, viewing Vermont's history with fresh eyes and offering original analysis...reveals continuing power of Ethan Allen on the imagination, even in the face of criticism.--Vermont History weaves together several little told but quite interesting stories to give us an informative and revealing look at one of the heroes of the American Revolution and that curious corner of in the Revolutionary War, the self-proclaimed Republic of Vermont. Bennett's account does not stop with the capture of Ticonderoga, where most accounts of Allen's life more or less end. He carries the story of Allen and the Republic of Vermont through the Revolutionary War, during which there were British campaigns and raids against the mountaineers, as well as efforts by both New York and New Hampshire to claim the territory, and battles not only in the field but also in Congress, and even gives a thoughtful little essay on The Political Philosophy of Ethan Allen. In the process he touches upon English colonial policy, disputed land claims, state rivalries, contemporary religious thought, local loyalties, woodland warfare, frontier democracy, Patriot, Royal, Vermont policy and strategy, and more. From Bennett's account, Allen emerges less as an American patriot than as a Vermont patriot, as well as a successful businessman and self-promoter. An very interesting book. --The NYMAS Review A Few Lawless Vagabonds has much to praise. Bennett's command of the primary-source material from archives in Ontario and Vermont is impressive. His methodology of extracting goals from actions rather than assuming Allen's place as a hallowed Paul Revere-like figure is also laudable. Military historians will take an interest in his chapters on the seizure of Fort Ticonderoga and of John Burgoyne's southerly thrust in 1777, which Bennett calls sheer folly (p. 13). His analysis of the Haldimand Negotiations is the most exhaustive and compelling to date... Bennett does an excellent job highlighting the fierce competition between colonies and states for land and resources. The author reminds us that British North America and the Confederation-era United States were composed of mini-settler empires that were frequently at odds with each other. His book illuminates the strength of David C. Hendrickson's argument in Peace Pact: The Lost World of the American Founding (2003) that the Constitution of 1787 was a peace pact between rival states on the verge of civil war. By focusing on Ethan Allen, his brothers, and their allies, enemies, and potential friends, Bennett resurrects a Revolutionary-era world fraught with myriad hopes, aspirations, political philosophies, and intriguing possibilities. --H-Net Reviews

Author Information

was educated at Christ's Hospital School and Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, where he took history and philosophy. He holds a Ph.D in philosophy from McGill University. He spent much of his working life in the labor movement, ending his career in 2006 as National Director of Health, Safety and Environment at the Canadian Labour Congress. He is widely published in the areas of workplace health and environmental protection and has published several articles, op-ed pieces and reviews on the Second World War.

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