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Photo, by Hills & Bowers, 
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 Copyright, according to Act of Congress, 
 1873. 
 
 THE STEPHENSON STATUE 
 
 OF 
 
 ETHAN ALLEN 
 

 ATTENDING THE 
 
 UNVEILING AND PRESENTATION 
 
 Statue of Gen. Ethan Allen 
 
 I 
 
 EXJE-Liisra-TOKr, ■vEE.ivronsrT, 
 July 4tli, 1873, 
 
 INCLUDING AN 
 
 ORATION BY HON. L. E. CHITTENDEN. 
 
 ■5 ^ .0 S ' ' ' 
 
 BURLINGTON : 
 
 FKEE PRESS PEINT. 
 1871 
 

 o 
 
 
EXERCISES 
 
 ATTENDING 
 
 THE UNVEILING 
 
 OF THE 
 
 STAIUE OF GEN. ETHAN ALLEN, 
 
 July 4TH, 1S73. 
 
 The monument to Ethan Allen, in Green Mount Cemetery 
 in Burlington, was erected by the State of Vermont, by 
 authority of an act of Legislature, passed in 1855, Avhich 
 appropriated ^2,000 for that purpose. It is of Bai-re granite. 
 The base of the pedestal is eight feet square on the ground, 
 and consists of two steps of granite, on which rests a die of solid 
 granite six feet square, in the four faces of which are set 
 panels of white marble bearing the inscriptions. 
 
 Above the pedestal rises a Tuscan shaft, of granite, four 
 and a half feet in diameter and forty-two feet high. Upon its 
 capital, on a base bearing the Avord "Ticonderoga,'' stands a 
 heroic statue of Allen, eight feet four inches high, modelled 
 by Peter Stephenson, sculptor, of Boston, now deceased, and 
 cut in Italy. The monument is protected by a fence of origi- 
 nal design, the corner posts of which are iron cannon and the 
 pales muskets, with bayonets, resting on a base of cut granite. 
 
 The inscriptions are as follows : 
 
( On the West face ) 
 
 VERMONT 
 
 to 
 
 ETHAN ALLEN 
 
 BORN 
 
 in Litchfield Ct loth Jan A D 1737 
 
 DIED 
 
 in Burlington Vt 12th Feb A D 17S9 
 
 and buried near the site of 
 
 this monument 
 
 (0« the North face?) 
 
 The 
 
 Leader of the Green Mountain Boys 
 
 in the Surprise and Capture of 
 
 TICONDEROGA 
 
 which he demanded in the name 
 
 of the Great Jehovah and the 
 
 Continental Congress 
 
 (^On the East face.) 
 
 Taken 
 Prisoner in a daring attack on Montreal 
 
 and transported to England 
 
 he disarmed the purpose of his enemy 
 
 by the respect which he inspired 
 
 for the 
 
 REBELLION AND THE REBEL 
 
 (C>« the South face.) 
 
 Wielding 
 
 the pen as well as the sword, he was the 
 
 Sagacious and intrepid 
 
 DEFENDER 
 
 of the New Hampshire Grants, and 
 
 Master Spirit 
 
 in the arduous struggle which resulted in the 
 
 So\ereignty and Independence 
 
 of this State 
 
The History of the Stephenson statue of Ethan Allen, 
 previous to its inauguration at Burlington, July 4th, 1873, is 
 concisely related in the address of Hon. John N. Pomeroy, of 
 the Committee for the erection of a monument over the grave 
 of Gen. Allen, to be found in the following pages. 
 
 When word had been received from Italy of the comple- 
 tion of the statue and its approaching shipment to this country, 
 it became necessary to make proper arrangements for its erection. 
 It was deemed proper to connect with this some formal cere- 
 monies of presentation and inauguration, and that the State of 
 Averment, as such, should, through its Executive and other 
 officials, recognize the occasion. 
 
 To this end. His Excellency Julius Converse, Governor of 
 Vermont, on the 13th of March, 1873, appointed the following 
 gentlemen, all of Burlington, a Committee to make arranore- 
 ments for the Inauguration of the Statue : 
 
 Luther C. Dodge, Mayor of the City of Burlington, 
 
 Hon. Edward J. Phelps, of Burlington, 
 
 Hon. William G. Shaw, of Burlington, 
 
 Hon. Geo. Grenville Benedict, of Burlington. 
 
 The Committee accepted the appointment and held their 
 first meeting at the house of E. J. Phelps, in Burlington, 
 March 2Cth, 1873. 
 
 The Committee organized by the choice of L. C. Dodge 
 as Chairman and G. G. Benedict as Secretary, and increased 
 its number by adding the following gentlemen to the Committee : 
 
 Hon. F. C. Kennedy, of Winooski, 
 Edward W. Peck, Esq., of Burlington, 
 William A. Crombie, Esq., of Burlington, 
 Warren Root, Esq., of Burlington. 
 
 At subsequent meetings the following gentlemen were 
 appointed as a General State Committee of Arrangements : 
 
GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. 
 
 Ex-Gov. John W. Stewart, Hon. Geo. W. Grandey. Ad- 
 dison Co. 
 
 Hon. A. B. Gardner, Hon. M. S. Colburn, Bennington Co. 
 Henry Cliase, Esq., Hon. Horace Fairbanks, Caledonia Co. 
 Hon. Jed P. Clark, Henry Gillett, Esq., Chittenden Co. 
 Hon. Geo. N. Dale, Hon. T. G. Beattie,. Essex Co. 
 Hon. AVorthington C. Smith, Dr. Geo. M. Hallj Franklin 
 
 Co. 
 Co. 
 
 Rev. 0. G. Wheeler, Hon. Giles Harrington, Grand Isle 
 
 Waldo Brigham, Esq., Hon. ^sa R. Camp. Lamoille Co. 
 
 C. W. Clarke, Esq., Hon. Roswell Farnham, Orange Co. 
 
 J. L. Edwards, Esq., Hon. Elijah Cleveland, Orleans Co. 
 
 Hon. Pitt W. Hyde, John Cain, Esq., Rutland Co. 
 
 Ex-Gov. Paul Dillingham, Hon. Daniel Baldwin, Wash- 
 ington Co. 
 
 J. H. AVilliams, Esq., E.\-Gov. Frederick Holbrook. Wind- 
 ham Co. 
 
 Hon. William Rounds, Paul D. Dean, Esq., Windsor Co. _ 
 
 The Fourth of July, 1873, was selected as the day for 
 the Inauguration. 
 
 Hon. Lucius E. Chittenden, of New York, was elected 
 Orator. 
 
 Gen. George P. Foster, of Burlington, was elected Grand 
 Marshal of the Day. 
 
 Subordinate Committees on Invitations, Printing, to pro- 
 cure Subscriptions of Funds, to arrange w^ith the Governor and 
 Adjutant General for the presence of the First Regiment of 
 State Militia, to arrange with the Secretary of War for the 
 presence of the Company of U. S. Troops stationed at Platts- 
 burgh, to select location and erect a suitable platform for the 
 speakers and guests of the day, and for other purposes, were 
 appointed. 
 
The City Council of Burlington, Vt., made an appropria- 
 tion of $500 towards defraying the expenses of the celebration. 
 The Central Vt. Railroad Company, the Champlain Transport- 
 ation Company, the hotel proprietors, and many citizens, con- 
 tributed liberally to the funds of the Committee. 
 
 On the 14th of June, 1873, the following gentlemen, of 
 Burlinjrton and Winooski, were added to the local Committee 
 of Arrangements : 
 
 Gen. W. W. Henry, Gen. J. L. Barstow, 
 
 Warren Gibes, Bradley B. Smalley, 
 
 Elmore Johnson, G. S. Appleton, 
 
 C. H. Blodgett, C. W. Woodhouse-, 
 J. B. Small, > E. W. Chase, 
 
 L. B. Platt, Jr., Hon. A. J. Crane, 
 
 D. C. Barber, D. C. Linsley, 
 
 VV. S. Greene. 
 
 A level field of twelve acres, adjoining Green Mount Cem- 
 etery on the west, was selected for the accommodation of 
 the audience at the Inauguration services. A platform, Avith 
 chairs for three hundred persons, and covered with an awning, 
 was erected. In front of the platform seats of capacity to seat 
 fifteen hundred ladies were constructed. 
 
 The President and Vice President of the United States, the 
 General and Lieutenant General of the U. S. A., the Governor 
 of New York, and the Governors of the New England States, 
 the Ex-Governors of Vermont, the Judges of the Supreme 
 Court of Vermont, the Senators and Representatives of Ver- 
 mont in Congress, the prominent State Officials of Vermont, the 
 Soldiers of the War of 1812 surviving in the vicinity, and other 
 distinguished citizens of Vermont and other states, were invited 
 to be present as guests of the citizens of Burlington. 
 
 The unveiling of the Statue took place on the day set, 
 July 4th, 1873, in the afternoon. 
 
THE PROCESSION. 
 
 The procession formed on the Square, in front of the City 
 Hall, under the direction of Gen. George P. Foster, Chief 
 Marshal, aided by the following Assistant Marshals : 
 
 Col. C. D. Gates, of Cambridge, Vt.; Col. C. F. Spauld- 
 ing, Burlington ; Maj. A. Austin, Winooski ; Capt. John J. 
 Bain, Capt. George Simpson, C. W. Drew, Thomas Failey, 
 Oliver Lamora, Burlington ; E. A. Morton, St. Albans, C. J. 
 Bell, Walden, Vt. 
 
 The procession moved at 2 o'clock, in the following order : 
 
 1. Detachment of the City Police of Burlington, under 
 command of Luman A. Drew, Chief of Police. 
 
 2. St. Albans Drum Corps, and •• Queen City" Band. 
 
 3. First Regiment Vt. Militia, (National Guard of Ver- 
 mont,) Col. Theo. S. Peck commanding. 
 
 In the centre of the regimental column were drawn the 
 two brass field pieces, of revolutionary memory, taken by Gen. 
 Stark, at the battle of Bennington, August 16th, 1777. These 
 had been sent from Montpelier by order of the Governor. They 
 were guarded by a detachment of sixteen men dressed in the 
 continental uniform of cocked hat, dress coat, buff vest, and 
 knee breeches. 
 
 4. Governor Converse and his Staff, consisting of Sur- 
 geon General J. M. Currier, and Colonels Percival W. Clement of 
 Rutland, Albert A. Fletcher, of Bridport, Nathan S. Clark, 
 of Randolph, and Alex. G. Watson, of Burlington, Aides-de- 
 Camp ; Lieutenant-Governor Taft, Adjutant-General Peck and 
 Quartermaster-General Lynde.^ — in carriages. 
 
 5. Brevet Major-General Richard Arnold, U. S. A., 
 Major General B. S. Roberts, Major-General Geo. J. Stannard, 
 Major-General Wm. Wells, Brig.-General Stephen Thomas, and 
 other general officers of the late war, in carriages, escorted by 
 Company G, Fifth Artillery, XJ. S. A., Capt. J. A. Fessenden 
 commanding. 
 
9 
 
 6. The Orator of the day, Hon. L. E. Chittenden, of 
 New York ; the Chaplain, President M. H. Buckham ; Hon. 
 J. N. Pomeroj. of the Committee on the monument and statue ; 
 Ex-Governors John Gregory Smith and John W. SteAvart. 
 in carriages. 
 
 7. Invited Guests, in carriages, among whom were Rev. 
 Dr. Boiiton, of Concord. President of the New Hampshire His- 
 torical Society ; Hon. lAike P. Poland, jNI. C; Hon. James 
 Barrett and Hon. Timothy P. Redfield. of the Supreme Court of 
 A^ermont: Hon. T. W. Park. John G. McCullough, Es(p, Hon. 
 A. B. Gardner, Hon. H. G. Root, of Bennington ; Hon. Elijah 
 Cleveland, of Coventry: Albert M. Wadhams, of Goshen, Ct., 
 a son of the widow of Joseph Allen, brother of Ethan vVllen ; 
 Gen. H. H. Baxter, Rutland : Gen. P. P. Pitkin, of Mont- 
 pelier; Capt. Chas. A. Curtis, U. S. A.. Professor in Norwich 
 University, and others. 
 
 8. Hon. L. C. Dodge. Mayor, and the Board of Alder- 
 men of the City of Burlington, and Members of the Committee 
 of Arranj2;ements. in carriages. 
 
 9. Soldier.-? of the war of 1812, as follows : 
 
 Caleb E. Barton. Charlotte, served under Col. Williams, 
 aged 79. 
 
 Jonathan Lyon. Shelbuni. of Capt. II. Barnes' company. 
 Vermont Militia, aged 82. 
 
 Kelly Ranslow, Shelburn. sergeant^ in Captain R. Nilson's 
 company, A^ermont Militia, aged 80. 
 
 Pitt E. Hewett, Charlotte, of Captain M. Brow's compa- 
 ny. Averment Militia, aged 79. 
 
 William Ballou, Williston, Captain 0. Lowery"s company, 
 Vermont Militia, aged 81. 
 
 Timothy Burdick, Underbill, of Captain Bliss's company, 
 Eleventh Infantry, aged 84. 
 
 Ira Hill, Isle La Motte, of Captain Pettis" company. Aver- 
 ment Alilitia, aged 76. 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 Russell Lawrence. Burlington, of Captain Saxe's company, 
 Vermont Militia, aged 80. 
 
 John Mo-es, Hinesburgh, of Captain Clark's company, 
 Eleventh Infantrv. aged 78. 
 
 John Parker. Colchester, of Captain Smead's company, 
 Eleventh Infantrv. aged 77. 
 
 J. B. Hollenbeck. Burlington, of Captain Stone's company, 
 Vermont Militia, aged 80. 
 
 Heman Hosford. Charlotte, aged 80. 
 
 Luman Case. Bristol, aged 81. 
 
 William T. Clark. Rutland, aged 70. 
 
 Ira Dickinson, Underhill. of Captain Sandford's company. 
 Thirtieth United States Infantry, aged 79. 
 
 Orange Phelps. Milton, of Captain ^Mansfield's company. 
 Vermont Militia, aged 81. 
 
 10. Officers of the A'ermont Department of the Society 
 of the Grand Army of the Republic, in carriages, as follows : 
 
 Col. AV. G. A^eazey. Rutland, Department Commander. 
 
 Lieut. J. H. Goulding, Rutland. Adjutant General. 
 
 Col. L. G. King.^ley. Rutland. Quartermaster General. 
 
 Capt. Fred E. Smith, Alontpelier. Inspector. 
 
 Col. H. S. Hard, Arlington : Col. Albert Clarke. St. Al- 
 bans : E. J. AlcVrain. West Randolph. Council of Administra- 
 tion. 
 
 R. J. Coffey. AVaitsfield : J. J, Pratt. Alontpelier : Alajor 
 J. A. Salsbury. Rutland ; Col. Kittredge Haskins, Brattleboro, 
 Aides-de-Camp. 
 
 11. Sherman Cornet Band, of AVinooski. 
 
 12. The Burlington Post Post Stannard of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, and A^'eterans of the late Avar, 
 
 18. Civic Societies, including the Society of St. John the 
 Baptist, St. Joseph's Society, and the Hibernian Society, of 
 Burlington. 
 
 14. St. Mary's Cornet Band, of Burlington. 
 
11 
 
 15. The Fire Departments of Burlington and Winooski, 
 led bj Chief Engineer H. 8. White, in the following order : — 
 Boxer Engine Co.. Winooski Steamer Co.. Ethan Allen Eno-ine 
 Co., Volunteer Hose Co., Star Hose Co., Howard Hose Co., 
 Clipper Hose Co.. Barnes Hose Co., — all in uniform. 
 
 16. Citizens in carriages, the nunilx^r of carriao-es being: 
 estimated at five hundred. 
 
 The procession marched around the Square, thence 
 through College street to Colchester Avenue, and through 
 Colchester Avenue to Green Mount Cemetery. Here a large 
 concourse of citizens of both sexes had assembled. Includino- 
 those in the procession it was estimated that about ten thousand 
 persons were on the ground. • 
 
 THE INAUGURATION SERVICES. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, Mayor of Burlington, presided. The 
 services opened with an impressive prayer by the Chaplain, 
 President M. H. Buckham, of the University of Vermont. 
 
 The Hymn ''God and our Country," composed by Oliver 
 W^endell Holmes, was next sung by a choir of twenty male 
 voices, furnished by the St. Albans Glee Club and the Harmonic 
 Society of Burlington, to music specially composed for the 
 occasion by S. C. jNIoore of Burlington. 
 
 The unveiling of the Statue followed. At a signal gun, 
 fired from a twenty-pound brass field-piece, the drapery which 
 had covered the marble parted and dropped, disclosing the fine 
 proportions and spirited attitude of the Statue, amid the cheers 
 of the multitude. The soldiers saluted the Statue, by presen- 
 ting arms : and the formal presentation followed, by Hon. John 
 N. Pomeroy, of the original Commission for the erection of the 
 monument. 
 
12 
 
 ADDRESS OF THE HOX. JOIIX N. POMEROY. 
 
 To His Excellency (iovernor Julius Converse : 
 
 Honored Sir:— It is an appropriate and happy coinci- 
 dence of events, -which unites the celebration of the declaration 
 of our National Independence with the Inauguration of a heroic 
 statue, in marble, in honor of the man, who in advance of that 
 immortal declaration, struck the first aggressive blow upon the 
 enemy in the surprise and capture of the important fortress of 
 Ticonderoga. And it is a happy day for those intrusted Avith 
 the accomplishment of this honorary work of art, interesting 
 and gratifying as was its object, to be relieved of the duties and 
 responsibilities that trust imposed, and to give an account of 
 their stewardship. 
 
 When the granite column, erected to the memory of Ethan 
 Allen in this cemetery, was completed, the committee who had 
 had that work in charge (the Hon. George P. Marsh and the 
 one who now addresses you) procured the passage of an act of 
 the Leoislature authorizins; the erection of a heroic statue in 
 granite or marble upon the capstone of the monument, without 
 expense to the State. To the same committee was given, by 
 said act. the charge of the contemplated work ; and, little an- 
 ticipating the years that might be required to accomplish it. they 
 at once entered upon its duties— called upon the artists of the 
 country for designs, and undertook to raise the necessary funds 
 by a contribution of one dollar each, from Vermonters. To 
 Mr. Larkin G. Mead, at that time a promising young sculptor 
 of Brattleboro, was awarded the preference in design, and he 
 accordingly executed a model, which was approved and adopted 
 by the committee, and he was expected to commence work on 
 the marble as soon as the funds would justify it. The experi- 
 ment for raising the money was not successful and fell far short 
 of the estimated expense of the work — and in the meantime, the 
 Legislature, after declining an appropriation of one thousand dol- 
 
13 
 
 lars in aid of this object, appropriated the sum of two thousand 
 dollars for a statue in marble of the same patriot; and taking 
 the model and artist that the committee had selected, and the 
 block of marble which had been proffered them, caused to be 
 made a statue, which now stands in the Capitol of the State. 
 The discouraging effect of this course, Avith the absence of Mr. 
 Marsh as oui- Minister to Italy for the last twelve years 
 (though still continuing his interest in the work and his posi- 
 tion as one of the committee), the war of the rebellion, which 
 for years absorbed nearly all other interests, and the great dis- 
 parity between our funds and the demands of the artists, must 
 account for, if not excuse, the long delay in the consummation 
 of the work of the committee. But this delay was not without 
 its compensations, as will appear from a statement of our funds, 
 which have in the meantime been profitably invested. The 
 amount received from the first contribution, which terminated 
 on the 1st of January, 1861, was six hundred and fifty-four 
 dollars and thirty-two cents; the amount received on the sub- 
 scription of November, 1870, was five hundred and eighty-one 
 dollars ; making the whole amount received by the committee 
 from contribution and subscription, for this object, thirteen 
 hundred and sixty dollars and twenty-four cents. This sum, 
 with the accruing interest, amounted on the 1st of January last 
 to the sum of twenty-seven hundred and nine dollars and two 
 cents; which with the interest since accrued, (there being no 
 charge by the committee for their services) will cover the whole 
 expense of the statue and leave a small balance in the hands of 
 the committee, which if not otherwise ordered, will be perma- 
 nently funded to defray the expense of keeping in order the 
 Statue, monument and grounds. It is but just to say that for 
 these original subscriptions and contributions, we are largely 
 indebted to the patriotic exertions of Mr. Warren Root of this 
 city. 
 
 The statue was modeled after a design of Peter Stephenson, 
 of Boston, now deceased, a sculptor distinguished by many 
 
14 
 
 works of art, particularly a statue of the "Wounded Indian," 
 which was exhibited and much admired at the great exhibition 
 in London in 1851. As no likeness of Ethan Allen was known 
 to exist, and no information could be expected from any remain- 
 ing contemporary, the resemblance of the design to the original 
 is only such as his age, current tradition and the imagination of 
 the artist would suggest. The time selected by the artist to be 
 represented in the statue, was when Ethan Allen, on the 10th 
 day of May, 1775, at the age of thirty-eight years, made the 
 world-renowned demand for the surrender of Ticonderoo;a 
 " in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Conti- 
 nental Congress !" And the artist has succeeded in pre- 
 senting the manly form and appropriate expression of one 
 who is earnestly making a solemn demand^with his left hand 
 pointing upward, indicating his High Authority, and with his 
 right grasping his sword as the means of enforcement, while at 
 his feet, a military mortar characterizes the act as one of civi- 
 lized warfare. This design, under a contract with the commit- 
 tee, made in January, 1872, has been embodied in a marble 
 statue eight feet and four inches in height, wrought at Carrara, 
 Italy, by the firm of Cassoni and Isola of Carrara and New 
 York, and by them transported and placed where it now stands 
 on yonder granite column — a splendid specimen of monumental 
 marble and sculptural art. 
 
 In the bottom of the granite pedestal of the statue is 
 placed an air-tight casket of lead, in which is deposited for the 
 gratification of some future and far off' age, the act authorizing 
 the statue ; the report of the Committee on the completion of 
 the monument: the ''Narrative of Ethan Allen," Hugh Moore's 
 Memoir, and Sparks' Life of Ethan Allen ; the literary period- 
 icals and magazines of the day, illustrated and otherwise ; Hon. 
 L. E. Chittenden's address before the Vermont Historical Soci- 
 ety, on the capture of Ticonderoga ; the neAvspapers of the 
 State and of many of the cities ; Tyndall's and other lectures ; 
 the Tribune Almanac ; Appleton's Railroad Guide ; Walton's 
 
15 
 
 Vermont Register : specimens of our paper currency ; photo- 
 graphs of the hand-writing and autograph of Ethan Allen ; va- 
 rious garden and agricultural seeds ; and the programme of this 
 celebration. 
 
 And now, honored sir. this statue, in honor of one of our 
 most distinguished heroes, having been completed and placed 
 upon the monument for which it was designed, and the functions 
 of the committee in this behalf having ceased, it remains to us 
 but to formally execute the purpose of the contributors and pre- 
 sent the same, as we hereby do, to the State he so dearly loved, 
 and which you, sir, so honorably represent. And long may it 
 stand over the sacred ashes bf the patriot soldier — the ornament 
 of this beautiful spot on the banks of the Winooski appropri- 
 ately backed by the Green i\Iountains on the east, and boldly 
 facing the Adirondacks on the Avest — in view of that rural re- 
 treat where at the age of fifty-two years he died, and of that 
 beautiful and historic Lake which ninety-seven years ago bore 
 him and his Green Mountain boys to the bold assault upon Ti- 
 conderoga, and which still washes its interesting ruins. Yes, 
 sir, long may it stand on its granite pedestal, through the com- 
 ing centuries, to bear testimony to the high appreciation of a 
 grateful people of one, who, with an ever active and dauntless 
 spirit, by the pen and voice as well as the sword, Avarred against 
 the most desperate and poAverful enemies successfully, and 
 largely contributed to the establishment of a State and the In- 
 dependence of a Nation ! And Avheu time and storms "shall 
 crumble this stately column and statue, as crumble they must, 
 and the anti(|uarian of the future shall explore the ruins and 
 develope the contents of the leaden casket they enclosed, may 
 it be divulged to a free and noble people, Avho shall still recog- 
 nize this GLORIOUS ANNIVERSARY, and cherish the memory of 
 
 Ethan Allen. 
 
 <( 
 
 To this address Governor Converse responded as follows : 
 
16 
 
 GOVERNOR converse's RESPONSE. 
 
 Mr. Pomeroy : — 
 
 In the name and behalf of the State of Vermont, it be- 
 comes my duty, as it certainly is my pleasure, to accept the 
 munificent gift you have so gracefully and cordially tendered to 
 our State. 
 
 I do, therefore, in the name of the State, and in presence 
 of this vast assemblage of our fellow citizens, most gratefully 
 accept the same. 
 
 In the hearing of this •' cloud of witnesses,'' I also declare 
 the sincere and unaffected thanks of the State for the same. 
 Without hesitation I assure yoil, sir, and the noble gentlemen 
 Avith whom you are associated, that this announcement finds 
 ready response in the heart of every Vermonter, as av<?11 as ev- 
 ery patriot in our nation. Permit ir.e to assure you personally, 
 that this most valued and acceptable gift excites a keener relish 
 from the eloquent and cordial manner in which it has been pre- 
 sented. It challenges our admiration as well as stirs our patri- 
 otism. 
 
 As an assurance of the just appreciation with which this 
 honored gift is received, in the name of the State I promise that 
 the same shall be vigilantly guarded and tenderly cherished as 
 lono- as the marble shall endure, or deeds of noble daring 
 shall find admirers amongst the brave and the good. For all 
 this I tender you, before these witnesses, the best of scciantij, 
 — I pledge you the honor, the bravery and the patriotism of 
 Vermont. 
 
 The Governor spoke with great vigor, and his closing pledge 
 was endorsed by the hearty applause of the audience. 
 
 After martial nmsic, the orator of the day, Hon. Lucius 
 E. Chittenden, of New York, great-grandson of Thomas Chit- 
 tenden, of honored memory, the first Governor of Vermont, was 
 introduced and welcomed with applause. 
 
17 
 MR. CHITTENDENS ORATION 
 
 There is one Republic Avliich ii> not ungrateful. A^erinont 
 this day records licr gratitude to one of her founders, upon 
 crystalline granite and unsullied marble, the visible monument 
 of a record graven in the memories of her people, in cliaracters 
 m imperishable as hei* everlasting hills. By these imposing 
 ceremonies, to Avhich she has contributed all the glory and 
 splendor Avhich the growth of a century ena})les her to bestow, 
 siie proclaims her obligation and fulfills her promise to those 
 Avho serve her well. In this act of consecration, no one of her 
 children willingly fails to bear his part. Party and sect, creed 
 and platform, are silent beside this moss-grown grave : and 
 within the limits of huuian civilization there is no A^ei'montcrs 
 heart that does not beat with a warmer thrill at the thought of 
 this one deed of grateful remembrance, that docs not unite 
 with us in spirit in its public manifestation. Let us study the 
 lesson it teaches, and find, if we may. the origin and foundation 
 of the universal honor of A^ermontcrs for the memory of 
 Ethan Allex. 
 
 Through all historic time, emigration has moved westAvard 
 in an almost unbroken wave. Since it washed the foot of Cal- 
 vary, it has borne upon its crest the symbol of the Cross, and 
 seems destined to keej) it there until the world-wide cii-cuit is 
 completed. But the emigration which planted our common- 
 wealth seems to have been wholly exceptional. It is not to be 
 accounted for upon the ordinary principles of human action. 
 The wave was sweeping over the continent, carrying before it 
 into their graves, tribes, nations and peoples. All the west. 
 with its broad savannas and genial seasons — rich in pasturage 
 and abounding in indigenous products, was open to settlement. 
 Here, there were no such inducements. Here were no rivers 
 to become highways of trade, upon whose banks were to rise 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 the commercial rivnls of Tyre and A'enice — no rich mines of 
 goVl and silver to tempt cupidity, no nations to conquer, no 
 wealth or fame to accjuire. This land was an uninhabited 
 ■\vildern''Sv with a liard cliin:itc and unvieldinr^ soil. Jle who 
 would subdue it. nnist brino; with him subsistence until his first 
 harvest: and before that could be planted his own hands must 
 clear away the growtli of a thousand 3"ears. 
 
 I know the common tradition — that our ancestors were 
 soldiers attracted here by what they had seen of the country in 
 their Indian campaigns. But what attractions could have met 
 a soldier's eye as he tracked his ^vilv enemy through these 
 pathless woods ? Dense forests, mas.-ies of fiillen timber, rocky 
 hillsides, and torrents foaming through obstructed courses, were 
 visible everywhere. Strange attractions these ! And yet there 
 were inducemeiits to emigrate hither, more powerful tlian the 
 precious stones of Opiiir or the wealth of the Sierras, to the 
 best enterprise of New England. Here was at least an unoc- 
 cupied country, remote from all factitious sources of govern- 
 ment or power, where a Republic might be founded iipon prin- 
 ciples of natural right and justice, of civil and religious liberty. 
 They came hither. If these were n;>t the inducements to their 
 coming, it was simply providential. 
 
 We are accustomed to look upon the early settlers of 
 Vermont as rude, unpolished men : and therein we do them 
 some injustice. They possessed few of the graces of cultivated 
 society, it is true : and their means of jjriinary education, as we 
 understand the term. Avere very limited. But on this western 
 continent there was no better class of men. They were the 
 most enterprising of the young citizens of the older New Eng- 
 land colonies — none others Avould have breasted the dangers 
 and borne the hardships of pioneer life on this remote frontier. 
 Where teachers were not, they taught themselves. They could 
 read and write : and one thing all of them could do. better than 
 most of us Avho have had modern advantages — they could think! 
 The pro3ess of self-education in those days produced some 
 
• 19 
 
 remarkable anomalies. Thej were wretched grammarians. 
 Some, who could construct a bridge upon mathematical, or lay 
 out a fort on geometric principles, could not write a compound 
 sentence correctly to save their lives. Others, who had never 
 mastered the primaiy rules in arithmetic, wrote very oood 
 treatises upon constitutional law. Their orthography was very 
 poor, but they were well informed in history and the current 
 events of the day, and there were fcAV among them who had 
 not a well-grounded political faith, for which they could give 
 sound reasons. 
 
 Among these early emigrants came Ethan Allen. Born 
 in Litchfield, Conn., of parents who held the faith of the 
 Established Church, he was the eldest of a large family of 
 children and the one selected for a collegiate education. The 
 death of his father in straitened circumstances, obliged him to 
 abandon its pursuit in his eighteenth year, and before the 
 completion of his preparatory studies. At that early age he 
 shoAved an aptitude for polemical discussion, and took great 
 interest in the political questions which e.xcited the American 
 Colonies. He had read such books of history as were within 
 his reach, and these were more numerous than is conmionly 
 supposed. We have his own declaration that he had • • acquainted 
 himself with the history of mankind :" and that '•his sincere 
 passion for liberty had led liim to read the history of nations 
 who had yielded up their liberties to tyrants, with philosophical 
 horror." His compulsory abandonment of academic hopes was 
 a bitter disappointment: and this it was which induced him to 
 follow the life of a hunter for several years. During this time 
 we have but little account of his life. We only know that the 
 latter pai't of the years was passed among the mountains and 
 forests of the New Hampshire Grants, where he first came into 
 public notice in the year 1769. 
 
 Occasions make men. Human necessities create the 
 materials for their own supply. Events were at this time trans- 
 
20 
 
 piring. which were suited to bring Ethan Allen into the fore- 
 ground. The settlers upon the Grants had bought their lands 
 of the British Crown, acting through one of its appointed 
 agents, who was in possession, with the limits of his claim de- 
 clared to and acquiesced in by all the world. The maps of the 
 time, published under the eye of the British Court, and circulated 
 through all the Colonies, indicated the middle of Lake Cham- 
 plain as the western l)oundary of New Hampshire. With 
 implicit confidence in the authority of this agent to give them 
 a good title, these settlers had paid for these lands in hard- 
 earned money — had entered upon them, felled the forests, 
 planted their crops and established their homes. Another 
 agent of the same Royal Master denied the right of the first 
 and asserted his own. The settlers looked upon this conflict of 
 claim as a mere question of colonial jurisdiction, and left the 
 agents to fight it out between themselvej;. They did not dream 
 that it involved the title to their pro[)erty and the rights of civil 
 government. They Avere not much disturbed, even, when they 
 learned that the Royal Council decided it in favor of New 
 York, deeming it of small consequence whether their Governor 
 ruled his little court at Portsmouth or Albany. 
 
 But their awakening was sudden and thorough, when they 
 learned that the Colonial officials of New York had ignored their 
 rights and begun to partition their homesteads among their own 
 partners and parasites. Imagine the indignation Avhich thrilled 
 their souls, Avhen informed that they nuist buy these homes over 
 again from the speculators of another colony ! and be governed, 
 not by officers of their own election, but by the appointees of 
 the court ring in a distant capital ! Submission was never 
 again thought of: resistance was as natural as the breath they 
 drew. But they Avere few in number and widely scattered, 
 and witliout organization. Their great want was a leader, 
 bold, energetic, fearless, in full sympathy Avith them, completely 
 imbued Avith the justice of their cause. Without such a leader, 
 they must surrender at discretion. With him they might 
 
21 
 
 secure — at all events they could fight for — their homes and fire- 
 sides. Where shiauld they find him ? The call went forth, 
 and Ethan Allen leaped to the front, as suddenly and as 
 completely armed as Minerva sprang from the front of Jove ! 
 
 To think evil of others, is the characteristic of narrow 
 minds. Allen's estimate of men was generous and charitable. 
 He knew that the list of grantees under the Colonial autiiority 
 of New York comprised members of the Assembly, and other 
 high officials of the judicial and legislative departments of the 
 government. But he took it for granted that the New York 
 courts were honest and importial, and beyond the reach of 
 improper influences. His first impulse was to meet the new 
 army of claimants before the courts of New Y'ork, the tribunals 
 of their own selection, not only with right and justice on his 
 side but with law and lawyers. It did not occur to him as pos- 
 sible, that when the case was finally presented to these courts, 
 the rights of the settlers would not prevail. He, therefore, 
 hurried away to his old home, and retained one of the most 
 able counsellors in Connecticut ; went with him before the New 
 Y'^ork Judges, and pleaded the Royal grant purchased and paid 
 for w ith the money of the grantees, in answer to the suits of the 
 Yorkers. To his astonishment, so profound that for the moment it 
 took away his power of remonstrance, the grant was rejected as 
 waste paper, and judgment was pronounced for the claimants. 
 In the flush of his victory the king's attorney approached Allen 
 and offered him advice without a fee. " You had better go 
 home," he said, " and advise your people to make the best 
 terms they can with their landlords, for might often prevails 
 against right."' 
 
 Allen answered his proverb with another : " The gods of 
 the hills are not the gods of the valleys." The reply was as 
 incomprehensible to the attorney as the Sibylline leaves. He 
 was referred to Bennington for its interpretation. But twenty 
 years elapsed before the jokers learned that it was as true as it 
 was terse and appropriate. 
 
00 
 
 To this decision of the courts of New York, Vermont 
 owes her political existence. It was a fortunate one for the set- 
 tlers, although it was an outrage ujwn justice, opposed to the 
 colonial policy of the British Cabinet, and of doubtful propriety 
 upon the nariow technicalities of law. It was public notice to 
 them, that they had nothing to hope from New York, save what 
 their own strong arms could secure and defend. New Hamp- 
 shire had not the ability to undertake their cause if she had 
 the will. An appeal to Great Britain was expensive and dila- 
 tory, and would not stay their ejection. They decided to take 
 it, however, and pending its determination they also decided to 
 defend their possessions. On one side was the loss of their 
 homes and their self-respect, submission to injustice, poverty and 
 beggary. On the other an appeal to the higher law. The re- 
 sponsibility was grave, but they took it without hesitation. The 
 prosecution of the appeal was confided to lawyers — the defence 
 of possession of the settlers was undertaken by Ethax Allen. 
 Allen did not underestimate the magnitude of tlie work before 
 him. He saw that it would demand all his energies, and that until 
 the contest was ended, for him there would be no rest. He made 
 the scattered settlements ring with the note of preparation. Or- 
 oauization was the business of the hour. Every neiu'hborhood 
 must produce a military companj". , From the day of the deci- 
 sion he gave himself to the public service, without hope or prom- 
 ise of reward. He was sleepless and untii'ing. One day he 
 was in Connecticut, enlisting the material aid of his old neigh- 
 bors or arranging with the lawyers to prosecute the appeal to 
 the privy council ; the next he was holding a meeting in a dis- 
 tant settlement, and telling the people what they must do. Here 
 he is hunting a New York surveyor, tliere resisting the sherifl' 
 and his posse. One hour he holds a court for the trial of a tory 
 justice, the next he is executing sentence with the twigs of the 
 Avilderness ; everywhere he is arranging signals for a swift con- 
 centration of his men upon any threatened point. Before his 
 purpose is fairly known to the enemy, he has organized the 
 
23 
 
 Green ^NFountain Boys — he is their leader and the people are 
 saved. 
 
 His activity calls down upon him the resentment of the spec- 
 ulators. He is the head and front of the resistance to their 
 schemes. If words could kill he was slain a score of times ev- 
 evj day. They look upon him as their only obstruction. They 
 denounce him as a rebel, the leader of tlie mob, a felon, an out- 
 law. Their rage renders them insane. They disgrace their 
 legislation by an act which condemns him without a trial, a pro- 
 clamation which invites his assassination and offers a reward for 
 his murder. From his mountain fastness he hurls back defiance 
 and execration. " You are a Jesuitical, cowardly junto of 
 schemers," he exclaims, "■ not used to danger, hardships or war, 
 and dare not figlit for your own claims. Your way is to deceive, 
 cheat and overreach the commonalty. These are your horns 
 of iron, and with them do you push !"' Their law and procla- 
 mation enrages him. •' Your new-fangled law corresponds with 
 the depravedness of your minds and morals. It is an emblem 
 of your insatiable, avaricious, overbearing, inhuman, barbarous 
 blood-guiltiness of disposition. If you come forth in arms 
 against us, thousands of your injured neighbors in the several 
 provinces will join Avith us to cut off and extirpate such an ex- 
 ecrable race from the face of the earth.'" 
 
 Such language is not to be commended for its polish or re- 
 finement. But when we consider that Allen's purpose was to 
 arouse the whole people to defend themselves, and not to com- 
 pete for a prize in literary composition, it cannot be said that 
 these rough words were not suited to the attainment of his ob- 
 ject. 
 
 Added to the privations of frontier life and the defence 
 with strong hand of their possessions against a grasping, covet- 
 ous enemy, Avith the apparent prestige of laAV against them, 
 there now came to the people of the Grants the imperious ne- 
 cessity of a civil government. The idea of a separate colony 
 
24 
 
 had not jet been conceived, or if it occurred, was dismissed as 
 impracticable against the opposition of New York, represented 
 bj powerful agents constantly at the British court. They Avere 
 outside of all acknowledged civil jurisdictions : l:»ut here, as 
 elsewhere, there Averc human passions to l)e restrained, civil 
 rights to be enforced, life and property to ])c protected, crimes 
 to be punished. 
 
 In all the eventful histor}' of Vermont, there is nothing 
 more admirable than the conduct of her people in this crisis. 
 We scarcely know wliicli is the more wortliy of commendation 
 — the dignity and prudence with which the leaders established 
 their temporary government, or the united alacrity with which 
 the people accepted and obeyed it. It is an illustration of the 
 capacity of the people worth volumes of speculation. In tliat 
 little •• square room" of the Bennington tavern, with no experi- 
 ence in legislation, a fcAV plain farmers held councils whicli 
 Avould have been no discredit to Whitehall. Berlin or Fontaine- 
 bleau. There they organized a state, and for years gave it all 
 the legislation it required. Their wisdom perpetuated what the 
 courage of Allen and his men could only protect and defend. 
 
 The hour of trial and great temptation for these grantees was 
 coming. The shadow of tyranny which long had hung over the 
 American colonies, grew darker and heavier, until it threatened 
 to shut out every ray of the sun of freedom. Every act of sub- 
 mission became the pretext for some new oppression, until, over- 
 whelming all their hopes and desires, the conviction came upon the 
 people that they had no rights which their oppressors felt bound to 
 respect. Rebellion is a hard and cruel word. Good men dis- 
 like to bear its odium. It has stricken many a patriot as pure, 
 and cause as righteous, as ever sword was draAvn to defend. 
 England Avas the mother country, their home, the land of their 
 fathers, the realm of their pride. Lofty courage, strong self- 
 denial, and convictions as pure and clear as the diamond, must 
 have combined to force them to tear the idol from their hearts, 
 and stake everything upon a contest, in Avhich. humanly speak- 
 
25 
 
 ing, the chances Avere against them. So much was true of all 
 tlie colonies. The situation was graver here. Lake Champlain 
 "was the natural highway of invasion. British power held Can- 
 ada in its grasp. British forts fringed tlie lake, which Avas com- 
 manded by British vessels of war. If war came, the settlers, 
 scattered for a hundred and fifty miles along this frontier, must 
 bare their bosoms to its advancing stroke. Their (piaiTel with 
 NcAV York, which engrossed their thoughts as such controver- 
 sies only can, was approaching a decision, which every indica- 
 tion promised and every settler believed nnist be in their favor. 
 Well might Allen say, '• their situation was truly perplexed and 
 critical."' All their comforts, all their temporal interests, wei'e 
 on one side. On the other, the fact " that resistance to Great 
 Britain had become the duty of a free people !"" 
 
 The news of Lexington connnenced its lightning journey. 
 As the march of the morning sun rolls back the Avavc of sleep, 
 with all the dreams and fantasies of the night, from an awaken- 
 ed world, so when the electric current swept over the people 
 here, every one of them awoke, a soldier armed in the ranks of 
 liberty. Back into the night of the past they swept every con- 
 sideration of property, person or life, and Avith them deep under 
 the advancing wave o§^ freedom was buried their controversy 
 Avith NcAV York. At the call •• To arms," they sprang to their 
 places. Allen placed himself at their head, and to the ncAvs of 
 Lexington the Green Mountains rolled back the echo of the 
 capture of Ticonderoga. 
 
 With this, one of the great acts of Allen's life, you are 
 all familiar. I, at least, cannot make you better acquainted Avitli 
 it. It is Avritten in your history and Avill not be forgotten Avhile 
 the record is preserved. I pass it therefore Avith an allusion to 
 only one of its relations, essential to a right understanding of 
 Allen's character, and Avhich, acted upon at the time, might 
 have saved some of the best blood of the ReA'olution. 
 
 The necessity for an armed resistance had been precipita- 
 
26 
 
 ted upon the colonics. Outside of New England independence 
 had not been seriously considered. The idea of resistance was 
 restricted to 0})prcssive legislation, and was expected to termin- 
 ate when that was repealed. Had anj aggressive movement 
 depended upon the Continental Congress for its initiative, it 
 Avould not have taken place. As on many occasions since, the 
 people were in advance of their representatives. 
 
 It is therefore proof of his intelligence and forecast, that 
 in those early hours of the struggle Allen clearly comprehend- 
 ed the situation — more clearly than most of the other leaders ; 
 and it is almost humiliating to read the ]-eco]d, and see with 
 what timidity the Congress heard the news of Ticonderoga, the 
 first capture made in its name. Apology was its favorite theme. 
 With closed doors and in secret, it deliberated from the tenth 
 to the eighteenth of ^lay, and had performed no pul)lic act of 
 importance except to lay before the people the report of the 
 affair at Lexington. The capture of Ticondejoga aroused it to 
 some action. The resolution made nece.-S'.iry by the capture is 
 a curious ex})res>ion of the duty its members felt, of sustaining 
 the movement, and their wish to avoid giving oTence to Great 
 Britain. They approved the capture, on the ground that the 
 stores and cannon Avould have been us,;d in an invasion of the 
 colonics, but proposed '• to remove and ])rese]'ve them, in order 
 that they may be safely returned, when the restoration of the 
 former harmony between Great Britain and the colonies, so ar- 
 dently iri shed for by the hitter, should render it prudent." 
 
 Even the capture of these forts did not divert the Con- 
 gress from its conciliatory policy. Their subsequent ix'solves 
 breathe the mo.st ardent wishes for the restoration of amicable 
 relations, and their purpose to negotiate to that end. But they 
 exhibit a firmer spirit, and a purpose to fight if these efforts 
 were unsuccessful. 
 
 If time pei'mitted it would be interesting to read their ad- 
 dress to Canada of the 29th of JNIay. While it urges the peo- 
 ple of that province to unite with them in their purpose to live 
 
27 
 
 free, or not at all, it is an undisguised apology for taking pos- 
 session of the forts on Lake Cliamplain. " It was dictated," 
 says the Congress, " by the great law of self-preservation. 
 These forts were intended to annoy us, and cut off that friendly 
 intercourse which has hitherto subs.'sted between us. We hope 
 it has given you no uneasiness, and you may rely on our assur- 
 ances, that these colonies will pursue no measures but such as 
 friendship and a regard for our mutual safety may suggest.'' 
 Three days later, moved by the aggressive energy exhibited in 
 this northern quarter, ihey resolved '■ that no expedition ought 
 to be undertaken against Canada, by any colonj^ or body of col- 
 onists," and transmitted their resolution to the commander of 
 the forces at Ticonderoga, to New York and the other colonies 
 bordering on Canada. 
 
 But while this conciliatory, ready-to-halt policy conti'olled 
 the Continental Congress, Allen stood here on the border, pro- 
 claiming that the day of negotiation had passed, and the time 
 had come for aggressive movements. Ilis policy was neither 
 conciliatory nor concealed. lie expressed it in three words 
 ^'Take Canada now .'" lie saw then, as clearly as the who'.e 
 country saw ninety days later, that Canada was the place where 
 the death-bloAV could be planted on the front of British power 
 in America, and that the seizure of that province was the short- 
 est road to American independence. He was of Sir Boyle 
 Roche's opinion that " the safest way to avoid danger was to 
 meet it face to flice." Congress must have known of the disaf- 
 fection of the Canadians, and how easily they could have been 
 induced to join the other colonies. They knew by a bloody ex- 
 perience, many times repeated, that the royal road of invasion 
 lay through Lake Champlain. That the patriotic members of 
 that body held Allen back, prove the strength of the tie that 
 bound them to England. But they could not silence Allen's 
 appeals. " Lake Champlain," he declared, "is the key of Can- 
 ada or of our own country.'' "The key is ours as yet, and if 
 the colonies would push an army of tvro or three thousand men 
 
28 
 
 into Canada, they might make a conquest of all that would op- 
 pose them." " I would lay my life on it, that with fifteen hun- 
 dred men I could take Montreal." " The object should be 
 pursued, though it should take ten thousand men." " Our 
 friends in Canada can never help us, until we first help them." 
 
 Mark the prominence and the wisdom, too. of Ethan Al- 
 len, upon the threshold of the Revolution. He is the first man 
 in all the colonies to suggest the invasion of Canada. He stands 
 here alone, ur'J'ing it Avitli all the energy of his rino;ino; voice 
 and emphatic pen. Every man with whom he comes in contact 
 confesses the wisdom of his advice, and joins him as an advo- 
 cate. On the other side, the New York and Continental Con- 
 gresses, with all their statesmanship, declare that Canada must 
 not be invaded. When Canada Avas unprepared, and the people 
 were in sympathy with the popular movement, they declared 
 that Allen's proposal was rash, inconsistent and premature. 
 Within three months afterwards, when she had been reinforced, 
 when her militia had been organized, and all her powers of re- 
 sistance consolidated, they consented. By that time the whole 
 country conceded the wisdom of Allen's vicAvs. They Avere 
 adopted and Canada Avas im^aded. The result is a matter of 
 history. I cannot improve upon the Avords of one of Allen's 
 biographers : " If his advice had been heeded Avhen it Avas giA"- 
 en, there can be no reasonable doubt it Avould haA'e been suc- 
 cessful. Its failure may be ascribed more to the AA'avering sen- 
 timents and tardy motions of Congress, than to any defect in 
 the plan or in the manner of its execution." How many years 
 of Avar its rejection cost the American colonies Ave may never 
 knoAV. 
 
 As the summer Avore on, the opportunitj^ for active moA'e- 
 micnts in the north Avent by. Benedict Arnold had enlivened 
 the small force here, by his perpetual quarrel about rank, Avhich 
 he carried Avith him everyAvhere ; but he Avas finally suppressed 
 after some exercise of his latent talent for treason, and had 
 quittid the army in disgust. The Connecticut Regiment had 
 
29 
 
 garrisoned Ticonderoga, and the temper of Congress indicated 
 that unless a new spirit was infused into its members, it would 
 sanction no advance to the northward. Allen could never re- 
 main inactive. lie had no sooner turned over his command to 
 Colonel Hinman, and got him peaceably in possession, than he 
 determined to impress his views upon Congress by a personal 
 appeal. He had written them letters which had never been 
 answered. But he was not to be satisfied by silence, and with- 
 in a few days himself and Warner Avere at the doors of Con- 
 gress. His errand Avas brief and plain. It was to procure the 
 recognition of the Green INIountain Bo3^s as a part of the Con- 
 tinental Army, and authority to form a regiment, and then — 
 delenda est Carthago ! Canada must be invaded. His posi- 
 tion must be kept in mind. He had been the open and fierce 
 enemy of Ncav York, and by that colony, the most powerful in 
 Cono;ress, he was regarded as a rebel. In fact, at that time he 
 was under several indictments. But his soul Avas bent on inde- 
 pendence, and he did not stop for one moment to reflect, that 
 the business upon which he was going to Congress could not l)e 
 accomplished until he had overcome her most active opposition. 
 With his usual directness he Avent straight to the accomplish- 
 ment of his purpose. Hoav Avell he succeeded at Philadelphin, 
 Ave only know from a record of a dozen lines. On the 23d of 
 June, the journal shoAVS that the first business of the session Avas 
 the reading of a letter from CroAvn Point, after Avhicli it Avas 
 stated that tAvo officers Avho brought the letter Avere at the door 
 and had something of importance to communicate. The Con- 
 gi'ess ordered them to be admitted, and Allen and Warner en- 
 tered the hall. His speech is unreported. We are left to 
 imagine the pOAverful utterances Avith Avhich he described the 
 patriotism of his men, their prompt ansAver to his call to the 
 field, the march and capture of Ticonderoga, their readiness to 
 give their lives to the cause, and the policy of forming them in- 
 to a regiment. We may be sure that folloAving his ruling idea 
 he closed Avith "Canada must be taken !" They retired. With- 
 out any delay, and. so far as Ave know, Avith entire unanimity. 
 
30 
 
 the Congress marked their approval of his conduct by voting to 
 his men and tlieir officers like pay with the rest of the army, 
 and by recommending New York " to employ in the army to 
 be raised for the defence of America, those called Green ]\Ioun- 
 tain Boys, under such (officers as the said Green Mountain Boys 
 shall choose."' " You are desired," wrote President Hancock 
 to the New York Convention, " to consult with General Schuy- 
 ler, in whom, the Congress is informed, these people place great 
 confidence, about the field officers to be set over them." 
 
 The Congress sent Allen witli a recommendation to the 
 New York Convention ! What could Ethan Allen accomplish 
 in the New York Convention ? That body wanted him — a lit- 
 tle better than a twelvemonth before, it had offered anybody a 
 hundred pounds wbo would secure him in His Majesty's jail in 
 Albany. He had flogged their justices, hunted their surveyors, 
 trapped their constables, scouted their proclamations, and defied 
 their laws. In their eyes he was a rebel ; the very chief and 
 leader of that sum of all ini(piit_v, the Bennington Mob ! The 
 chances were that instead of giving him a regiment they would 
 take his scalp ! 
 
 Little reckexl Allen of all this : doubtful if he thought of 
 it, so completely and exclusi\ely liad the great movement for 
 human freedom possessed his soul. We next hear of him at the 
 doors of the New Y^ork Convention demanding admission. His 
 demand arouses a storm of opposition. A member moves that 
 he 1)0 permitted to have an audience. Tbe debate is fierce and 
 bot. "Admit this mountain savage to the Provincial Congress 
 of New York ! — the man who had flooded every member of it 
 with abuse, and contemned even the Roj^al authority ; Avho had 
 ori!;anized a rel>ellion which had in it the bitter sting'of success ! 
 Listen to the tongue which had hurled at them every hard name 
 in the vocabulai-y and not a few invented for the occasion ! Bet- 
 ter send him to the felon's dock or the gallows, than allow him 
 to come here and insult l)y his presence the collective wisdom of 
 the colony !"' 
 
31 
 
 But opposition Avas unavailing. In the great army of free- 
 dom all true men were kin. Whatever he might have been be- 
 fore, he was a soldier now, fighting with all the brave, through- 
 out the colonies, the battle of the free. He was there to advance 
 the common cause, and he must come in ! lie was admitted. 
 Once inside the door, face to face with the convention, and his 
 work was done. 
 
 What would we not give for the report of his speech upon 
 
 that occasion ? lie had written to the same convention words 
 
 like these : ''I desire your honors to lay befoi'e the Grand 
 
 Continental Congress the great disadvantage it must be even- 
 ed o o 
 
 tually to the colonies to evacuate Lake Champlain, and give up 
 to the enemies of our country those invalual)le accpiisitions, the 
 key of either Canada or of our country, according as which 
 party holds the same in possession and makes a proper imi)rove- 
 ment of it. The key is ouis as yet, and provided the colonies 
 would suddeidy push an army of two or tln-ee thousand men 
 into Canada they might make a conquest of all that would oppose 
 them in the extensive province of Quebec. * * * I -wish 
 to God America would, at this critical juncture, exert herself 
 agreeable to the indignity offered her l)y a tyrannical ministry. 
 She might rise on eagle's wings, and mount up to glory, freedom 
 and immortal honor, if she did but know and exert her streno-th. 
 Fame is now hovering over her head. A vast continent must 
 now sink to slavery, poverty, horror and bondage, or rise to un- 
 con(|uerable freedom, great Avealth, irrepressible felicity and im- 
 mortal fame. I will lay my life on if that Avith fifteen hundred 
 men I could take Montreal."' Was it a rude mountain savarje, 
 or one of nature's born orators and noblemen who could utter 
 such Avords in June, 1775 ? AYliich excites your Avonder more, 
 the poAver of the man avIio uttered them or the stolidity of the 
 convention that could hear them unmoved ? But his speech 
 must have risen to the level of Demosthenean elocpience, for 
 it moved even the New York Convention. 
 
 I look upon the action of the New York Convention as the 
 
32 
 
 highest proof of the intensity of the patriotism of those eventful 
 times. But I must not dwell upon it. Again Allen was heard, 
 and again he Avithdrew. Without adjournment or delay, the 
 convention ordered that " a hody of troops be raised of those 
 called Green Mountain Boys, that they elect their own officers, 
 except field officers. * * '* and that General Schuyler be 
 further requested to procure the sense of those people concern- 
 ing the persons who will be most agreeable to them for field 
 officers." It Avas an earnest, full compliance Avith Allen's re- 
 quest ; a fine tribute to his personal influence, and a splendid 
 illustration of the patriotism Avhich in those times must have 
 held sovereign rule. 
 
 In a career so croAvdcd Avith events, I can refer to only a 
 few. Allen returned to Vermont from the convention, and if 
 true greatness Avas ever proved by human actions, he then proved 
 himself a great man. He had originated the Green Mountain 
 Boys ; in a military sense, he had raised them. It Avas he who 
 first called them to the defence of their homes, Avho gaA'e and 
 taught them the use of arms. From raAv countrymen he had 
 converted them into disciplined soldiers. For years his poAver- 
 ful will had been their bond of union ; under him they had Avon 
 the glory of Ticonderoga. And now he had done Avhat no oth- 
 er man or men upon the Grants Avould have done or undertaken 
 to do. He had induced the jSTcav York and the Continental 
 Congresses to form them into a regiment, under officers of their 
 OAvn election. He expected to be their colonel : that office his 
 heart coveted as it never coveted aught before. And yet by one 
 of those strange fatuities, as inexplicable then as a miracle, 
 equally so noAV, in the hour of election they forgot him. It 
 passed— Seth Warner Avas in command of the Green Mountain 
 Boys, and Ethan Allen Avas a private citizen. 
 
 It seems strange that he did not protest Avith all the 
 strength of his mind against such a wrong, or hang his head in 
 shame, and retire to hide his mortification in some secret place. 
 Other brave men in those days made the country vocal Avith 
 
33 
 
 their complaints, wlien theii- just claims were ignored. Look 
 at Arnold ! the incarnation of growling discontent every time 
 he was made second to anyhody, and a traitor at last, because 
 he thought himself neglected. And then behold Ethan Allen ! 
 Mortified, no doubt lie was — he would not have been humaji, 
 otherwise. But he waste<l no time in complaints. ■• Notwith- 
 standing m_v zeal and success in my country's cause." lie writes. 
 ■■ the old farmers who Ao not incline to go to war. in their nom- 
 inations for officers of the (Iroen Mountain Boys have whollv 
 omitted me. I find myself in favor with the officers of the army 
 and the young men. How the old men came to reject me I 
 cannot conceive." This 1)y way of criticism, and this is all. 
 But mark the conclusion ! •• I hope the CVmtinental Congress 
 will remember me. for f (Jcs'irc to remain in the scrrirc."^ 
 
 Yes. he desired to remain in the service. Neglect could 
 not drive him out of it. Schuyler seems always to have been 
 in favor with the people of the (Jrants. In spite of all that 
 criticism or enmity could do. he stands out one of the most 
 prominent figures in the historical picture, one of the most noble 
 and admirable cJiaracters in a time when such men were most 
 needed. To Schujder Allen went, and Avas received with a 
 hearty welcome. Schuyler employed him as a volunteer, with 
 the understanding that he should be considered as nn;ch an offi- 
 cer as if he had a connnission. and should. Avhen occasion per- 
 mitted, be placed in command. 
 
 The hour of misfortune for Allen was now drawino; near. 
 By September the whole country had become convinced that 
 Canada should be invaded and Allen's advice had been adopted 
 by Congress. But in those three months of delay the favorable 
 moment had passed. Allen knew it, but he was still hopeful, and 
 believed he could accomplish much with the Canadians by his 
 personal influence : and when Schuyler was collecting his forces 
 for the expedition. Allen accepted his invitation to proceed in 
 advance to Canada, as an itinerant political missionary to the 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 inhabitants. ^Montgomery then assumed the command of the 
 arn]j and proceeded to lay siege to St. Johns. 
 
 Delayed by the resistance of St. Johns, the commander-in- 
 chief" despatched Allen upon a second and similar errand. For 
 a time all went Avell. lie went from village to village, as he 
 expi-essc'd it. ■• preaching jjolitics.'" and eidisting recruits. At 
 o le time he wrote in high spirits, that he had tAvo hundred and 
 fifty niL'U under arms, and that they were o-athcrino- as fast as 
 he marched. •• You may I'est assured. " he wrote to his Gen- 
 eral. •• that within three days I shall join you Avitli five hundred 
 or more Canadian voluntet^rs." 
 
 Having made the tour of manv villages, and assured the 
 people tliat the army came not to make war upon them or their 
 religion, but upon the power of Great Britain, in company with 
 about eighty Canadiair-; he finally I'eached the banks of the St. 
 Lawrence, opposite ^Montreal. iVt the \illage of Laprairie he 
 met Major Brown with a force of two hundred and fifty men. 
 BiOAvn proposed to attack and captuie ^lontreal. by surprise, 
 and Allen eagerly accepted the pioposition. It was agreed that 
 Allen should cro.ss at Lon'jeuil l»elow. and Bro\\n at Laprairie 
 above the city, and on the exchange of three cheers, which were 
 to be first given by Bi'own"s party, the attack should be mad<?. 
 The latter agi-eed to cross early the next morning, and both 
 ^\^^\\ knew that success could only l)e expected by co-operation 
 Brown failed to keep his promise on the excuse of bad weather. 
 Allen, whom the elements had no power to delay, crrissed over 
 and Avhen the moining bioke. found himself alone with less than 
 a hundred raw Canadians, on an island in front of a large citv. 
 Disdaining to retreat, and still hoping fin- Brown's advance, he 
 held his ground until an escaped })risoner betrayed to the enemy 
 the weaknes- of the party. The Britisli i-allied a mixed crowd of 
 five hundred regulars and volunteers and attacked him. lie 
 was surrounded, fought bravely as long as there Mas any hope, 
 but at length was compelled to surrender upon the promise of 
 honorable treatment as a prisoner of Avar, 
 
His first experience as a prisoner had its comic as well as 
 its tragic features. The moment he gave up his sword, he was 
 set upon by a savage, in whose face, he declared, appeared all 
 the malice, wrath, death and nuirder of devils. His oidv 
 means of defence was to seize an officer and interpose him as a 
 breastwork between himself and his assailant — a difficult matter 
 when the Indian was on everj side at once, seeking an opportu- 
 nity to shoot him without killing the Briton. He succeeded in 
 whirling him between himself and the i-edskin until he was at- 
 tacked by another of those •• imps of hell." He then had to 
 increase his agility, and he declares that he made the officer 11 v 
 around him with incredible velocity. At length a gallant Irish- 
 man came to his aid and drove oft" his assailants. Allen 
 quaintly remarks of this ludicrous exhibition that •' it served to 
 compose his mind."' 
 
 The conduct of Prescott. who connnanded the British on 
 this occasion, was brutal in the extreme. He oi'dered a number 
 of the Canadians to be shot oii the spot, and actually drew up 
 the firing party, when Allen stepped between them and their 
 victims, bared his bosom, and told Prescott to take his revenge 
 on him. for he was the sole cause of their taking up ai-ms. 
 Prescott suspended the execution and the Canadians were saved. 
 But he declared that Allen should grace a halter at Tyljurn, 
 and then in violation of his promise sent him in irons on boaid 
 a vessel of war. 
 
 There he was loaded with forty pounds weight of manacles. 
 and sent to Quebec. The impression he made upon his ene- 
 mies is shown by the fact, that, prisoner as he was, he was cho- 
 sen by an officer as his second in a duel, and gave his parol to 
 return when the fight was over. He Avas soon after sent to 
 Eno-land, confined for some months in Pendennis Castle — then 
 placed on shipboard and carried to the Carolinas, thence to Hal- 
 ifax, and, late in the year following his capture, he was landed in 
 the city of New York. 
 
86 
 
 His treatment during this long period was execrable. It 
 was a disgrace to the British name and nation. Tyranny is the 
 unerring proof of a mean and narrow spirit. Most of the offi- 
 cers under whom Allen was placed seemed to experience a bru- 
 tal delight in inventing cruelties and privations to break him 
 down. They failed of their purpose. His iron will and in- 
 domitable firmness never yielded for a moment, lie seemed to 
 regard himself as the representative of the American people, 
 and he would not give his enemies the triumnh of seeinu- them 
 and their cause degraded in his person. In maintaining his 
 own dignity he upheld theirs. Prescott threatened to cane him. 
 and the unarmed prisoner shook his manacled fist in the face of 
 the British general. Loaded with fetters and contumely, cov- 
 ered with rags and soiled with filth Irom which he could not 
 free himself, he bore himself as proudly as a monarch on his 
 throne, so that the better dispo.sed of his keepers sent him food 
 and drink from their own tables. Incensed by a swaggering 
 doctor, he tore oft" his irons with his teeth, and poured upon him 
 such a flood of indignant reproach, that he slunk out of his 
 presence. Again insulted by an officer who came to gape at 
 him in the hole where he had been thrust with forty companions," 
 he sprang at him like a panther and tore him down. The men 
 who drove him with their bayonets to his prison-pen, would come 
 privately and bring him little comforts. In England they sought 
 to frighten him by threats of the gallows : he answered by a 
 letter to the American Commander advising prudent retaliation. 
 They could not hide him away ii-om the sympathy of kind 
 hearts. The j)eople who came to gaze at him as a show Avould 
 slip guineas into his pockets. He won the respect of all true- 
 hearted Englishmen. When be came to the Cove of Cork the 
 enthusiastic Irish sent him clothing, filled his purse with gold, 
 and had they not been prevented, avould have loaded the ship 
 with stores and supplies. " I am a gentleman, and have the 
 right to walk the deck," was his proud answer to the Captain 
 who ordered him with oaths to go below : and after that he 
 
37 
 
 walked the deck with impunity. His iinpvisonment was a tri- 
 umph which disgraced none but those who sought to disgrace 
 him. 
 
 Tliere Avas only one occasion when his fortitude gave way. 
 He tells the story with the bashfulness of a girl. Long im- 
 prisonment, deprivation, rags, disease and vermin, applied long- 
 enough, will break down the strongest man. He had borne all 
 these, and at Halifax they were sifppleinented by the scurvy, 
 which would have ended his life had he not been relieved by 
 the charity of a lady Avho furnished him with food and vegeta- 
 bles. The wasted shadow which went on shipboard there, to 
 be sent to New York, was a poor representative of the hardy 
 mountaineer: but his spirit was just as defiant as at the moment 
 of his capture. He was summoned before the Captain. E.x- 
 pecting some new exhibition of the tyranny of the quarter deck, 
 he summoned his little remaininij; strenjith to maintain his na- 
 tural character, and to defy this new display of the malice of 
 his enemies. To his profound astonishment, Captain Smith met 
 him with a hearty shake of the hand, welcomed him to his ship, 
 invited him to his table, and mentioned as if a matter of course 
 that he had ordered every man under him to treat Colonel Al- 
 len with the respect and consideration due to an officer of his 
 rank. Such unexpected humanity did Avhat no amount of ill- 
 treatment could have done. It overcame him. and for a time 
 deprived him of the power of speaking. He turned away to 
 hide his emotion; and then with a broken voice expressed his 
 gratitude for kindness, all the more generous since he would 
 never be able to repay it. " I look for no reward," was the 
 blulF response of the noble sailor; •' I only treat you as one 
 gentleman should treat another. This is a mutable world, and 
 one never knows how soon it may be in his power to do another 
 a favor." 
 
 The reward came to Captain Smith very speedily. They 
 were sailing along the coast not many days afterwards, when 
 
38 
 
 the prisoners formed a plot to kill the Captain, master the 
 crew, and seize the ship with the thirtj-five thousand pounds in 
 treasure then on board. [Several of the crew had already been 
 corrupted, and Allen's consent, upon which they had counted, 
 was only necessary to the success of the conspiracy. The leader 
 detailed his plans, never douljting Allen's prompt concurrence. 
 " This plot must end here and now !"' was his answer. " and I 
 must have your promise to end it, or I will disclose it to the 
 Captain and defend him with my life. He has treated us like 
 gentlemen, and he shall not be murdered !" The plot was 
 abandoned and never revived. Perhaps the most creditable 
 part of the incident, so far as Allen is concerned, is the fact 
 that he kept the secret, and Captain Smith never knew from 
 him how well he had repaid his kindness. 
 
 He reached New ^'ork in October. Here he fared miser- 
 ably enough, but personal ill-treatment did not wring his heart 
 like those barbarities Avhich he saw- inflicted on the American 
 prisoners, which fastened such indelible dishonor on the Bi itish 
 name. They were never eijualled until the days of Salisbury 
 and Andersonville. Wheil allowed to go at large, he labored 
 day and night, with all his strength, resources and credit, for 
 their relief He was there when two thousand of these martyrs 
 were sacrificed to what he calls ■ the scientific barbarity of Bri- 
 tain."' The enemy sought to bribe him with the ofier of a reg- 
 iment and service abroad, to desert his flag. He spurned the 
 bribe, and they "declared he nmst be crazy. To cure him, they 
 threw him into a dungeon, with thieves and murderers, and 
 almost starved him to death. But the victory of Bennington 
 and the capture of Burgoyne furnished the Americans with 
 abundant material for retaliation, and improved his treatment. 
 It was not, however, until May. 1778, Avell towards three years 
 after his capture, that he was finally exchanged for Colonel 
 Campbell of the British army. He then proceeded to Valley 
 Forge, where Washington received him with the strongest ex- 
 pressions of respect and esteem. He has recorded the impres- 
 
39 
 
 sion made by the returnecl prisoner in no doubtful terras. He 
 was weak and emaciated in liodv, but his heart was strong and 
 true. Washington's letter to Congress, in furtherance of Allen's 
 desire to enter the service again as soon as his strength Avas 
 restored, shows how admirably the Father of his country esti- 
 mated men. It is too illustrative to be omitted here. 
 
 " I have been happy," he wrote, '• in the exchange and a 
 visit from Col. Allen. His fortitude and firnniess seem to have 
 placed him out of the reach of misfortune. There is an original 
 something in him that connuands admiration : and his long cap- 
 tivity and sufferings have only served to increase if possible his 
 enthusiastic zeal. ITe appears very desirous of rendering his 
 services to the States and of being employed, and at the same 
 time he does not disclose any ambition for high i-ank. Congress 
 will herewith receive a letter from him, and [ doulit not they 
 will make such provision for him as they may tliink proper and 
 suitable." 
 
 Congress responded hy granting liim a Colonel's commis- 
 sion, with words of commendation which doubled tlie value of 
 the reward. After visit to General Gates, who treated him, as 
 he says, •• with the generosity of a lord," he returned to Ben- 
 nington on the last day of jNIay, 1778, where he was received 
 with great rejoicing. Among otlier manifestations, a salute was 
 fired, of thirteen guns for the older States, and one for vouno- 
 Vermont. 
 
 The surrender of Burgoyne was substantially tlie end of 
 the fighting in this (piarter. and Allen never again entered act- 
 ive service in the Continental army. The position of Vermont 
 was precarious, and his interest in her fortunes was too great to 
 permit him to seek employment elsewhere. She was putting 
 the machinery of her government in motion, in which there Avas 
 some friction, and her enemies had become more dangerous 
 since they had substituted intrigue for force. He entered her 
 service with renewed activity, and until her final admission his 
 
40 
 
 tongue and pen were employed in her behalf. Rohinson. who 
 had been successful with Arnold, offered him large bribes to 
 desert; his answer was the transmission of Robinson's letters to 
 Congress. He was prominent in the negotiations with Haldi- 
 niand. which secured quiet here until the end of the war. His 
 last appearance in arms was in the suppression of the refrac- 
 tory " Yorkers" in Windham county. With a hundred of his 
 Green Mountain Boys he marched to Guilford, and there issued 
 a proclamation, Avhich is a model of directness and brevity : "I. 
 Ethan Allen, declare, that unless the people of Guilford peace- 
 ably submit to the authority of Vermont. I will make the town 
 as desolate as were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ! " They 
 submitted. He saw the Revolution ended, and the States in- 
 dependent, but did not survive to see Vermont finally take her 
 seat in the National Council. His sword was chano-ed into a 
 ploughshare, he became a farmer in yonder beautiful valley, 
 and there, mourned by an attaclied people, he died in February, 
 1789. 
 
 I have not attempted so much as a reference to all the 
 prominent events in Allen's life. They are far too numerous 
 for the pi-esent occasion. His vigorous Avritings in behalf of 
 Vermont have not been mentioned. It is better far to pass 
 them over than to touch them superficially. As avc pass through 
 a beautiful conservatory, we may gather here and there a spec- 
 imen flower, so in the rich field of Allen's life I have just 
 touched upon a few events which illustrate hisiicharacter. Even 
 in this I am only too conscious of failure. But in ni}^ judg- 
 ment he is mirrored as the natural product of the times and 
 circumstances in which he lived — altogether one of the most 
 interesting characters found in their history. It would be a 
 grave mistake to gloss over his faults or to deny their existence. 
 They are just as necessary to the picture as his merits. But 
 justice requires that they should not be exaggerated. They 
 have been, and grossly, for many who have written concerning 
 
41 
 
 him have taken counsel of their pvcjudices instead of their rea- 
 son. Beside his grave jou will pardon me a single refutation. 
 
 The greatest, perhaps the one indefensible charge against 
 Colonel Allen is founded upon his religious opinions. These 
 are perhaps as objectionable to me as to his harshest critics, few 
 of whom knoAv what he did or did not believe. They have no 
 difficulty in leaping to the conclusion that he was an infidel of 
 the worst type, and morally as bad a man as modern is77is have 
 produced. 1 have seen it stated that he believed neither in 
 God nor in Eternity. 
 
 Allen never concealed his opinions. He has recorded the 
 religious views he once held, plainly and clearly. His active 
 life, passed in the service of freedom, while in the highest degree 
 unfavorable to religious instruction or convictions, did not fail 
 to develop, perhaps abnormally, his independence of thought 
 upon all subjects, religion included. It Avas not only his nature, 
 in the exercise of his powerful intellect, to bring every proposi- 
 tion to the standard of human reason, but he could not do oth- 
 erwise without, as he thought, violating his common sense. In 
 religion, as in all the affairs of life, he followed his reason. It 
 led him to the belief in and firm conviction of an eternal, infi- 
 nite, omnipotent and all wise Ruler of the universe : in the im- 
 mortality of the soul ; in human responsibility to conscience and 
 to God, coupled Avith perfect freedom of action and will ; in the 
 reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked in a 
 future life, upon principles of infinite justice. In that he reached 
 the ultimate end which the schools of ethics are agreed may be 
 reached by the light of natural reason — where reason stops and 
 faith begins. That he did so, proves that he was a metaphysi- 
 cian of no ordinary powers. There he halted. Belief in mira- 
 cles, in the Bible as an inspired revelation, in the divinity and 
 incarnation of Christ — all the doctrines received through faith — 
 he rejected as contrary to reason. In advocacy of these views 
 he wrote a book, now almost forgotten, and which I would do 
 
42 
 
 nothing to rescue fiom its merited oblivion. There was a tinge 
 of orthodoxy in his nature, but he called himself, and Avas in 
 fact, a theist. Had he lived to-day, he would not have been a 
 wcrse man than many members of respected religious denomi- 
 nations. 
 
 In the seventeenth centui'y the influence of such doctrines 
 was widely extended by the asceticism of the Puritans and the 
 rigid formality of the established church. By his ardent sup- 
 port of the cause of A^ermont, Allen had formed a strong at- 
 tachment for Dr. Jos?ph Young, who had adopted these princi- 
 ples and Avas a Avarm disciple of William Blount, an eminent 
 theist of the period named, and the author of many heterodox 
 Avorks, one of them called " The Oracles of Reason." Through 
 Young, Allen became acquainted with the Avritings of Blount, 
 and a convert to his opinions. The book Avhich Allen wrote 
 Avas little more than a re}iroduction of Blount's '• Oracles " and 
 other Avritings, and presents the same arguments almost in their 
 consecutive order. 
 
 To such men as Allen wisdom cometh Avith increase of 
 years. One incident, Avell authenticated, in his later life, Avill 
 enable you to judge of the tenacity of his final adherence to 
 these vicAvs. He Avas blessed Avith a religious Avife, and a daugh- 
 ter Avhom he loA'ed Avith all the affection of his great and gentle 
 heart. Early fitted for a better life, she was called to its expe- 
 rience before she reached Avomanhood. As she lay upon her 
 dying bed she called her fiither to her side, and said to him : 
 '• Father, I am about to die. Shall I belicA^e in your princi- 
 ples or in those my mother has taught me?' His frame quiA^- 
 ered, and for a moment he could not reply. But Avhen at last 
 his affection burst forth in tears, there came Avith them in gentle 
 tones, from his trembling lips, Avords which must haA'e fallen 
 upon the ears of the dying girl almost as comforting as the 
 A^oices of angels Avelcoming her to eternal rest: " My child, be- 
 licA^e Avhat your mother has taught you !" Censors of Ethan 
 Allen, " Judge not and ye shall not be judged. Condemn not 
 
43 
 
 and ye shall not be condemned. For with the same measure 
 that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again." 
 
 From whatever standpoint we look at Ethan Allen our 
 impression is always the same. He is always the conspicuous 
 figure, the recognized leader, the man who moulds others to his 
 Avill. The view may be as brief as that we catch when the 
 lightning flashes across the darkness of the midnight sky, but 
 it is as clear and full as it would be under the glare of the 
 noonday sun. He plants himself in the dentist's chair and 
 orders a healthy molar to be wrenched from its socket, to en- 
 courage a nervous, suft'ering w^oman, whose pride is thus made 
 to overcome her fears. '' I did not employ you to lie ; that note 
 is mine ; I only want a little time to pay it !" he fairly roars at 
 his astonished lawyer, wdio had denied his signature in the trial 
 of a lawsuit : and his opponent gives him all the time he asks. 
 " This man must be hung according to law," he exclaims to* 
 the crowd threatening to lynch the reprieved tory and spy ; 
 " come here next Friday and you shall see somebody hung : if 
 Redding is not, I will be hung myself," — and the crowd peaceably 
 disperses. '• Look at that poor mother, and then say if you 
 can go to your homes and sleep," he says to the discouraged 
 neighbors, about to give up the search for the lost children : and 
 back to the quest goes every man of them, never to give it up 
 until the lost wanderers are restored to their mother's arms. 
 These transient gleams, flashed upon him in his unstudied mc- 
 ments, reveal his true character. 
 
 Men and brethren, .the hour is filled with instruction. But 
 its lesson is not new. Of old time it was given out by the 
 Preacher, the son of David, King of Jerusalem : " whatsoever 
 thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might." Behold their re- 
 ward who faithfully obey the mandate of the Great Teacher ! 
 A century ago there came into this wilderness a few plain men. 
 The thought of future greatness they never conceived. They 
 came not to found a State, but to establish their homes. Ty- 
 
44 
 
 "rahny threw his giant arms around them, and they burst from 
 his iron embrace. Left to their own resources, with no friend 
 but Him Avho is called the " Counsellor,'* thej constructed a 
 government upon the broad foundations of justice and equity — 
 they defended it with the skill of diplomacy and the power of 
 the sword. They met their enemies on many a field, and were 
 always victorious because always right. They left to their 
 children the legacy of as good a government as human hands 
 have ever framed. They little thought, those day-laborers at 
 the post of duty, that they were raising monuments to them- 
 selves which would never perish while the race survived. They 
 Avere not the first who have builded better than they knew. 
 
 Soldiers in the campaign of life, whose faces are constantly 
 set on the future ! halt here and turn them baclcAvard over 
 the great highway which has been trodden by the army of man- 
 kind. Back in the depths of prehistoric night, in that dark 
 age Avlien primeval man first contended, with weapons of stone, 
 against brute beasts for the dominion of the earth, it begins, in 
 his savage lair, among the reedy fens and dank morasses of an 
 antediluvian wilderness. It is strewn thick on either side with 
 skull and skeleton, mute witnesses of races that have perished 
 by the way. The night encampment where each clay's march 
 was ended, has once been marked by its own memorial cairn. 
 At first so slight that it fell with the first wave that washed the 
 place where it stood, so near the next that it is doubtful whe- 
 ther it marks an advance or a retreat, then more permanent, 
 and distant, as the race moved on, until at length they rise, ma- 
 jestic shafts, proclaiming to all the future the discovery of a 
 science or a continent. As we stand on this grassy mount, and 
 look down the wondrous colonnade, which it has required all time 
 to build, it is lighted up with the meridian splendor of present 
 civilization. In bold relief stands out the record of each great 
 achievement, sculptured upon the pillared capitals. There is 
 one arcade where the clustered columns seem to rise loftier, and 
 
45 
 
 tiie record to flash out in more golden splendor. It marks the 
 birth of our republic, the days when our fathers lived. As we 
 fix our ejes upon it their age becomes heroic, and those plain 
 farmers rise to the statui-e of great men. The State they 
 founded has grown in strength and honors, and is filled A^ ith the 
 comfortable homes of an energetic people. Their descendants 
 have carried their names to the ends of the earth, to be honored 
 wherever they are known. The laws of nature seem to be 
 reversed, and these men rise as they recede. Among them we 
 behold statesmen broad in conception, wise in counsel, firm in 
 execution ; orators whose words of power fire the soul ; diplo- 
 matists who met antagonists trained in courts and skilled in 
 intrigue, and worsted them ; lawyers elevated to the level of 
 legal principles, who with them could frame constitutions ; sol- 
 diers brave in war, moderate in peace : philosophers splendid in 
 success, dignified, and therefore more splendid, in adversity. It 
 is a discipline to human pride to look upon the picture, for over 
 it is written the inscription : " There were giants in those 
 days." 
 
 One of the monuments of their great soldier we complete 
 to-day. He was the leader of their little army, the defender of 
 their simple faith. Simple it was, truly, for its creed was sum- 
 marized in the maxim, ''To every one his own," and compre- 
 hended nothing beyond the natural right of every man to hold his 
 opinions and his possessions free from the control or dictation of 
 every human superior. It was symbolized by no heraldic sign, 
 blazoned upon no knightly shield. But it Avas impressed by the 
 Almighty upon the hearts of men, and in the sublimity of its 
 power is surpassed by none save that embraced in the two com- 
 mandments whereon hang all the law and the prophets. To such 
 men as Allen and his cotemporaries, who defended it when its 
 apostles were feAV and its enemies many and mighty, the world 
 owes the fact that it has now become the faith of nations, and 
 numbers among its proselytes the good and the true of all the 
 
46 
 
 earth. Since it was born of Christianity it never had a more 
 faithful soldier. The few scattered rays shed from the light of 
 history upon widely distant portions of his career are only in- 
 tended to sketch its outline. Would you do him justice, you 
 must study the record and fill up the picture. He was not a 
 model, and none so well as himself knew his imperfections. 
 But he never concealed them : nor have I departed from his ex- 
 ample. Alike in victory and defeat, in success and adversity, 
 he compelled the admiration of his enemies. When, like the 
 Psalmist, " innumerable evils compassed him about," and '"trou- 
 bles came not single spies, but in battalions,"' he never despaired, 
 but rose above them, serene, unconquerable, and always a sol- 
 dier. The ceremonies by which Vermont recalls his deeds and 
 commends him to the grateful remembrance of her children are 
 indeed imposing ; but since she had a flag to defend there have 
 been no honors in her service more bravely won than those which 
 she lays to-day upon her chieftain's grave. 
 
 Men of Vermont ! The reproofs of instruction are the 
 way of life. Yonder shaft and statue, the monument of a sol- 
 dier's glory, are your instruction. Think not because brave" 
 men won your liberties, and secured the blessings which you 
 now enjoy, that you have nothing to do but to sit quietly down 
 and bask in the sunlight of your ancestral glories. There is a 
 work for every man, and yours lies before you. So long as by 
 slothfulness the building decayeth, so long can the blessings of a 
 free government be preserved by labor and watchfulness alone. 
 Mark the notes of warning which rise from your nation's capi- 
 tal and your sister States, calling you to watch with eagle eye 
 the sappers and miners of corruption, approaching with stealthy 
 steps on every side the temple wherein is the treasure of your 
 inheritance. You have besides a mission whose field is the 
 world. Your duty cannot be performed until corruption, tyr- 
 anny and oppression are driven from the earth — until every 
 human being, created in the image of his Maker, is a freeman, 
 
47 
 
 in full possession of his natural birthright of life, liberty and 
 the pursuit of happiness. Duty rises with its knowledge and 
 the ability to perform it. Had Allen and his associates taken 
 " yet a little more sleep, a little folding of the hands to sleep," 
 instead of Vermont with her record and her influence, there 
 would have been a provincial county or country district. Let 
 Vermonters emulate their energy and follow their examples, and 
 there may be yet other Vermonts on the Pacific shores, in the 
 Celestial Empire and Farther India. Not upon us rests all 
 the responsibility, it is true, but in the great army of human- 
 ity we are all soldiery. We live in a favored age. Art and 
 science are moving forward with gigantic strides. Every day 
 is made glorious by the splendor of some new and grand dis- 
 covery, which marks the progress of human development another 
 stage. The war which began in Eden is not yet ended. The 
 prize of the battle is the empire of the world. The armies are 
 gathering for the final campaign. Every nation must furnish 
 its own quota. Under the black flag serve all the satellites of 
 slavery, injustice, oppression, corruption and despotic barbar- 
 ism ; under the banner of Christian civilization are all the true, 
 the just and the free. Our loyal service is a duty which, if 
 need be, we must perform without rank or pay. Yonder, upon 
 a distant continent, it may be upon the very spot where man 
 first fell from his high estate, is the stronghold and capital city 
 of the enemy. His soldiers are encamped round about it. On 
 this side lie the wilderness, with its breastworks, outposts and 
 redoubts, which swarm Avith the legions of the foe. But the 
 wilderness must be traversed, the capital city must be taken, 
 the enemy must be destroyed. Are we ready for the last cam- 
 paign ? The hour of the conflict draws near. The note of prep- 
 aration has already sounded. Its music stirs the blood and 
 touches the heart of every freeman. From town and city, 
 mountain and valley, hill and plain, the recruits are pouring in. 
 They come as the winds and waves come, gathering "thick as 
 autumnal leaves that strew the brooks of Vallombrosa." In 
 
48 
 
 one corps let there be no faltering heart, no doubtful answer to 
 the call. And Avhen the order for the march shall come, let it 
 ring through the armj, filling every true man's heart Avith high 
 hope and unfaltering courage^ — the sure presage of victory — 
 sharp and clear, as once it rang along Virginia's plains : '• Put 
 the Vermonters in the front, and close up the column !'' 
 
 The orator was frequently and heartily applauded during 
 the oration, and at its close. 
 
CLOSING EXERCISES. 
 
 After -Hail Columbia'' by the bands, the hymn : 
 
 " Mj country, 'tis of thee, 
 Sweet land of liberty," 
 
 was sung by the clioir and the assembly, the bands swelling the 
 chorus, with grand effect. 
 
 The exercises closed with a benediction by the chaplain. 
 The procession re-formed and passed through the cemetery, ' 
 under the monument, and thence through Colchester Avenue, 
 Pearl street and Church street to tlie square, where it disbanded. 
 
 The day ended with a grand display of fireworks on the 
 College Park, the closing piece of which was a large repre- 
 sentation of the Statue, Avith the motto: -'In the name of the 
 Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.'' It was esti- 
 mated that the fireworks were witnessed by not less than twelve 
 thousand persons. 
 
 Evidence of the interest shown in the occasion, by the 
 people of Vermont, was not confined to the large attendance 
 on the ceremonies, but appeared in letters from leading citizens 
 to the Committee of Arrangements, and in the accounts and 
 comments of the Press of the State. This interest was the 
 more noticeable in view of somcAvhat recent attempts to traduce 
 the memory of Ethan Allen, and to attack through him the 
 honor and fair fame of the founders of the State of Vermont, 
 made by certain gentlemen of a ''New School of History" in 
 NcAv York State, Avhose contributions to History seem to be 
 confined in large degree to abuse of eminent patriots of former 
 days, and attempts to transfer their laurels to traitors and no- 
 bodies. The occasion afforded throughout ample proof that 
 the people of the State of Vermont, in spite of his traducers, 
 still hold in undiminished and undying honor, the memory of 
 the Hero of Ticonderoga. 
 
A. P P E N D T X . 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 LETTER FROM HON. J. N. POMEROY TO GOV. CONVERSE. 
 
 Btirlington, 11th March, 1873. 
 
 H'ts ExceUenry, Julius Converse, Woodstock : 
 
 Dear Sir — You are aware, of course, that the State of Vermont has 
 caused to be erected in Green Mount Cemeterj' in this City, a granite 
 column, some forty-three feet in height, to the memory of Ethan Allen, 
 and that the Legislature authorized the Committee who had charge of 
 that work to procure to be placed thereon a heroic Statue of that distin- 
 guished Patriot, without expense to the State. The Committee, as at 
 first appointed by the Governor, were Charles Adams, Esq. , and the 
 writer hereof ; but Mr. Adams soon retiring, the Hon. George P. Marsh 
 was appointed to fill his place. For various reasons — the want of funds, 
 unfavorable legislation, the continued absence of Mr. Marsh as our Min- 
 ister to Italy, and the overwhelming excitement of the rebellion — the 
 work has been necessarily postponed until the present time. We are 
 happy now in announcing that the long desired statue, of Carrara marble, 
 is now on the way from Italy, and is expected to be here and placed on 
 the monument early in the month of Maj' next, probably on the 10th ot 
 that month, which is the anniversary of the taking of Ticonderoga. 
 When this is done, the functions of the present Committee will cease, 
 and whatever of notice or celebration of the event (if any) shall take 
 place, will, it is presumed, depend upon the action of the Governor of 
 the State. Should your Excellency favor a celebration, as we doubt not 
 you will, we beg you will pardon us for suggesting the appointment of a 
 committee of arrangements to carry out the design. Should any address 
 be contemplated, no time should be lost in the selection of an orator. 
 We again beg pardon for the freedom of these suggestions, which are 
 intended to facilitate, but not control your action, and are. 
 Very respectfully. 
 
 Your Excellency's obedient servants, 
 
 JOHN N. POMEROY, for Committee. 
 
54 
 
 GOV. converse's keply. 
 
 Executive Chambeb, [ 
 Woodstock, March 13, 1873. j 
 
 Hon. John X. Pomeroy : 
 
 Deak Sir— Your favor of the 11th instaut reached me last evening. 
 I am glad to learn that the Statue of Allen is on its way to America, and 
 that it is proposed by the Committee having the maUer in charge to have 
 it raised to its position on the anniversary of the taking of Ticonderoga, 
 the 10th of May next. It seems to me highly befitting the occasion to 
 have in connection with the ceremonial a public celebration. The event 
 which is so glorious to Allen and important to his country should be 
 immortalized. Should you agre*^ with me, and will permit me, I would 
 name for the committee of arrangements for the occasion Edward J. 
 Phelps, Luther C. Dodge, Wm. G. Shaw, G. G. Benedict. Should you, 
 gentlemen, think it best to add gentlemen out of Burlington, please name 
 them and add them to this list. 
 
 Very respectfully, your humble servant, 
 
 JULIUS CONVERSE. 
 
 ME. POMEROY TO GOV. CONVERSE. 
 
 Burlington, 17th March, 1873. 
 
 ITis Kvrellency, Gov. Converse, Woodstock : 
 
 Dear Sir — Your favor of the 13th instaut, in answer to mine of the 
 11th instant, was duly received, and I have at length the gentlemen you 
 nominated as the Committee on the part of the City of Burlington to 
 make arrangements for the Ethan Allen Statue Celebration, and they have 
 accepted the nomination, and expressed their readiness to enter upon 
 and discharge the duties implied, in conjunction with such other citizens 
 as they might select and be by you approvec?. 
 I remain, very truly. 
 
 Your Excellency's obedient servant, 
 
 JOHN N. POMEROY, 
 
 for Committee. 
 
 THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMITTEE TO MR. CHITTENDEN. 
 
 Burlington, April 13, 1873. 
 Hon. L. E. Ckittenden, New York City: 
 
 Dear Sir — The Committee of Arrangements for the inauguration 
 and presentation to the State of Vermont of a Statue of Gen. Ethan 
 
55 
 
 Allen, to be placed upon the monument over his grave in Green Mount 
 Cemetery, have fixed on the Fourth of July next, as the time for the un- 
 veiling and presentation of the Statue ; have decided that one of the 
 prominent features of the day shall be an address commemorative of the 
 character and services of Ethan Allen ; and have unanimously desig- 
 nated yourself as the orator of the occasion. The Committee believe 
 that no man can better do this service, and trust that you will accept the 
 duty. 
 
 Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 G. G. BENEDICT, 
 Secretary of the Com. of Arrangements. 
 
 mk. chiitenden s reply. 
 
 25 West 38th Steeet, ) 
 
 New Yoek, April 19ih, 1873. j 
 
 Dear Sir— I have received your note of the 13lh inst. asking me to 
 deliver an address ou the occasion of the inauguration and presentation 
 to the State of the statue of Ethan Allen ou the fourth of next July. 
 
 I think the committee would have decided more wisely had they 
 extended this invitation to some other Veimonter, for I have recently 
 pretsented to the Legislature and the Historical Society of Vermont many 
 of the piouiiuent facts in . Uen's life, which must to a certain extent be 
 repeated on such an occasion But if the committee prefer that I should 
 deliver the address, I shall be happy to accept the invitation, and will 
 endeavor to do the subject justice. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 L. E. CHITTENDEN. 
 G. G. Benedict, Esq., ^'eci'eiary, etc., d'c. 
 
 LETTER FROM PRESIDENT GRANT. 
 
 ExEcx'TivE Mansion, ) 
 
 ''Vashington, D. C, Mt-y 31, 1873. j 
 
 To Hon. L. C. Dochje, BurUntjton, 17. 
 
 Sir— The President directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 very cordial invitation to be present at the unveiling of the Statue of 
 Gen. Ethan Allen on the 4th of July next. 
 
 It would aiford him pleasure to assist in the exercises in honor of 
 that distinguished patriot, and also to greet the citizens of Vermont 
 assembled ou the occasion, but his eugagtments are such that he is not 
 able to accept. 
 
56 
 
 He wishes me to thank you for your very kind invitation, and to 
 assure you of his sincere wish that the occasion may be one of great 
 pleasure to all assembled. 
 
 I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 
 
 0. E. Babcock, 
 Secretary. 
 
 LETTER FEOM GEN. SHERMAN. 
 
 Headquarters Armies or the United States, ) 
 Washington, D. C„ May 31, 1873. f 
 
 To Hon. L. C. Dodtje, Mayor, and Chairman Locjd Com., Burlington, Vi.: 
 
 My Dear Sir — I am just come back from the West, whither I went 
 to assist in the obsec^uies of my old comrade, General Canby, aud find 
 your letter of May 20, inviting me to come to Burlington so as to be 
 present at the exercises connected with the Unveiling and Inauguration 
 of the Statue of Ethan Allen, on the 4th day of July next. 
 
 I regret extremely that it will be impossible for me to come at that 
 time. I have made other arrangements for that special day, because my 
 family will not as in former j'ears come to Vermont this summer, but 
 must content themselves with a summer resort nearer home. 
 
 Ethan Allen was one of those stalwart, brave and heroic men, that I 
 would delight to honor. His name has already inspired hundreds to do 
 deeds of glory in our country's cause, that are reflected in almost every 
 page of modern history, and you do a most graceful deed in placing his . 
 statue on the shores of that Lake, that must have been looked on by him 
 in life with feelings of intense admiration and pride. 
 
 The next time it is my good fortune to pass down Champlain my 
 eye will certainly look for the form and figure of him who was the heaxi 
 ideal oi OUT youthful conception of the worthy leader of the "Green 
 Mountain Boys." 
 
 Certain that j'ou will have a large attendance of the first men of NeW 
 England, and that all things will be done worti y of the occasion, 
 I am truly your friend, 
 
 W. T. SHERMAN, General. 
 
 letter from lieutenant gen. sheridan. 
 
 Headquarters Mil. Div. of the Missouri, | 
 Chicago, 111., June 27th, 1873. [ 
 
 To the Hon. L. C. Dodge, Burlingtoi , Vi. : 
 
 My Dear Sir — As the Fourth of July approaches I find, much to my 
 regret, that my official duties will oblige my absence at that date. I have 
 
67 
 
 just retiirnecl from a trip to Minnesota, and will be obliged within a few 
 daj'S to again absent myself in that direction, as the government is about 
 constructing some military posts along the line of the Northern Pacific 
 Kailroad which require my personal attention. 
 
 Again regretting my inability to be with you upon the unveiling of 
 Gen. Ethan Allen's Statue, and wishing you a thoroughly enjoyable time, 
 upon the occasion, 
 
 I am very truly yours, 
 
 P. H. SHERIDAN, Lieut. General. 
 
 LETTER FEOM MAJ. GEN. HANCOCK. 
 
 New Yobk, June 2, 1873. 
 Hon. L. ('. Dodije, Burlington, Vt. 
 
 My Dear Sir — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 kind letter of the 20th inst., inviting me to be present at the Inaugura- 
 tion of a marble Statue of Gen. Ethan Allen, at Burlington, on the Ith 
 proximo. 
 
 It would have given me very great pleasure to have accepted the in- 
 vitation to witness the ceremonies on that interesting occasion ; but be- 
 fore receiving it I had made arrangements for an official visit to the 
 military posts on the lakes, and although I expect to visit Burlington 
 later in the season, I shall hardly be able to reach that point until some 
 time during the latter part of July. 
 
 I am very truly yours, 
 
 W. S. HANCOCK, Maj. Gen. U. S. A. 
 
 LETTER FROM GEN. WM. F. SMITH. 
 
 London, June 12, 1873. 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, 3Iayor : 
 
 Sir — It is Math great regret that abseLce from the United States 
 compels me to forego the pleasure of meeting my distinguished brothers 
 in arms, and doing honor to the memory of Vermont's celebrated soldier 
 on the approaching 4th of July. I thank you for the kind terms in which 
 your invitation was extended to me, and I trust your exercises may be 
 interesting and instructive, and that hereafter all young Vermonters may, 
 whenever called upon to draw the sword, take, in patriotism and bravery, 
 Ethan Allen as their model. 
 
 Yours faithfully, WM. F. SMITH. 
 
58 
 
 letter from governor peeham of maine. 
 
 State of Maine, ] 
 
 Executive Department, \- 
 AuGrsTA, May 29, 1873. ) 
 
 Hon, L. C. Bodge, Cltainnan, cOc; 
 
 Dear Sir — I am uuder obligation.s to you for your Idud invitation 
 to the exercises counectecl with the unveiling, presentation and inaugu- 
 ration of the Statue of Ethan Allen. It vvould afford me. great pleasure 
 to be present on that interesting occasion, but my official duties will 
 probably prevent. Should I find it i^ossible to be absent from the State 
 at the time named I will communicate with you again. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 S. PERHAM. 
 
 letter from governor straw of new hampshire. 
 
 State of New Hampshire, ) 
 
 Executive Department, >■ 
 
 Concord, June 9th, 1873. ) 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodije, Mayor of BarUmjiun, \'(.: 
 
 My Dear Sir — I have to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of 
 May 10th, inviting me to be present at the exercises connected with the 
 inauguration of the statue of Ethan Allen on the 4th day of July next. - 
 
 Please accept my thanks for your kind invitation, and my regrets 
 that I shall be unable to be present with ycu on that occasion, having 
 made engagements for that day at home. 
 
 It would have given me great pleasure to join with you in celebrat- 
 ing the anniversary of our Independence, by honoring such a noble 
 patriot as Ethan Allen. 
 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 E. A. STRAW. 
 
 LETTER FROM GOVEBNOR WASHBUEN OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "i 
 
 ExECUTiA'E Department, > 
 
 Boston, 6th June, 1873. ) 
 
 Hon. L. C. iJxl'je, Cli'tlnnan of Committee, Mayor of Barlinrjton, Vt.: 
 
 Sir— I thank you and the Committee, of which you are Chairman, 
 for aa invitation to attend the Inauguration Ceremonies at Burlington 
 
59 
 
 oi^tlie fom-th of next mouth. It would give lue great pleasure not onlj' 
 
 to be present on that occasion but to visit your beautiful city and meet 
 
 your distinguished guests. But the prospect as to official duties at 
 
 home does not permit me at this time to signify an acceptance of the 
 
 proffered courtesy. Should affairs hereafter take such a tarn as to allow 
 
 me to be absent, I may give myself the gratification of joining you. in 
 
 which event I will give you diie notification. Failing to receive such 
 
 advices a week beforehand, I beg the Committee to excuse me and accept 
 
 my regrets. I have the honor to be 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 W. B. WASHBURN, 
 
 Governor of Massachusetts. 
 
 letter from ciovernor howard of rhode island. 
 
 State of Ehode Island, ^ 
 
 ExEctiTiVE Department, > 
 
 Providence, June 3rd, 1873. ^ 
 
 L. (,\ Doihje, Es(j., (.liairman it'c, BurUngton, Vi.: 
 
 Dear Sir — It would give me the greatest pleasure to join you in 
 your exercises in honor of glorious Ethan Allen, but as there will be a 
 celebration here on that day, I do not feel that I can leave the State at 
 that time. 
 
 Sincerelj' yours, 
 
 HENRY HOWARD. 
 
 letter from governor INGERSOLL of CONNECTICUT. 
 
 State of Connecticut, 
 Executive Department, 
 Hartford, June 19, 1873. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodijp, Mayor dr., BurUngton, Vt.: 
 
 Dear Sir — I regret that my engagements will not permit me to 
 attend the inauguration of the statue of Gen. Allen at Burlington on 
 the 4th of July. 
 
 I have delayed a reply to your invitation thinking it might be other- 
 wise. With thanks for your courtesy, I am 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 S. K. INGERSOLL. 
 
60 
 
 lettek from governor dix of new yoek. , 
 
 State of New York, ) 
 
 Executive Chamber, ^ 
 
 Albany, 25th June, 1873. ) 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, Mayor, &c.: 
 
 Deab Sib— I regret exceedingly that engagements here will not 
 permit me to accept the invitation in behalf of the State of Vermont to 
 be present at the ceremony of unveiling the statue of Eth an Allen, at 
 Burlington, on the 4th of July next. 
 
 There are few of the gallant men identified with the establishment 
 of our independence whose memory deserves so well to be perpetuated; 
 and it would have given me the most sincere pleasure, if it had been in 
 my power, to bear testimony, by my presence at the interesting ceremony 
 referred to, to my grateful remembrance, as an American citizen and a 
 native of New England, of his courage and patriotism. 
 
 With my thanks lor the kind invitation tendered to me, 
 I am, dear sir, 
 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 JOHN A. DIX. 
 
 letter from ex-gov. hall. 
 
 North Bennington, June 26th, 1873. 
 
 Dear Sir — I have bad a strong desire, in compliance with your 
 kind invitation, to be present on the ensuing anniversary of our national 
 independence, at the Inauguration of the Statue of Ethan Allen, and 
 until within a few days past I had hoped to do so. But I am now satis- 
 fied my health is not suflSciently strong to justify me in attempting to 
 undergo the fatigue and excitement which would be necessarily incident 
 to that interesting occasion. 
 
 Ethan Allen was known to his contemporaries, not only as one of the 
 prominent founders of our State, but as a distinguished hero of the 
 American Revolution, and as such he will ever be embalmed in history. 
 1 rejoice that his well earned marble Statue is to be conspicuously placed 
 Gver his remains in the beautiful City of Burlington. In the just lan- 
 guage of an eminent historian: "Ethan Allen was brave, generous and 
 frank, true to his friends, true to his country, consistent and unyielding 
 in his purposes, seeking at all times to promote the best interests of man- 
 kind, a lover of social harmony, and a determined foe to the artifices of 
 injustice and the encroachments of power. Few suffered more in the 
 
61 
 
 cause of freedom, and few bore their sufferings witli a firmer constancy 
 or a loftier spirit." 
 
 In view of his great and important services to the State and Nation, 
 it is eminently fit that we of this generation who are enjoying the fruits 
 of his exertions, should choose the anniversary day of our national inde- 
 pendence to honor ourselves by conferring special honor on his memory. 
 
 Regretting my inability to be present with my brethren of the State, 
 
 on the interesting occasion, I am, dear sir, 
 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 HILAND HALL. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Bodge, Mayor of BurUngion, 
 
 and Chairman of Local Commiitee. 
 
 LETTER FROM EX-GOV. FLETCHER. 
 
 Proctorsville, Vt., June 3, 1873. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, Mayor, &c.: 
 
 Dear Sir — The kind invitation communicated through your polite- 
 ness, to attend the Inauguration of the Statue, is received. Several con- 
 siderations render a compliance with the invitation highly gratifying. 
 " That patriotic anniversary " is adapted to awaken the liveliest enthusi- 
 asm and the most grateful recollections. I had the honor of being con- 
 nected with the preparation of the monument, and examined it, in 
 company with your distinguished townsman, Hon. G. P. Marsh, soon 
 after its erection. It will be an occasion of stirring interest, to visit again 
 that conseerspted spot. 
 
 Respectfully and sincerely yours, 
 
 RYLAND FLETCHER. 
 
 letter from U. S. senator MORRILL. 
 
 Strafford, Vt. June 16, 1873. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, Mayor, Burlington, Vt.: 
 
 Dear Sir — It would aftbrd me great pleasure to accept of your cor- 
 dial invitation of the '20th ult., and to be present at the Inauguration of 
 the Statue of Ethan Allen on the 4th of July next in your City. I have 
 delayed any response, hoping that I might be able to accept of an enter- 
 tainment promising so much interest; but I shall be forced to deny myself 
 the pleasure I am sure you have in store for your guests, and all who may 
 be so fortunate as to be present. 
 
62 
 
 I have several journies I am compelled to make in the next six weeks, 
 and among hem one trip to your City, that I must not shirk, as Trustee 
 of the University, and therefore I am reluctantly obliged to decline the 
 invitation so courteoiisly tendered. 
 With thanks, I am 
 
 Very truly j'ours, 
 
 JUSTIN S. MORRILL. 
 
 LETTEE FROM JUDGE WHEELEE . 
 
 Jamaica, May 26, 1873. 
 Hon. L. C. DoiVje, Mayor, &c.: 
 
 Deae Sie — Your invitation to be present at the Inauguration of the 
 Statue of Ethan Allen ha^ been received, for which please accept my 
 thanks. I will endeavor to be present if circumstances permit. 
 Yours very truly, 
 
 H. H. WHEELER. 
 
 LETTEE PEOM JUDGE EOSS. 
 
 St. Johnsbuey, June 30, 1873. 
 
 Hon. L. C. Dodge, Mayor, BuHbujton, Vt.: 
 
 My Deae Sie — I have delayed answering the kind invitation of the 
 City of Burlington, extended through you, to be present on the 4th prox- 
 imo, at the Unveiling of the Statue of Ethan Allen, to see if I could not 
 complete my term of court here, so that I could accept the invitation. 
 Much to my regret, I find it will be impossible for me to complete my 
 labors here, and so shall be unable to be with your citizens on so inter- 
 esting an occasion. 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 JONATHAN EOSS. 
 
 LETTEE FROM HON. DANIEL BALDWIN. 
 
 MoNTPELiEE, July 3, 1873. 
 
 Gov. Converse: 
 
 Deae Sik — Gladly would I be with you and other members of the 
 committee to-morrow, to take part in the services in honor of the first 
 victor in the Revolutionary War; but the infirmities of age forbid. As it 
 
63 
 
 is, my heart will be witli you, and my thoughts will be of the early patri- 
 ots and heroes. My birth was nearly contemporaneous with the organi- 
 zation of the national government, and when I had come to years of 
 understanding most of the actors in the Revolutionary War were still liv- 
 ing, and the youngest of them wars in the fullest vigor of manhood. It 
 was my lot to pay to several of them the reward allotted by the nation 
 for their services, and thus from their lips I learned many of the incidents 
 of the war. One thing, which so impressed me that I still remember it 
 distinctly, relates to the event which the monument of Ethan lUen is to 
 commemorate. It is this : While the patriotism of the men of the 
 Revolution was of the strongest type, impelling them to sacrifice every- 
 thing for independence, they had at the outset very little confidence of 
 success. Contrasting, as they did, the widely separated and sparsely set- 
 tled colonies, without a head, with the old, organized and mighty mother 
 country, with her navy and armies and wealth to sustain her through a 
 long contest, they said they feared they were unequal to the task they 
 had undertaken, and knew not how or where to begin to accomplish anj' 
 great thing. Then it was that the cajature of Ticouderoga and Crown 
 Point by Allen and Warner came to inspire them with the one thing 
 needful, which was confidence. From that moment they felt equal to 
 anything and hastened to attempt the conquest of Canada. Though 
 they failed in that, the lessons of war which they had learned fitted them 
 for the fight at Habbardton, and the victories at Bennington and Sara- 
 toga. These were the fields in which the Green Mountain Boys were 
 eminent, and I think it is just to -accord to Allen and Warner the credit 
 of fitting them for their work by the zeal and courage and confidence 
 which they inspired. 
 
 The heroes of the Revolution are dead, and the men of the next 
 generation, who knew them personally, are falling fast on every side. It 
 IS time, then, to perpetuate in marble the memorials of their virtues, 
 that other generations maj' admire and imitate them in every period of 
 national peril. 
 
 Very respectfully, your humble servant, 
 
 DANIEL BALDWIN. 
 
 LETTER FBOM ETHAN A. ALLEN. 
 
 New Yoek, July 3d, 1873. 
 
 L. C. Dodcje, Esq. , Mayor of Burlington, Vt. : 
 
 Deak Sir — It was my intention to have done myself the pleasure of 
 being with you to-morrow on the occasion of the Inauguration of the 
 statue to my grandfather, Gen'l Ethan Allen, but circumstauces beyond 
 
64 
 
 my control will prevent me, whicli I assvare you I much regret, particularly 
 as I am the only surviving grandson of Gen'l Allen, and the occasion 
 could not be otherwise than gratifying to me in witnessing the respect 
 paid to one of our Revolutionary patriots, and that too eighty-four years 
 after his death. 
 
 Yours very respectfully, 
 
 ETHAN A. ALLEN. 
 
 LETTER FEOM MISS ANN ELIZA MUNSON. 
 
 lo the Commiliee of Arrangements: 
 
 Gentlemen — The name of Ethan Allen occupies a place in the his- 
 tory of the family I represent, from the event of two little girls, five and 
 seven years old, being lost in the woods of Sunderland, Vt., some 92 
 years ago, the younger of whom was my mother. From my earliest 
 recollection I have heard her relate the story of Ethan Allen and the lost 
 children. His name has thus been endeared to her family, and I now 
 make this offering* to his memory as a sioall token of that high regard 
 which is cherished by her children and grand-children. 
 
 In all the great and heroic deeds of his eventful life, are none more 
 noble than this one which more especially relates to his private life, none 
 more enduring; and I trust that this little incident will add something 
 to the memory of that man, whose name will always be dear to all true 
 Vermonters. 
 
 A. E. MUNSON. 
 
 The following account of the incident to which Miss Munson's note 
 refers, appeared in the Burlington Sentinel, March 16, 18i9. 
 
 NARRATIVE 
 
 or THE REMARKABLE PRESERVATION OF TWO SMALL CHILDREN, LOST IN 
 SUNDERLAND, BENNINGTON CO., VERMONT, A. D. 1780. 
 
 On the last day of May, 1780, Keziah, aged seven, and Beisy, four 
 years of age, daughters of Eldad Taylor, living in Sunderland, went 
 into the woods towards the Roaring Branch, about one o'clock in the 
 afternoon. After wandering about an hour or two they perceived they 
 were lost. Their parents became alarmed two or three hours after their 
 departure and several of their neighbors searched all night by torch 
 
 *A beautiful bouquet of hot-lwuse flowers, 
 
65 
 
 light. The second day the country was alarmed — peojjle collected from 
 Manchester, Arlington, Shaftsbury and Bennington. Col. Ethan Allen 
 then lived in Sunderland, and was one of the first who came to the assist- 
 ance of the distressed family. He avowed his determination to find the 
 children, or look till he died, and took a sort of command oi the party 
 from the first. They were to advance at arm's length from each other in 
 a line, keeping their range — carefully searching as they proceeded — no 
 guns to be fired at game of any kind, or on any occasion, except as a 
 signal when the children should be found. Several parties encamped in 
 the woods and staid through the second night. The country for a great 
 distance was in agitation, and on the third day, people came from the 
 borders of Massachusetts and from Whitecreek, Salem ami Cambridge, 
 in the State of New York, until it was now believed by those now living 
 who were present, that the number amounted to six or seven hundred. 
 On the third day, the sun being three hours high, nearly the whole com- 
 pany came to the residence of the parents— faint, weary and hungry. 
 They seemed to be discouraged and several were about to withdraw. At 
 that critical moment. Col. Allen ascended a stump, and in a voice as loud 
 as when he summoned the command of Fort Ticonderoga to surrender, 
 he commanded attention. The peojDle gave heed, and he addressed them 
 in the most earnest manner — pointed to the atfiicted and asonized 
 parents who stood near him — begged every man to make the case his own 
 and ask himself, if the lost children were his, whether he would go oti', 
 withovit making one more eflbrt to find them. The tears fell fast from 
 his cheeks, and it is believed that there were but few if any dry eyes in 
 that assemblage of several hundred men. "I'll go— I'll go," was heard 
 from every quarter of the crowd. They took to the woods with fresh 
 courage and before the sun went down, as if to reward their kind inten- 
 tions, th(! signal was fired — the lost children were found, and found 
 alive. The signal was immediately answered by the main body. They 
 were found by Captains Bull, Bartlett*, Underbill, and Dyer Bingham, 
 who had by some means been separated from the main body and were 
 not at the house when Col. Allen addressed the multitude. 
 
 The children were soon brought in, and the company returned to the 
 house of the parents. The company were then formed in two lines fac- 
 ing each other a few feet apart — the parents each with one of the lost 
 children passed through, that all might see them ;— Col. Allen walked 
 immediately after the parents, making such observations as the occasion 
 seemed to require. That done, the Colonel again ascended the stump, 
 thanked the people very handsomely on behalf of the parents for their 
 kindness, so long continued, and thanked God most heartily for their 
 success. The people then departed peaceably to their homes. 
 
 From a late relation of one of the persons it appears that alter per- 
 ceiving they were lost, they exerted themselves to find their way back 
 until after dark, when weary with waikiug and crying they sank down 
 and slept at the foot of a large tree. The next day they wandered in 
 search of berries — the only substitute for food. They heard the sound- 
 ing of horns frequently but did not know from what direction it pro- 
 ceeded ; — this being the second day, they made a bed of hemlock boughs 
 and moss upon a large rock, upon which they slept that night— and on 
 that rock they were found. The younger child was sick and thirsty in 
 the night — they got up, took hold of hands, groped their way down to 
 the branch, drank and returned. On the third doy near night they were 
 seen by one of the four gentlemen above named ; and the first exclama- 
 tion, was "I've found 'em" — the children started up from their bed, fearing 
 they were Indians. One of the gentlemen said, " Will you go with us ?" 
 the eldest replied, ' ' Yes, if yott be Indians we'll go with you if you'll 
 
 * Capt. Benjamin Bartlett now resides in Jericho, Vt. 
 
66 
 
 carry us home to our father and mother." One of the number immedi- 
 ately gave them a small quantity of moistened bread and brought them 
 in as soon as possible. 
 
 Betsey, the younger of the two children, is the wife of Captain John 
 Munson, now living in the town of Burlington, Vt. 
 
 The eldest of the two was the wife of John Jones, and died some 
 years sirce at Williston, Vt. 
 
 LdkC