Allen and Arnold Lead Their Men to the Shores of Lake Champlain to Capture Fort Ticonderoga: May 9, 1775
- Catholic Textbook Project
- May 4
- 2 min read
This text comes from our book, From Sea to Shining Sea.
Benedict Arnold, a merchant of New Haven, Connecticut, wanted to do great things for the colonial cause and his own reputation. But by the end of the Revolution, he did grave harm to the colonials, and his return to England as a Tory has earned him forever the name of traitor and turncoat. It all began when Arnold, in search of glory, set his sights on the strongest British fort in North America—Fort Ticonderoga, on the southern shore of Lake Champlain. Not only did Fort Ticonderoga hold a great supply of armaments, but it lay on the water route the British might take to invade the colonies.
At the same time, a rough frontiersman named Ethan Allen, then living in the Green Mountains in Vermont, had decided it was high time to attack Ticonderoga, too. Though Arnold had received a military commission from the Massachusetts assembly, Ethan Allen had his Green Mountain Boys, who would follow no one else but him. Arnold and Allen argued over who should take command of the expedition. Finally, they came to a compromise: they would lead the expedition together.
Marching side by side, Allen and Arnold led their 83 men to the shores of Lake Champlain. Crossing the lake in the early morning hours of May 9, 1775, the Americans were surprised to find the gates of Fort Ticonderoga flung wide open as if in welcome. Without firing a shot, the Americans simply marched right into the fort. Striding confidently, Ethan Allen marched up to the commanding officer’s quarters and shouted, “Come out you old rat!” and demanded the surrender of the fort.
The British officer, doubtless surprised and offended by this rude command, asked in the name of whom or what this unkempt frontiersman demanded surrender.
“In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress,” replied the plucky Allen. That must have been good enough, for the British commander surrendered Fort Ticonderoga to the colonials. Soon, through swift military activity in the area, not only Ticonderoga but all of Lake Champlain came under the control of the Americans.
Having dealt with the British, Benedict Arnold wanted to take the command of the troops at Ticonderoga from Allen. Daily, more and more recruits joined Arnold’s forces. Then, foolishly, Allen led his Green Mountain Boys in an invasion of Canada. The invasion was unsuccessful, and furthermore, when Allen returned he found that Arnold had taken full control of the American forces on Lake Champlain. The merchant from New Haven had outsmarted the frontiersman from the Green Mountains.
