The Hero of Ticonderoga; or, Ethan Allen and His Green Mountain Boys

On a bitter January day in 1764, the quiet town of Bennington awakens to a startling proclamation from New York’s governor, claiming the fertile lands west of the Connecticut River. The villagers, still gathered around steaming bowls of stew, listen as the sheriff trembles with the sealed parchment, and whispers spread through the crowd about the looming dispute. The scene captures a community on the brink, its future hanging on a piece of paper and the resolve of its people.

Into this tension steps Ethan Allen, the outspoken farmer whose family has long been regarded with uneasy curiosity. With a calm but firm voice he challenges the claim, insisting that the Green Mountain settlers answer only to New Hampshire and that any New York edict is meaningless to them. His bold stance sparks the formation of the Green Mountain Boys, a rag‑tag militia that will defend the valley’s independence and set the stage for a larger struggle.