Preparations Made.-A meeting was now held by the Committee of War, of whom Captain Mott was chairman, to plan the expedition; and it was agreed that the chief command should be given to Colonel Ethan Allen, and that the place of rendezvous should be Castleton.

Allen, readily consenting to conduct the expedition, set off to the north with all despatch for the purpose of enlisting men for the task. The men from Massachusetts and Connecticut purchased quantities of provisions and then proceeded to Castleton.

All roads leading to Skenesboro (now Whitehall) or to the forts were guarded, so that no news of their approach could be carried to the enemy. Captain Phelps of Connecticut was sent as a spy to Ticonderoga; disguised as a backwoodsman, he easily gained admission into the fort. After obtaining the desired information he returned to Castleton, where he communicated to those in waiting the plan of the fort and the condition of its defenses.

Captain Herrick with about thirty men was sent to Skenesboro to capture Major Skene and his men; and, procuring his boats, was ordered to come to Shoreham, opposite Ticonderoga, where all the forces were to meet on May 9, and from which place they were to be transported across the lake in boats procured by him and Captain Douglas, who had been sent out on a similar errand.

Major Beach, who had been sent by Allen to rally the Green Mountain Boys at the north, made a circuit of sixty miles, over rough and almost impassable byways, in about twenty-four hours, going through Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon, and Middlebury. Promptly responded the farmer, lumberman, potash-maker, and miller to the call to arms; and, bidding hasty farewells to families, they has

tened to Shoreham, arriving there on the evening of the appointed day.

The Command Disputed.-While the forces were collecting at Castleton, Benedict Arnold, attended only by a servant, arrived from Massachusetts to assume the command of the expedition, having received from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety a colonel's commission with orders to enlist 400 men for the reduction of Ticonderoga. He was refused the command by the Committee of War, who urged that, as he had not enlisted these men, he had no right to command them; and, since the men themselves declared they would return to their homes rather than serve under him, he was compelled to yield, and thereupon joined the force as a volunteer, with the rank of colonel without a command.

The Force Cross the Lake.-Two hundred and seventy men, all but fifty of them being Green Mountain Boys, had now arrived at Shoreham ready to be transported across the lake. Anxiously they waited for the boats, but it was nearly morning before any of them put in an appearance. They had been able to collect but a small craft at best, so that not even a half of their number could be transported over at one time. Allen, Arnold, and Easton, with eighty others, went over first; and then the boats were returned to bring over the remaining force, who were waiting under command of Captain Seth Warner.

The Taking of the Fort.-Day was now dawning, and Allen saw that if the attack were delayed longer there would be no hope of surprising the garrison. With characteristic daring he determined to take it at once, without waiting for the others to come over. Explaining the situation to his men, he commanded those who were willing

to follow him to poise their firelocks. Without hesitation each man raised his weapon. Here Arnold again asserted his right to command, and Allen emphatically denied it; but, on the advice of one of his trusted officers, Allen allowed Arnold to enter the fort by his side.

The little force now moved toward the fort, guided by a boy named Beman, who had spent much time with the garrison and was familiar with every part of the fort and its approaches. With but little difficulty they silenced the drowsy sentry and entered the fort. Allen demanded to be shown the apartment of the commandant and was promptly obeyed. Arriving at the door, he commanded Delaplace to come forth at once, threatening if he did not do so to sacrifice the whole garrison. Trembling and with clothes in hand Captain Delaplace opened the door. Allen commanded immediate surrender; and, on being asked by Delaplace on what authority, he answered, "In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress. Finding that Allen was not to be parleyed with, he ordered his men to parade without arms.

And thus Ticonderoga, which had cost Great Britain $40,000,000, surrendered to the Green Mountain Boys, so soon after the battle of Lexington that the garrison were utterly ignorant that hostilities had commenced between England and her colonies; and to the Green Mountain Boys belongs the honor of compelling the first surrender of the British flag to the American Colonies.

Other Victories.-Soon after the fort was taken, Warner arrived with the remainder of the force, and was sent by Allen, with about one hundred men, to take Crown Point, which was garrisoned by a sergeant and only twelve men. Captain Remember Baker and his company had also been

summoned from the Winooski; and they now joined Warner at Crown Point, after capturing on the way two small boats which were bound for St. Johns. The day following the capture of Ticonderoga, Crown Point surrendered without opposition to Seth Warner. A small fort at the head of Lake George was also seized, an easy thing to accomplish, as its entire garrison consisted of a man and a woman. The force which had been sent to Skenesboro was successful in capturing Major Skene and taking a schooner and several bateaux, with which they hastened on to Ticonderoga.

Gain to the Patriot Cause.-By these victories about fifty persons were captured; and 200 cannon, quantities of military stores, and a warehouse containing material for boat building, were gained for the patriot cause. Allen sent the prisoners under guard to Connecticut and many of the munitions of war to the vicinity of Boston, where they were much needed.

The Capture of an English Sloop at St. Johns.-Emboldened by their victories, they now determined to gain the entire command of the lake by capturing a British sloop at St. Johns. A schooner and a bateau, which had been captured at Skenesboro, were accordingly manned for the purpose; and Arnold was put in command of the schooner and Allen of the bateau. Favored by a strong wind blowing from the south, Arnold with his light schooner reached St. Johns, made an easy capture of the British sloop, with its sergeant and twelve men, and, the wind then shifting to the north, was well on his way back before Allen came up, Arnold, no doubt, well pleased to have accomplished the capture without the aid of Allen. The lake and all its forts were now under the control of

the patriot army, and gained in a week's time almost wholly through the wise planning and prompt action of the Green Mountain Boys.

Arnold again; Discharge of the Green Mountain Boys. —The day following the capture of Ticonderoga, Allen dèspatched a messenger to the Albany committee reporting. the capture and asking that provisions and 500 men might be sent to Ticonderoga, as he feared the British would soon attempt its recapture. The committee at first declined to furnish any aid, many of them being at that time either secretly or openly in favor of the British cause.

Ticonderoga had no sooner surrendered than Arnold again arrogantly demanded its command; and now, to put an end to further trouble, Captain Mott delivered to Allen. a certificate authorizing him to keep the command of the fortress until he should have further orders, either from the Connecticut Colony or from the Continental Congress.

Early in June the Connecticut Colony, having been requested to do so both by the Continental Congress and the New York Congress, sent a regiment of 1,000 men under Colonel Benjamin Hinman to Ticonderoga; and to him Allen gave up the command, though Arnold still asserted his claim until the Massachusetts Committee, under whose authority he claimed to act, after an investigation, discharged him from the service. On the coming of Colonel Hinman, the Green Mountain Boys, who had now served for about a month, were honorably discharged.

A Regiment of Green Mountain Boys.-Many of the Green Mountain Boys wished again to enter the service, but their difficulties with the New York government for a time stood in their way. Allen wrote a long letter to the New York Congress, advising an immediate invasion.