slavery upon the few of your posterity that may survive the carnage. We beg, and entreat, as you will answer it to your country, to your consciences, and above all, as you will answer it to your God, that you will hasten, by all possible means, the enlistment of men, to form an army, and send them forward to head quarters, at Cambridge, with that expedition which the vast importance and instant urgency of the affairs demand.” .

This circular gave wings to the motions of that ardent zeal with which the conflict of Lexington had inspired the valiant sons of liberty; they rallied to the contest; obeyed the calls of their country, and flew to the relief of their companions in arms at Cambridge, and enrolled themselves in the ranks of their country. Arduous were the duties of the soldiers of the old war, on whom devolved the first and most important services of forming camps, embodying the troops, raw and undisciplined; full of zeal for the rights and liberties of their country; but unused to camps, and the active as well as arduous and responsible duties of the soldier. In this interesting and trying scene, it is recorded of some officers, that they appeared at the head of their respective guards, day and night, by the week together, without repose, or even changing their clothes, knowing that an attack by surprise, from a formidable, disciplined enemy, must prove ruinous to the American army. Whilst this army was thus collecting and forming at Cambridge, Col. Ethan Allen arrived at camp, at the head of a company of volunteers from the New-Hampshire Grants, (Vermont,) and reported to the Massachusetts committee of safety, the defenceless situation of Fort Ticonderoga; the practicability of a surprise; and offered his services for the enterprise. The committee gave him a colonel's commission, on the 3d of May, and empowered him to raise four hundred men, and march to the reduction of

that post. Col. Allen repaired immediately to Vermont, and engaged in the service of raising the men.

At the same time the patriots of Connecticut, under the direction of Messrs. Dean, Wooster, Parsons and others, concerted the same plans; several officers of the militia set out on the expedition, and proceeded to Salisbury, where they were joined by a Mr. Blagden, and they all proceeded on to Bennington, to engage Col. Allen in the enterprise.

The colonel received them cordially, and proceeded to complete his complement of men, whilst they prepared such stores, and supplies, as were necessary for the expedition, and Castleton was fixed upon as the place of rendezvous. Col. Allen assembled his detachment, consisting of two hundred and thirty Green Mountain Boys, and joined the party at Castleton, agreeable to appointment; the whole force then consisting of two hundred and seventy

two.

Whilst they were engaged in posting sentries upon all the roads leading to Ty, to prevent all intelligence from reaching the fort, Col. Arnold arrived from camp at Cambridge, with only a servant, and joined the party. His object was to take the command; but it was over-ruled in council, that Col. Allen should command, and that Colonel Arnold should join, and act as his assistant. Thus arrayed, these patriots moved forward towards the object of their destination. Col. Allen with his Green Mountain Boys, arrived at the lake on the 9th of May, and at the same time, a detachment of 30 men advanced to Skeensborough, and surprised Major Skeen, his son, and all the tenants, and negroes, upon his plantation, to the number of seventy; disarmed them, and sent the major and his son, as prisoners of war, down into Connecticut.

On the 10th, Col. Allen crossed over the lake with a detachment of eighty-three men, and surprised the fort, in

the grey of the morning; and the garrison, consisting of 1 lieutenant, 1 gunner, 2 sergeants, and 44 rank and file, besides women and children, with their commander, Capt. De la Place, surrendered themselves prisoners of war, without firing a gun, and were also sent down into Connecticut, for security.*

Soon after the surrendry of the fort, Col. Seth Warner arrived with the remainder of the troops, and the boats which Col. Allen had sent back for the purpose, and took the command of an expedition against Crown Point, which was also surprised and taken, with a garrison of twelve men, commanded by a sergeant. This fortress contained more than one hundred pieces of cannon.

One object more became necessary to secure the command of Lake Champlain, and that was an armed vessel that lay at the north end of the lake. To secure this, Col. Arnold was detached on board a schooner, then lying at South Bay, and sailed in quest of the sloop of war, accompanied by Col. Allen, with a detachment of his Green Mountain Boys, in boats. Col. Arnold out-sailed the boats, surprised, and took the sloop, and on his return with his prize, met Col. Allen, who also returned to Ty.

This display of spirit and enterprise, secured to America the command of Lake Champlain, with the fortresses of Ticonderoga, and Crown Point, which had cost the confederates so much blood and treasure, in their former wars with Canada. Col. Allen left Col. Arnold in garrison at Ticonderoga, and embarked in a new expedition.

During these operations in the north, Gen. Gage contemplated an attack upon Gen. Thomas, at Roxbury, whose whole force consisted of only 700 militia, in want of ammu

*The arms and military stores taken in this fort, were as follows, viz. About 120 iron cannon, 6424 lbs. ball-50 swivels-2 teu inch mortars-1 howitzer-1 Cohorn--100 stand of arms-10 tons of musket balls-3 cart load of flints-30 new gun carriages-a large quantity of shells-10 casks of powder-2 brass cannon-30 barrels of flour-18 barrels of pork, &c. Also, a warehouse full of materials for boat building.

nition, and poorly supplied with arms. When Gen. Thomas learnt the movements of Gen. Gage, he practised an old statagem of deceiving the enemy, by multiplying his forces; and to effect this, he commenced the march of his whole force round a hill, that lay exposed to the view of the enemy, and continued their march through the day, and thus defeated the attack of his enemy.

The committee of safety reinforced Gen. Thomas by a detachment of one half of the militia of the ten neighbouring towns, and thus Roxbury was preserved. Whilst the positions of the army at Cambridge and Roxbury were thus strengthened, the Massachusetts congress took the precaution to disarm all the disaffected, or tories, and to prevent all persons from moving with their effects out of the province.

During these operations, the British sent out their for aging parties among the small islands in the Bay, which occasioned frequent and sharp skirmishing between the parties. These skirmishes taught the Americans, that the British were more formidable in name, than in arms, which led them to commence their attacks sharply, and firmly, and most generally with success. These successes diffused courage and confidence throughout the camps at Cambridge and Roxbury, and taught them to face the British with firmness.

On the 25th of May, the Cerberus (man of war) arrived at Boston, with the three British generals, Howe, Clinton,. and Burgoyne, who were expected to "bring the colonies at the feet of the ministry," the first campaign.

These officers came out to America on a party of pleasure, and brought out their fishing geer for their amusement, knowing, as they had been taught through the medium of Governor Hutchinson's correspondence with ministers, that the few disaffected, restless, aspiring characters in America, would not dare make resistance, and face British

troops, when things became serious. Struck with astonishment at the situation of things, when they landed in Boston, they anxiously enquired of Generals Gage and Haldiman how the skirmish happened at Lexington; but when they learnt from General Haldiman, then lieutenantgeneral, that he was ignorant of the affair until it was over, and that he was indebted even for that knowledge to the reports of a barber's shop, they were the more astonished, and saw clearly that all was not right.

On the 27th a severe skirmish took place, first upon Noddles-Island, and next upon Hog-Island, between a foraging party of the British, and a party of Americans, headed by General Putnam, and Dr. Warren. The action continued through the night, and the British suffered severely in killed and wounded; their foraging was defeated, and an armed vessel which covered the party, grounded in the morning, and was taken, stript, and destroyed by the Americans. These repeated successes, however trifling in themselves, were of the highest use, and importance to the American cause; not only in camp, but throughout the country, in giving strength, confidence, and support to the cause.

On the 30th of May the provincials again proceeded to Noddles-Island, and burnt the mansion house, as tory property; and drove off five or six hundred head of horses, cattle, and sheep. The next day they proceeded to Pittiek's-Island and drove off as many more; and on the night of the 2d of June, they visited Deer-Island and carried off as many more; and thus they shewed their daring intrepidity in presence of a British army, fleet, and armed vessels; and distressed the enemy, by removing their forage from the mouths of their own cannon. That free egress, and ingress, which had thus far been indulged to those who wished to move out of, or into the town of Boston, was now checked, under various pretexts, and at VOL. III.

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