May 10, 1775: Allen, Arnold, and Washington

As we saw last month, the fighting at Lexington and Concord April 19, 1775, involved a fast-spreading alarm that continued beyond that day, and beyond Massachusetts. (See the Magical History Tour column for April.) Within days, an estimated 25,000 men had descended on the area, and more than half would stay for many months.

What is more surprising was how quickly the word of the fighting spread throughout New England, and indeed throughout the colonies. Tension had been building for years, and by the spring of 1775, people had been preparing for just such a turn of events — and many colonists sprang into action.

A call went out for volunteers in Massachusetts and Connecticut for an expedition to the northwest. Benedict Arnold — yes, that Benedict Arnold, who would later turn traitor, but at the time was known as a serious and capable tactician — was commissioned to lead it. Another militia unit, known as the Green Mountain Boys, was already in the field, commanded by Ethan Allen, an adventurer with a checkered past who nonetheless was a master motivator, inspiring passionate loyalty from his men.

Without the new cause, Arnold and Allen might have ended up clashing with each other over the continuing land dispute between New York and New Hampshire. But now, with a common enemy, they converged on a strategic but vulnerable target: Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, near the border with what is now Vermont (if you’re ever in the area, by the way, it is worth a visit).

Arnold and Allen agreed to move on the fort together and take the strategic outpost by surprising the small garrison of British regulars there. Despite its commanding position and near-impenetrable walls, they knew that a small force could approach by night, overpower a few sentries, and steal into the fort before its commander could organize a defense.

And so it went, May 10, just three weeks after Lexington and Concord. The assault was so quick and effective that most of the regulars were trapped in their barracks, and Allen claimed he was able to meet their commander, still in his bedclothes, at his chamber door. “In the name of Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress,” Allen demanded his surrender and promptly got it. There were no serious casualties.

Though the British would make moves to retake the fort, they wouldn’t get near it for over two years. In the meantime, Arnold began to solidify control of the area, planning to use it as the launching pad for an invasion of Quebec and siege of Montreal (that he eventually would do, failing miserably). Arnold and Allen would never agree on who should get most of the credit for taking the fort. Its capture, however, would prove valuable far beyond its strategic location.

With this unexpected victory buoying rebellious spirits, colonists outside New England were inspired to join the fight. The Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, began to consider raising an official army to rescue Boston from occupation and continue the war that was sure to come.

Though they first sent a formal appeal to King George pleading for restraint, they expected (and would receive) none, and the vote to create an army soon became a foregone conclusion. And, of course, attention quickly turned to an even more important decision: Who should lead it?

Though most of the New England men expected their own John Hancock to get the nod, there was another choice — George Washington of Virginia. Washington was the richest man in the colonies at the time, but there was much more to him. He had served with distinction in the French and Indian War 20 years before and was widely admired. At 6-foot-3, he towered over most other delegates and was renowned as the best rider in the colonies, a crack shot, and a master of wilderness survival skills. Throw in his unique blend of humility and ambition, and there was no question who would be chosen.

For good measure (and for some, primarily), choosing Washington would have huge political advantages. Many wondered whether the Southern colonies, far from the excitement of Boston and with much more wealth to lose, would commit to a war. With the most important man from the richest and most populous colony in command, the whole South was bound to follow.

To underline all these reasons without saying a word, Washington wore his military uniform to sessions of Congress that May — the only delegate to do so. In June, his selection was nearly unanimous. Not for the last time, Washington legitimized a questionable undertaking simply by accepting leadership of it.

Before he could assemble his staff and ride to Boston, however, events there would lead to a battle that would prove to be one of the bloodiest of the eight-year war to come.

Editor’s note: Next month, the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Jonathan Bill taught history in Peninsula schools for 32 years. Recently retired, he still lives on the Key Peninsula.