The territory that makes up the modern day State of Vermont was a hotbed of controversy from the years preceding, during, and after the American Revolution. The colony of New Hampshire issued land grants in the area between the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain. This are became known as the New Hampshire grants. Subsequently, the British crown decided in favor of the colony of New York's claims to this land, and New York issued grant to land in the are, happily ignoring those previously made by New Hampshire!
The majority of the population rejected the claims of New York, and that led to the establishment of a local militia, known as the Green Mountain Boys, lead by Ethan Allen, his brother Ira Allen, and their cousins Seth Warner and Remember Baker. By the 17700's , they were several hundred strong and were the defacto rulers of the area.
In 1775, a body of the Green Mountain Boys joined with Connecticut Militia Colonel Benedict Arnold to seize control of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain,. before advancing on as far as Quebec and Montreal, where their attempt to take the city during the winter failed.
In the summer of 1775, they became the basis of the Green Mountain Rangers in the Continental army, famously fighting at Bennington in 1777.
Vermont then declared itself and independent Republic. The Continental Congress chose to ignore the issue to avoid conflict between New York and New Hampshire, and it was not until 1791 that Vermont became part of the new UInited States as the 14th state.
The flag of this unit is well documented, with remnants still existing.
Great history and uniform, they look super, lovely addition.
ReplyDeleteNice stuff again Peter and an iconic regiment - I think I did a similar potted history of the unusual situation in the area of Vermont - from what I recall, it was not a state but some kind of independent commonwealth - and remained in a slightly different situation from the other ex colonies even after they gained independence - needless to say, I also have this unit in my AWI collection!
ReplyDeleteVermont declared itself an independent republic during the AWI (and of course couldn't be a state, as there were no states until the actual US was created. Seth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut, one town over from where I live; there is a monument to him in the center of that small town. The Vermont legislature granted Warner's widow a tract of about 8 square miles (known as Warner's Grant) to his widow in recognition of it's service. In typical legislative fashion, the land was essentially worthless, and remains undeveloped and uninhabited 250 years later!
DeleteTo the other side of the town that I live in, US Route 7 runs from Norwalk, CT North through Danbury, New Milford, and Sharon CT (each of those towns having a hospital in our network), and continues in to Massachusetts, passing through Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox, Pittsfield, and Williamstown (home of Williams College), and then in Vermont from Bennington to Rutland, Bennington, and Colchester, extending all the way to the Canadian Border. It runs along the Housatonic River and then Lake Champlain for much of its course, and is also known as the Ethan Allen Highway.
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