Ethan Allen | |
|---|---|
 An engraving depicting Ethan Allen demanding the surrender of Fort Ticonderoga | |
| Born | January 21, 1738 Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, British America |
| Died | February 12, 1789 (aged 51) Burlington, Vermont Republic, modern day United States |
| Buried | Greenmount Cemetery, Burlington |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain  United States Vermont Republic |
| Service | Connecticut militia Continental Army Vermont militia |
| Years of service | 1757 Connecticut provincial militia 1770–1775 Green Mountain Boys[1] 1778–1781 Continental Army[2] 1779–1780 Vermont Republic militia[3] |
| Rank | Major General (Vermont Republic militia) Colonel (Continental Army) |
| Commands | Green Mountain Boys Fort Ticonderoga |
| Battles / wars | |
| Other work | farmer, politician, land speculator, philosopher |
Ethan Allen (January 21, 1738 [O.S. January 10, 1737][a] – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and was also the brother of Ira Allen and the father of Fanny Allen.
Allen was born in rural Connecticut and had a frontier upbringing, but he also received an education that included some philosophical teachings. In the late 1760s, he became interested in the New Hampshire Grants, buying land there and becoming embroiled in the legal disputes surrounding the territory. Legal setbacks led to the formation of the Green Mountain Boys, whom Allen led in a campaign of intimidation and property destruction to drive New York settlers from the Grants. He and the Patriot-aligned Green Mountain Boys seized the initiative early in the Revolutionary War and captured Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775. In September 1775, Allen led a failed attempt on Montreal which resulted in his capture by the British. He was imprisoned aboard ships of the Royal Navy, then paroled in New York City, and finally released in a prisoner exchange in 1778.
Upon his release, Allen returned to the New Hampshire Grants which had declared independence in 1777, and he resumed political activity in the territory, continuing resistance to New York's attempts to assert control over the territory. Allen lobbied Congress for Vermont's official state recognition, and he participated in controversial negotiations with the British over the possibility of Vermont becoming a separate British province.
Allen wrote accounts of his exploits in the war that were widely read in the 19th century, as well as philosophical treatises and documents relating to the politics of Vermont's formation. His business dealings included successful farming operations, one of Connecticut's early iron works, and land speculation in the Vermont territory. Allen and his brothers purchased tracts of land that became Burlington, Vermont. He was married twice, fathering eight children.
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