Between 1771 and 1775, you’ll find Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys systematically confiscated properties from “Yorker” settlers, burning homes and redistributing contested lands to New Hampshire grant holders. Their most significant seizure came in May 1775 at Fort Ticonderoga, where they captured 78 cannons, 6 mortars, 18,000 pounds of musket balls, and tons of military stores. Crown Point yielded another 130 salvageable guns and nearly a ton of shot from French burial sites. These captured supplies would prove decisive when Henry Knox transported them to Boston, forcing British evacuation and transforming frontier intimidation tactics into revolutionary warfare.
Key Takeaways
- The Green Mountain Boys systematically confiscated and destroyed properties of New York settlers, burning houses and driving off “Yorkers” from 1771-1775.
- At Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775, they captured 78 cannons, 6 mortars, 3 howitzers, plus substantial ammunition and military stores.
- Crown Point yielded approximately 130 salvageable guns, 18,000 pounds of musket balls, 30,000 flints, and iron and lead shot.
- Seized supplies included large quantities of liquor, food from fort warehouses, and livestock distributed from Bennington’s central depot.
- Confiscated land from New York grants reverted to settlers, with Allen accumulating significant properties near Burlington by 1772.
Property Seizures and Confiscations From New York Settlers
The Green Mountain Boys employed systematic property destruction as their primary weapon against New York’s territorial claims, beginning in 1771 when settlers faced eviction from lands they’d purchased under New Hampshire grants.
You’ll find their militia tactics centered on confiscating property from those they deemed “Yorkers”—burning houses, driving off settlers like Charles Hutcheson despite his French and Indian War service.
During Hutcheson’s eviction, Ethan Allen gripped the man by his collar while his soldiers torched the dwelling, shouting insults against New York’s governor, laws, and assembly.
The land disputes escalated when Allen’s frontier court convicted Spencer of aligning with New Yorkers, sentencing him to house-torching.
The Green Mountain Boys’ actions included physically opposing surveyors and officials attempting to exert New York control over the disputed territory.
These seizures achieved their objective: most Durham residents purchased New Hampshire titles, and remarkably, no fatalities occurred from 1771-1775.
Allen’s reputation during this period oscillated between heroism and lawlessness, with contemporaries viewing him as both a defender of settlers’ rights and a violent agitator.
Fort Ticonderoga’s Military Stores and Artillery
When you examine the May 10, 1775 capture of Fort Ticonderoga, you’ll find that Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys seized far more than a dilapidated fortress—they acquired a substantial arsenal that would alter the Revolutionary War’s trajectory.
The fort’s military stores included dozens of serviceable cannons, French twelve-pouce mortars capable of firing two-hundred-pound shells, and essential munitions stockpiled since the French and Indian War.
Between December 1775 and January 1776, Henry Knox transported this captured ordnance across three hundred miles of winter terrain to Boston, where its March 1776 deployment on Dorchester Heights forced the British evacuation without a single shot fired.
This artillery train, known as the noble train of artillery, proved instrumental in demonstrating American military capability against British forces.
Among the arsenal were muskets similar to those later carried by Continental soldiers, including personal weapons engraved with soldiers’ individual names and branded with “U. S.” to denote property of the Continental Congress.
Artillery Captured at Ticonderoga
Following Ethan Allen’s bloodless surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775, Benedict Arnold began inventorying the military stores that would prove essential to the American siege of Boston.
The “List of Cannon, Mortars, and Stores, Taken at Crown Point and Ticonderoga May 11, 1775″ documented approximately 200 cannons initially captured.
Henry Knox’s December 1775 inventory refined these figures to 59 pieces—16 mortars and howitzers, 43 cannon—totaling 119,900 pounds.
You’ll find iron and brass pieces ranging from 4- to 24-pounders, including the massive “Old Sow” weighing over 5,000 pounds.
Artillery logistics required careful weapon preservation until Knox arrived in November 1775.
Knox’s transportation instructions prioritized heavy cannon and mortars for departure, specifying that touch-holes and vents be turned downward during transit.
The haul included several tons of shot, 2,300 pounds of bullet lead, and 30,000 gunflints—critical supplies addressing your forces’ deficiency.
Knox departed Fort Ticonderoga on November 16, 1775, beginning the arduous 40-mile journey across Lake George that would take eight days.
Knox’s Transport to Boston
On November 16, 1775, Henry Knox departed Cambridge for New York City to procure ammunition, initiating what would become one of the Revolutionary War’s most audacious logistical undertakings.
You’ll find that Knox arrived at Fort Ticonderoga—where the Green Mountain Boys had seized critical artillery—on December 5, 1775.
He selected 58 pieces weighing approximately 60 tons for transport across 300 miles of winter terrain.
The captured artillery ranged from small swivel guns to a massive 24-pounder, with most pieces initially unmounted and unserviceable.
Forty-two reinforced sleds, eighty yoke of oxen, and over half a mile of rope moved the precious cargo through snowstorms and treacherous thaws.
The expedition, originally estimated at sixteen days, required forty days total.
Knox’s convoy also transported shot, lead, and gunflints essential for the artillery’s operation.
Upon arrival in late January 1776, troop deployment positioned these guns at Dorchester Heights, fundamentally altering Boston’s siege dynamics without losing a single piece.
Intimidation Tactics Against Yorker Claims
As territorial disputes intensified between New Hampshire Grants settlers and New York authorities in the early 1770s, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys systematically employed intimidation to drive out Yorker claimants and prevent new settlements under New York jurisdiction.
You’ll find their tactics combined property destruction with psychological warfare—burning cabins near Rupert in October 1771, forcibly removing Scottish settlers, and conducting mock trials at Catamount Tavern.
Allen’s propaganda campaigns featured bombastic threats, including his promise to “send any troops from New York to Hell.”
Allen vowed to dispatch any New York military forces to Hell through his inflammatory propaganda warfare against colonial authorities.
The organization established kangaroo courts, publicly humiliated opponents by restraining them in chairs attached to tavern signs, and prohibited residents from holding New York offices.
Allen’s leadership extended to forming the Onion River Company in 1771, which claimed territory including present-day Burlington, further cementing his role in land speculation alongside his militant activities.
The Green Mountain Boys also barred surveyors from conducting land surveys within the grants, enforcing their territorial claims through direct confrontation.
Governor Tryon responded by placing £20 bounties on Allen and five associates, yet the intimidation campaign successfully deterred Yorker settlement attempts.
Captured Supplies From Crown Point and Fort George
Following Warner’s seizure of Crown Point in May 1775, you’ll find the Patriots controlled approximately 59 cannons between both captured forts—29 from Crown Point and 30 from Ticonderoga.
The combined haul required 42 carts and 81 oxen to transport 120,000 pounds of artillery across 200 miles to Boston, where General Henry Knox delivered these weapons to Washington.
When you examine the strategic impact, these captured supplies provided the Continental Army with the artillery that would ultimately end the British siege of Boston after their placement on Dorchester Heights.
Artillery and Ammunition Seized
When Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys seized Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775, they captured an artillery cache that would prove transformative for the nascent American war effort. You’ll find that 78 serviceable cannons—ranging from three-pounders to forty-two-pounders—fell into patriot hands, alongside six mortars and three howitzers.
Benedict Arnold’s subsequent inventory at Crown Point revealed up to 130 salvageable guns total.
The ammunition haul matched the artillery’s significance: 18,000 pounds of musket balls and 30,000 flints for cannons maintenance and firearms operation.
Nearly one ton of iron and lead shot for ammunition loading emerged from French burial sites at Crown Point.
This weaponry enabled American forces to challenge British regulars on equal footing, transforming Washington’s siege lines around Boston from symbolic blockade into legitimate military threat.
Military Stores Inventory
Beyond the artillery pieces that would transform Washington’s strategic position, the Green Mountain Boys secured vast military stores essential for sustaining prolonged operations. You’ll find their logistics planning enabled systematic distribution of captured provisions through Bennington’s central depot, supporting broader Continental Army requirements.
The plundered inventory included:
- Liquor stores and food provisions from fort warehouses
- Live stock supplies channeled through Bennington’s distribution network
- Additional military provisions from Crown Point and Fort George
Arnold’s recruitment strategies demanded he open his personal stores to feed the hungry militia, demonstrating the expedition’s supply challenges.
These captured resources proved critical as Congress directed Schuyler to formalize the Green Mountain Boys into a Continental regiment, requiring sustained provisioning for 500 authorized men paid at standard army rates.
Strategic Value of Supplies
While Fort Ticonderoga’s artillery rightfully garnered Washington’s immediate attention, the combined supply stockpiles from Crown Point and Fort George represented equally vital strategic assets that addressed the Continental Army’s desperate material shortages in May 1775.
You’ll find that British supply chain disruptions created by these captures extended beyond mere weaponry. The ammunition stores alone resolved critical powder deficiencies plaguing colonial militias throughout New England.
Crown Point’s deteriorated fort engineering didn’t diminish its value as a supply depot—military provisions remained intact despite structural decay.
These seized materials equipped subsequent offensive operations into Canada while simultaneously strengthening defensive positions around Boston.
Knox’s “noble train” symbolized immediate artillery needs, but the extensive inventory of munitions, provisions, and military hardware fundamentally sustained Continental operations during the Revolution’s opening months.
Distribution of Seized Grants Land and Assets
- Forfeited New York grants reverted to original New Hampshire title holders.
- Allen accumulated significant Onion River properties near Burlington by 1772.
- Existing settlers retained their domains without New York’s interference.
- £25 reward on specific New York officials
- £15 for James Duane’s capture
- £10 for Attorney-General John Kempe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mountain_Boys
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen
- https://vermonthistory.org/freedom-unity-green-mountain-boys/
- https://www.ouramericanrevolution.org/index.cfm/people/view/pp0040
- https://honesthistory.co/blogs/blog/young-historians-corner-the-green-mountain-boys
- https://www.158fw.ang.af.mil/FACTSHEETS/Article/453595/158th-fw-green-mountain-boys-history/
- https://ethanallenhomestead.org/history/who-were-the-green-mountain-boys/
- https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/03/the-legacy-of-ethan-allen/
- https://researchingtheamericanrevolution.com/2023/03/01/who-was-ethan-allen/
- https://allthingsliberty.com/2023/02/the-highs-and-lows-of-ethan-allens-reputation-as-reported-by-revolutionary-era-newspapers/
This wasn’t random plunder but calculated protection of established claims. When New York attempted regrants of occupied Bennington lands at inflated prices, the Boys’ enforcement prevented displacement, ensuring settlers maintained possession under their original Wentworth deeds.
Weapons and Provisions From Early Raids
When Connecticut militia requested Ethan Allen’s aid in late April 1775, he’d assembled a force that would march nine grueling days from Bennington to execute one of the Revolution’s most consequential raids.
You’ll find the historical context reveals Fort Ticonderoga’s surrender yielded an extraordinary supply chain windfall: 78 serviceable cannons, 6 mortars, 3 howitzers, plus 18,000 pounds of musket balls and 30,000 flints.
Your Green Mountain Boys immediately plundered the premises for liquor and provisions, celebrating their bloodless victory with the garrison’s stores.
Though Benedict Arnold later restored order, the seized artillery—ranging from 3-pounders to 42-pounders—would prove decisive when Henry Knox transported them to Boston, fortifying Dorchester Heights and providing rebels the firepower to confront British forces on equal terms.
Rewards and Bounties Placed on Green Mountain Leaders
The seizure of Ticonderoga’s artillery elevated the Green Mountain Boys‘ profile beyond regional land disputes, but New York authorities had already marked Ethan Allen and his lieutenants as outlaws worth capturing. Governor Tryon initially placed £20 rewards on six leaders in 1771, escalating Allen’s bounty to £100 by March 1774—a sum reflecting desperation typically reserved for breaking medieval sieges or naval blockades.
Allen countered with audacious defiance:
Allen’s defiant counter-bounties turned colonial law enforcement into a bidding war, weaponizing New York’s own tactics against its officials.
These counterbounties transformed the conflict into psychological warfare. Seth Warner and Remember Baker faced similar prices on their heads, yet no Green Mountain leader was apprehended. The bounty system paradoxically strengthened resistance, demonstrating that financial pressure couldn’t fragment determined colonists defending their land claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Green Mountain Boys Keep Personal Wealth From Confiscated Yorker Properties?
You’ll find property confiscation records show proceeds directed to Vermont’s treasury, not individual pockets. However, leaders like the Allens purchased confiscated lands at favorable terms, creating personal wealth through legal acquisition rather than direct looting.
How Were Captured Cannons From Ticonderoga Divided Among Colonial Forces?
You’ll find no Ticonderoga cannons became Green Mountain loot—Henry Knox transported all artillery to Boston for Washington’s siege. The Boys prioritized plunder over cannons, leaving strategic distribution to Continental command rather than keeping pieces themselves.
Were Green Mountain Boys Prosecuted for Theft After the War?
No prosecutions occurred. You’ll find counterfeit allegations disappeared, loyalist accusations faded, and pre-war “crimes” dissolved into patriotic legend. Vermont’s statehood negotiations effectively amnestied all actions, transforming outlaws into founders—their resistance reframed as liberty’s necessary violence.
Did Members Profit Financially From Selling Seized Military Supplies?
No evidence shows Revolutionary profits from systematic supply sales. You’ll find confiscation ethics were murky—individual soldiers plundered personal items, but captured cannons went to Boston’s defenses. Strategic military use, not resale operations, characterized seized equipment distribution.
What Happened to Bounty Rewards Offered for Captured Leaders?
No one ever collected the bounties on Green Mountain Boys leaders. Leadership rewards remained unclaimed as you’ll find they evaded capture through guerrilla tactics. Loot distribution from their raids proved far more profitable than New York’s failed bounty system.
