In the late 1760s, Ethan Allen became interested in the New Hampshire Grants, a territory disputed between New York and New Hampshire settlers. Allen bought land in the region and became embroiled in the legal disputes surrounding it. Legal setbacks prompted Allen to form the Green Mountain Boys, a militia group he led in campaigns of intimidation and property destruction designed to drive New York settlers from the Grants. When the American Revolutionary War began, Allen and his Patriot-aligned Green Mountain Boys seized the opportunity to advance their cause while supporting the broader patriot effort against British rule.
In May 1775, Allen led the Green Mountain Boys in the seizure and capture of Fort Ticonderoga, marking an early American initiative in the Revolutionary War. The article does not provide specific details about the commanders on the British side, the size of forces engaged, or a detailed sequence of tactical events during the assault. However, the capture of this strategic fortification represented a significant early success for the patriot cause.
The capture of Fort Ticonderoga established Allen as a key military figure in the early Revolutionary War and demonstrated the Green Mountain Boys' effectiveness as a fighting force. However, Allen's military career experienced a major setback in September 1775, when he led a failed attempt on Montreal that resulted in his capture by the British. He was subsequently imprisoned aboard Royal Navy ships, then paroled in New York City, and eventually released through a prisoner exchange in 1778. Despite this capture and imprisonment, Allen's earlier success at Fort Ticonderoga and his role in defending the New Hampshire Grants solidified his position as one of the founders of Vermont.
The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — a dispute that radicalized through the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshend Acts (1767), and the Boston Massacre (1770). Fighting began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775; the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Army under George Washington faced severe shortages of supplies and troops, enduring the brutal winter at Valley Forge (1777–1778) before French alliance and French financing turned the military balance. Major engagements included Bunker Hill (1775), Trenton (1776), Saratoga (1777) — which secured French intervention — and Yorktown (1781), where British General Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. An estimated 25,000 American soldiers died in service, from combat, disease, and captivity. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded British territory east of the Mississippi, though it left unresolved questions about Indigenous land rights and the status of Loyalists.
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