- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
Ethan Allen
ALLEN, Ethan, soldier, born in Litchfield, Conn., 10 Jan., 1737; died in Burlington, Vt., 12 Feb., 1789.
He removed to Vermont in early life, and became a leader among the settlers in their disputes with the authorities of New York. He was chosen colonel of the “Green Mountain Boys,” and in May, 1775, captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British, demanding its surrender “in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.”
He was taken prisoner in Canada in September, 1775, and held in confinement until exchanged in 1778. After his release he served in various military and civil capacities in Vermont, and was active in promoting its independence.
Allen was a bold, impetuous, and eccentric character, known for his fearless speech and rugged patriotism. He published a narrative of his captivity and a controversial work on deism titled Reason the Only Oracle of Man.
He died suddenly at Burlington, and was buried with military honors.
Source:
Wilson, James Grant, and John Fiske, eds. Appleton’s Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1887. Patriot Echoes Archive
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