Ethan Allen was captured by the British and was held as a prisoner of war in 1775 to 1778. He was the most famous of all the prisoners of war, and the British worried if they executed him, the Americans would do this to the British prisoners of War. The British decided to have him held captive in the holds of ships. (Left: A British ship, Allen was transported in.)
He was shackled with other prisoners in highly unsanitary conditions. He was unable to lay on his side because of the bar that his ankles were shackled to. He asked the Captain if the could be loosened to allow it and he was denied. Most of the sailors were insulting and vicious to him and the captain, Captain Royal admitted we was order to treat him with the utmost savagery. (Right: A depiction of the conditions of prisoners of war)
Ethan was transported between ships where the treatment was not better. Until he reached England, where the Parliament argued over Ethan's execution. He received permission to write to Congress about his plight. He wrote of his mistreatment and said if the were to retaliate against the British to use full force to match the importance of their message. He intended for the message to actually go the Ministry in London and it worked. He was treated a little better and had visitors. Finally in October 1776, Allen arrived in New York and was paroled there. He was released in May of 1778. His brother Levi who supported the British was able to get his release by trading Colonel Archibald Campbell.
Ethan Allen was transported to General George Washington, who wrote to Congress after the meeting describing how impressed he was with Allen's ability to stay strong spirited. Ethan returned home to a very different place, for Vermont had become an independent republic. Allen also went on to write a book about his experience as a prisoner of war.
(Above: The letter George Washington wrote to Congress) (Right: The cover of Ethan Allen's book) |
Resources used:
Aronson, Virginia. Ethan Allen: Revolutionary Hero. Ed. Arthur M. Schlesinger. New York: Chelsea House, 2001. Print.
Raabe, Emily. Ethan Allen: The Green Mountain Boys and Vermont's Path to Statehood. New York: PowerPlus, 2002. Print
Randall, Willard Sterne. Ethan Allen: His Life and times. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.
Aronson, Virginia. Ethan Allen: Revolutionary Hero. Ed. Arthur M. Schlesinger. New York: Chelsea House, 2001. Print.
Raabe, Emily. Ethan Allen: The Green Mountain Boys and Vermont's Path to Statehood. New York: PowerPlus, 2002. Print
Randall, Willard Sterne. Ethan Allen: His Life and times. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.