“The Hampshire Grants in particular, a country unpeopled and almost unknown in the last war, now abounds in the most active and most rebellious race of the Continent, and hangs like a gathering storm on my left.”
– Report of General Burgoyne
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organized in what is now southwestern Vermont in the decade prior to the Revolutionary War. They were settlers and land speculators who held New Hampshire titles to land between the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain, an area known as the New Hampshire Grants. New York was granted control of this land by the British Crown and refused to honor the New Hampshire titles.
Based at the Catamount Tavern in Bennington, a few hundred men led by Ethan Allen, Seth Warner and Remember Baker, actively resisted New York authority. The struggle between the New York government and the spirited settlers continued and evolved with the Green Mountain Boys holding conventions and leading to Vermont declaring independence in 1777. The Green Mountain Boys served in important campaigns and battles during the Revolutionary War as well as founding the State of Vermont, a remarkable achievement due to their spirit and character.
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