Haldimand Affair
Encyclopedia
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
) between Frederick Haldimand
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
, then serving as governor of the British Province of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
, his agents, and several people representing, or claiming to represent, the independent Vermont Republic
Vermont Republic
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of what became modern Vermont from 1777 to 1791. In July 1777 delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and land claims of British colonies in New Hampshire and New York. They also...
. Those involved in the negotiations on Vermont's side included Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
, his brother Ira
Ira Allen
Ira Allen was one of the founders of Vermont, and leaders of the Green Mountain Boys; and was the brother of Ethan Allen.-Biography:...
, Joseph Fay, and Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden was an important figure in the founding of Vermont.Chittenden was born in East Guilford, Connecticut and moved to Vermont in 1774, where he founded the town of Williston. During the American Revolution, Chittenden was a member of a committee empowered to negotiate with the...
, the governor of Vermont.
Although the ostensible subject of the negotiations was agreements for the exchange of prisoners, the underlying purpose of the negotiations included the possible establishment of British authority over the Vermont territory, whose residents had been engaged in a long-running dispute
New Hampshire Grants
The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the provincial governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 , were made on land claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also...
with New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
over jurisdiction of the territory. The secret nature of the negotiations, which excluded significant portions of Vermont's political power structure, led to accusations of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
against some of the negotiators, notably Ethan Allen, when they became more widely known.
Background
In 1749, Benning WentworthBenning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
, the British provincial governor of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
began issuing land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s for territory west of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
. This area, now the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, was also claimed by the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
. In 1764 King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
issued a proclamation resolving the territorial dispute in favor of New York. New York refused to honor the grants issued by Wentworth, who had persisted in issuing grants even after he had agreed to stop issuing them in light of the territorial dispute. Holders of the Wentworth grants, in order to validate their claims, were effectively required to repurchase their grants at higher prices from New York, a situation to which the land-rich and cash-poor grantees objected.
Following a pro-forma rejection of the Wentworth grants in 1770 by New York's Supreme Court (which included members who held competing New York grants for some of the territory), the area's settlers, led by Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
and Seth Warner
Seth Warner
Seth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. In 1763, he removed with his father to Bennington in what was then known as the New Hampshire Grants. He established there as a huntsman....
, formed the Green Mountain Boys
Green Mountain Boys
The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
and organized resistance to attempts by New York to assert control over the area. Using methods that stopped shy of lethal force, this resistance at times forcibly removed New York's judges, land surveyors, and other figures of provincial authorities, and disrupted efforts by holders of New York land grants to settle their lands. These incidents were reaching a critical point when the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
broke out in April 1775. General Frederick Haldimand
Frederick Haldimand
Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
, in command of British military forces in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during some of this time, refused to become involved in the dispute.
Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga occurred during the American Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775, when a small force of Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold overcame a small British garrison at the fort and looted the personal belongings of the garrison...
in May 1775, and also participated in the invasion later that year
Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Invasion of Canada in 1775 was the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The objective of the campaign was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec, and convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the...
of the Province of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
. In this latter effort, Allen was captured following a poorly organized attempt to capture Montreal
Battle of Longue-Pointe
The Battle of Longue-Pointe was an attempt by Ethan Allen and a small force of American and Quebec militia to capture Montreal from British forces on September 25, 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War. Allen, who had been instructed only to raise militia forces among the local inhabitants,...
in September 1775. Allen was held as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
by the British until May 1778, when he was exchanged for a British officer. During much of this time he lived in New York City on parole, and was, by his own account, approached in late 1776 by a British officer with an offer to join the British side.
The Wentworth grantholders, led by Ira Allen
Ira Allen
Ira Allen was one of the founders of Vermont, and leaders of the Green Mountain Boys; and was the brother of Ethan Allen.-Biography:...
and Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden
Thomas Chittenden was an important figure in the founding of Vermont.Chittenden was born in East Guilford, Connecticut and moved to Vermont in 1774, where he founded the town of Williston. During the American Revolution, Chittenden was a member of a committee empowered to negotiate with the...
, declared independence from New York, establishing the Vermont Republic
Vermont Republic
The term Vermont Republic has been used by later historians for the government of what became modern Vermont from 1777 to 1791. In July 1777 delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from jurisdictions and land claims of British colonies in New Hampshire and New York. They also...
in July 1777. While there was significant anti-New York sentiment in the territory, there was also significant popular support for the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
, and the republic's founders regularly petitioned the Congress for admission as the fourteenth state. However, New York and New Hampshire's representatives expressed reservations over its admission until the competing land claims and jurisdictional issues could be resolved, and effectively blocked any actions by Congress.
First contact
In 1779, Lord George GermainGeorge Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville
George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville PC , known as the Hon. George Sackville to 1720, as Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770, and as Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and politician who was Secretary of State for America in Lord North's cabinet during the American...
, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, instructed General Sir Henry Clinton, the military commander-in-chief in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and Haldimand, then serving as governor of Quebec, to open negotiations with the Vermonters over the possibility of establishing Vermont as a separate British province. By 1780 these instructions included detailed offers to convey, including military commissions to Ethan Allen and Thomas Chittenden.
The first documented communication was a letter sent to Ethan Allen in March 1780 by Beverley Robinson
Beverley Robinson
Beverley Robinson , a wealthy colonist from New York, was a son of the Hon. John Robinson of Virginia, who was the President of that colony. He is mostly remembered as the commander of the Loyal American Regiment, a loyalist regiment in the American War of Independence and for his work with the...
, a noted New York Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
. Robinson claimed to have heard that many Vermonters still harbored Loyalist sympathies, and suggested that the British would support Loyalist regiments raised in the territory. Because of difficulties in infiltrating an agent into Vermont, Allen did not receive the letter until July. On consultation with the Vermont council, Allen made no response to the letter.
Congress took up the subject of the territorial dispute in June, but decided to defer discussion until September due to other pressing concerns. (While Congress did discuss the issue at length that September, it again postponed taking any sort of action.) Thomas Chittenden wrote to Congress' president in July, specifically denying that Congress had the right to adjudicate their claims, and reserving the right of the Vermont administration to negotiate with the British. In August, Chittenden wrote a letter to Haldimand, offering a truce and parley terms to discuss the exchange of prisoners. Haldimand accepted this offer, and appointed Justus Sherwood, a Loyalist from Vermont who eventually became his spy chief, as his principal negotiator.
Sherwood in Vermont
On September 26, Major Christopher CarletonChristopher Carleton
Christopher Carleton was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England into a military family. Christopher's parents died at sea when he was only four years old and his uncles Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester the future Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief, North America along with Sir...
left Quebec on a raiding expedition into the upper Hudson River valley, causing some alarm in Vermont. Fears in the republic were heightened further by a British raid into its territory
Royalton Raid
The Royalton Raid was a British-led Indian raid in 1780 against various towns along the White River Valley in the Vermont Republic, and was part of the American Revolutionary War...
in October. Sherwood and a small company of men also left Quebec; these headed up Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
for Skenesboro (present-day Whitehall, New York
Whitehall (village), New York
Whitehall is a village located in the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
). They were eventually met by Vermont militia, and Sherwood was taken to Castleton
Castleton, Vermont
Castleton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Castleton is about to the west of Rutland, and about east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,717 at the 2010 census. Castleton State College is located there, with roots dating to 1787...
. There he met openly with Vermont officials to formally discuss prisoner exchanges and arrange a truce, but he also had a private meeting with Ethan Allen. In this meeting Sherwood made offers of allegiance to the Crown. According to Sherwood's report, Allen countered by demanding that Vermont be made a separate province with its own military command, and insisted that negotiations on the subject remain secret and end if Vermont is recognized by Congress as a state.
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
's plot to surrender West Point, the latter's flight to British protection in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and the hanging of Arnold's British co-conspirator, Major John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
. As a precaution, Haldimand ordered Carleton, who was preparing to leave Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
for Quebec, to remain there until Sherwood's safety could be assured. Sherwood returned safely to Quebec in late November.
Following these meetings, Allen rode Bennington to report to Chittenden and the Vermont legislature. His report to the latter apparently raised more questions than it answered, and suspicious legislators demanded more information. Allen angrily resigned his general's commission and stormed out of the session. While the legislature was able to mollify Allen, Chittenden assigned Allen's brother Ira and Joseph Fay to lead further negotiations with the British. These two met with Sherwood and George Smyth, a Loyalist doctor who had fled north from Albany. Mutually distrustful, with the British wary over the safety of their agents in light of André's hanging, they only agreed that the Vermont representatives were to meet with Haldimand that winter. No such meeting took place. Chittenden wrote to the governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, suggesting a united defense against British threats if they relinquished claims to Vermont territory. Massachusetts, with only weak claims to that territory, agreed to give up any claims when Vermont was granted statehood. New York Governor George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...
turned a more demanding letter from Chittenden over to his legislature in February 1781, noting that it was "insolent in its nature and derogatory to the honor of this state." The New York Senate, however, expressed concern over the fact that Vermont might ally itself with the British in Quebec, and voted, to the shock of Governor Clinton, to send commissioners to Vermont to negotiate the release of its claims. Clinton, threatening to dissolve the legislature, insisted that the idea be dropped; it was.
New Hampshire's response to Vermont's proposals was complicated by the desire of communities on either side of the Connecticut River to belong to the same state, either Vermont or New Hampshire. A convention of these communities meeting in Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown, New Hampshire
Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation Association....
in January 1781 voted on one day to join New Hampshire, and the next, following diplomatic concessions by Ira Allen, to join with Vermont.
Evasions and acquisitions
In February 1781 Beverley Robinson, having received no response from Ethan Allen to his first letter, sent a second letter, in which he enclosed a copy of the first. Shortly thereafter, Allen's friend Seth Warner, who still held a colonel's commission in the Continental Army, spoke with him about the ongoing negotiation and his concern that about their potentially treasonous character. In response to ongoing suspicions, Allen sent these letters to Congress, noting that he had never responded to them. Congress, preoccupied with the war, did not deal substantively with the dispute in early 1781.Also in February 1781, Lord Germain wrote a letter addressed to Haldimand, in which he seemed to assume the alliance was a done (or nearly done) deal, and suggested that Haldimand propose joint British-Vermont actions. This letter was carried aboard a British packet ship that was captured by the French. The letter was delivered to Benjamin Franklin in Paris; he forwarded it to Congress, where it arrived in July. Haldimand, on the other hand, was somewhat pessimistic about the whole affair, writing to Germain that "Ethan Allen is endeavoring to deceive both the Congress and us". When the letter was read in Congress on July 31, it caused an uproar and cries of treason.
The often-delayed plan for British and Vermont representatives finally took place in May 1781. The details of this meeting, which ran from May 7 to 25 and took place at the British fort on Ile-aux-Noix, are primarily recounted from the writings of Justus Sherwood. He found Ira Allen, the principal negotiator for Vermont to be evasive and extremely wary. Allen refused to sign any sort of preliminary agreement, claiming that, although Vermont's leaders were disposed toward the idea, the populace was not, and it would have to be convinced first. On May 11, Sherwood wrote, "My opinion corroborates with the Major's that Mr. Allen's errand here is to prolong the time and if possible to alarm Congress into a compliance with their demands." He also felt that Vermont's large landowners (which included the Allens and Chittenden) might be looking more to their own interests than to those of the people of Vermont. The meeting ended with an oral agreement in which the British promised to not conduct further hostilities against Vermont, while the Vermont authorities would prepare the people for reunion, and try to convince the assembly to appoint commissioners to negotiate an alliance when it met in June.
The promises Allen made were never fulfilled, as the Vermont assembly appointed no commissioners. To annoy its neighbors, it voted in the June meeting to extend its borders to the east and west, by adopting New Hampshire towns along the Connecticut River, and some New York towns east of the Hudson. These territories became bargaining chips for Vermont's negotiations with Congress. To delay matters with the British, Ira Allen wrote to Haldimand in July, indicating that Vermont was sending representatives to negotiate with Congress, and that public opinion in Vermont would be more favorable once Congress rejected their terms or deferred discussions again. Chittenden also wrote to Haldimand in July, indicating that George Washington was unwilling to release back to him British prisoners that had been captured in Vermont. Justus Sherwood met with Joseph Fay for two weeks in July, with a fruitless outcome that did nothing to relieve British concerns that Vermont's delays were intentional.
Local suspicions and further evasion
When the Vermont assembly met in August, rumors were swirling about the negotiations, and the assembly insisted on seeing papers relating to them. In response, Ira Allen produced letters that had been exchanged concerning the prisoner exchanges that were the cover for the meetings. Around the same time, Allen extracted from the council the following statement: "[Allen] had used his best policy by feigning or endeavoring to make them [the British] believe that the State of Vermont had a desire to negotiate a treaty of peace with Great Britain -- thereby to prevent the immediate invasion [of Vermont] [...] We [...] think it a necessary political maneuver to save the frontiers of this state."Congress also took up the subject of Vermont statehood in August 1781. On August 21 it approved a proposal in which statehood for Vermont would be considered if Vermont relinquished all of its claims east of the Connecticut River and west of the western border of Massachusetts.
In September Justus Sherwood met again with Joseph Fay and Ira Allen at Skenesboro (present-day Whitehall, New York
Whitehall (village), New York
Whitehall is a village located in the town of Whitehall in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
). Allen suggested that as the makeup of the Vermont assembly had changed, it would take some time to adjust. He suggested to Sherwood that Haldimand prepare a proclamation announcing Vermont's new status. The proclamation would be presented to the Vermont assembly after it had discussed and rejected the latest offer from Congress. Sherwood suggested that a lack of definite action the part of the assembly might lead to British military action. This threat was followed up with the movement of British troops under the command of Barry St. Leger
Barry St. Leger
Barrimore Matthew "Barry" St. Leger was a British colonel who led an invasion force during the American Revolutionary War.Barry St. Leger was baptised on May 1, 1733, in County Kildare, Ireland. He was the son of Sir John St...
to occupy Fort Ticonderoga in October, timed to coincide with the next meeting of the assembly, but sent with the expectation that they would be welcomed into Vermont. Sherwood reported after the meeting his opinion that as much as one third of the Vermont population was unhappy with the rule of Chittenden and the Allens, and was in favor of a change of government.
Crisis
When St. Leger arrived at Ticonderoga, Vermont militia under Roger Enos were arrayed across the lake to observe them. St. Leger was instructed to treat any Vermonters his men encountered in a friendly manner. During a scouting expedition, a company of St. Leger's men killed one Vermont militiaman and captured five more. Horrified at what happened, St. Leger wrote a letter of apology which unintentionally divulged aspects of the conspiracy. Enos forwarded the letter to the assembly, using as a messenger someone who had long harbored suspicions about the actions of the Allen clan. In addition to delivering the letter, he broadcast his suspicions far and wide. A crowd gathered at the assembly, demanding answers from Ira Allen. He demurred, claiming that Chittenden, who was not present at the time, was in possession of the relevant papers, and would deliver them. A series of more innocuously worded dispatches was then forged and delivered to the assembly to satisfy its demands for information.The assembly considered the offer put forward by Congress, and rejected it on October 16, although it agreed to consider negotiations over its boundaries. Pro-British factions in Vermont had not done well in the election, and news of a French naval victory on the Chesapeake
Battle of the Chesapeake
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas...
had dampened Loyalist sentiment. By mid-November news of Cornwallis' surrender of his army at Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
arrived, and St. Leger returned to Quebec. Haldimand, who was of the opinion that the negotiations were conducted in good faith, and some of the Vermonters continued to correspond through the winter, but with the British in a weak position, and Vermont in a position that appeared strong, nothing of substance came of the exchange.
Agreements and complications
In 1782 the fractious nature of Vermont's internal politics became a problem for the republic's quest for statehood. The southeast corner of the republic (present-day BrattleboroBrattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
and the surrounding area) harbored strong political support for rejoining New York. In January, the "east side Yorkers" made another in a series of petitions to Governor Clinton and the Congress, complaining in part about the ongoing "intrigue with Canada". This led Clinton to call a special meeting of the New York assembly to discuss the "dangerous intercourse" going on between Vermont and the British, in which they decided to forward papers on the matter to Congress, and move to enforce the state's authority over the territory.
Governor Chittenden also received a letter from George Washington in January. Washington wrote that he was supportive of statehood for Vermont, as long as it adhered to its original boundaries. He also indicated his opinion that its statehood was a virtual certainty, with only details to be negotiated. When Vermont's assembly had the letter read in February, it agreed to accept the boundaries proposed by Congress in August 1781. In response, Congress voted on March 1 to consider Vermont's statehood if, within thirty days, Vermont returned full control over the towns it previously claimed to New York and New Hampshire authority. This Vermont did, notifying Congress on March 31 that it had done so. Congress then began consideration of a statehood resolution, but tabled it without further action on April 17. They may have been influenced by the publication that month of correspondence between Haldimand and Sir Henry Clinton on the matter by a New York newspaper. Publication of the letters led Governor Clinton to comment negatively on the "traitorous correspondence between the leaders of the New Hampshire Grants and the enemy".
In spite of this negative publicity, New York's assembly in April passed a bill pardoning the New Hampshire grantees of offenses they may have committed, and recognizing, without requiring additional payment, the New Hampshire grants and those issued later by the Vermont Republic. This appeared to clear the significant legal roadblocks to Vermont's statehood, but the east side Yorkers continued to be a persistent problem, with Governor Clinton almost encouraging them to engage in acts of resistance against the Vermont administration, even issuing commissions for New York judicial positions covering the affected area. The situation got bad enough that Ethan Allen, in some secrecy, raised 250 men and marched on the town of Guilford
Guilford, Vermont
Guilford is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford. The population was 2,046 at the 2000 census.- Geography :...
, which was the epicenter of Yorker activity. This resulted in the arrest, trial, and banishment of the Yorker ringleaders in October 1782, and the seizure of some of their property. This prompted Congress to demand that Vermont compensate the affected individuals.
All during this time, there continued to be correspondence with Governor Haldimand in Quebec, particularly by Ethan Allen. In June he wrote to Haldimand, "I shall do everything in my power to render this state a British province", and made additional scathing commentary on the Congress. However, the ongoing peace negotiations to end the revolutionary war put a damper on the communications, which finally ended in late 1783.
Statehood
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
came into force. Vermont's leadership was favorably disposed to it, and in the summer of 1789 negotiated terms with New York over their shared border, and agreed to pay $30,000 in compensation for land grants issued by New York. A Vermont convention voted by an overwhelming landslide in favor of a petition for statehood on January 6, 1791. President George Washington presented the petition to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on February 9, and signed the passed legislation on February 18, making Vermont the first new state to join the Union formed by the original thirteen. Vermont celebrated its statehood in Rutland
Rutland (town), Vermont
Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,054 at the 2010 census. Rutland completely surrounds the city of Rutland, which is incorporated separately from the town of Rutland.-History:...
on March 8, 1791.