BENEDICT ARNOLD TO THE COMMITTEE OF SAFETY.

Ticonderoga, May 11, 1775.

GENTLEMEN: I wrote you yesterday that arriving in the vicinity of this place, I found one hundred and fifty men collected at the instance of some gentlemen from Connecticut (designed on the same errand on which I came) headed by Colonel Ethan Allen, and that I had joined them, not thinking proper to wait the arrival of the Troops I had engaged on the road, but to attempt the Fort by surprise; that we had taken the Fort at four o’clock yesterday morning without opposition, and had made prisoners, one Captain, one Lieutenant, and forty odd privates and subalterns, and that we found the Fort in a most ruinous condition and not worth repairing; that a party of fifty men were gone to Crown Point, and that I intended to follow with as many men to seize the sloop, &c., and that I intended to keep possession here until I had farther advice from you. On and before our taking possession here, I had agreed with Colonel Allen to issue further orders jointly, until I could raise a sufficient number of men to relieve his people; on which plan we proceeded when I wrote you yesterday, since which, Colonel Allen, finding he had the ascendancy over his people, positively insisted I should have no command, as I had forbid the soldiers plundering and destroying private property. The power is now taken out of my hands, and I am not consulted, nor have I a voice in any matters. There is here at present near one hundred men, who are in the greatest confusion and anarchy, destroying and plundering private property, committing every enormity, and paying no attention to publick service. The party I advised were gone to Crown Point, are returned, having met with head winds, and that expedition, and taking the sloop, (mounted with six guns,) is entirely laid aside. There is not the least regularity among the Troops, but every thing is governed by whim and caprice; the soldiers threatening to leave the garrison on the least affront. Most of them must return home soon, as their families are suffering. Under our present situation. I believe one hundred men would retake the Fortress, and there seems no prospect of things being in a better situation, I have therefore thought proper to send an express, advising you of the state of affairs, not doubting you will take the matter into your serious consideration, and order a number of Troops to join those I have coming on here, or that you will appoint some other person to take the command of them and this place, as you shall think most proper. Colonel Allen is a proper man to head his own wild people, but entirely unacquainted with military service; and as I am the only person who has been legally authorized to take possession of this place, I am determined to insist on my right, and I think it my duty to remain here against all opposition, until I have further orders. I cannot comply with your orders in regard to the cannon, &c., for want of men. I have wrote to the Governour and General Assembly of Connecticut, advising them of my appointment, and giving them an exact detail of matters as they stand at present. I should be extremely glad to be honourably acquitted of my commission, and that a proper person might be appointed in my room. But as I have, in consequence of my orders from you, gentlemen, been the first person who entered and took possession of the Fort, I shall keep it, at every hazard, until I have further advice and orders from you and the General Assembly of Connecticut.

I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your most obedient humble servant,

BENEDICT ARNOLD.

P. S. It is impossible to advise you how many cannon are here and at Crown Point, as many of them are buried in the ruins. There is a large number of iron, and some brass, and mortars, &c., lying on the edge of the Lake, which, as the Lake is high, are covered with water. The confusion we have been in has prevented my getting proper information, further than that there are many cannon, shells, mortars, &c., which may be very serviceable to our Army at Cambridge.

B. A.

EDWARD MOTT TO THE MASSACHUSETTS CONGRESS.

Shoreham, May 11, 1775.

GENTLEMEN: I would congratulate you on the surrender of the Garrison of Ticonderoga to the American forces. The affair was planned and conducted after the following manner. A number of the principal gentlemen of the Assembly at Hartford, on Friday, the twenty-eighth of April, conversing on the distressed condition of the people of Boston, and the means necessary to relieve them, fell on the scheme to take that Fortress, that we might have the advantage of the cannon that were there, to relieve the people of Boston. I told the gentlemen that in my opinion it might be taken by surprise with a few men, if properly conducted. On which they desired me, If I was willing to serve my Country in that way, to join Captain Noah Phelps, of Simsbury, and Mr. Bernard Romans, on that design, and furnished us with three hundred Pounds in cash, from the Treasury, and desired us to go forward to the upper Towns, and search into the situation of said Garrison, and, if I thought proper, to proceed to take possession of the same. On which we collected to the number of sixteen men in Connecticut, and proceeded forward till we came to Colonel Easton’s, at Pittsfield, and there consulted with Colonel Easton and John Brown, Esq., who, after they heard our plan of operation, agreed to join us; and, after informing them that we intended raising our men on the Grants for the aforesaid purpose, as it would be difficult to raise and march a number of men through the country any distance, without our plans being discovered, Colonel Easton and Mr. Brown told us that the people on the Grants were poor, and at this time of year it would be difficult to raise a sufficient number of men there to take and hold said Garrison, whereupon Colonel Easton offered to raise men in his own Regiment for the aforesaid purpose, to join with the Green Mountain Boys. On which I set out with him for the Town of Jericho, where Colonel Easton raised between forty and fifty men, and proceeded to Bennington, at which place the men arrived the next day. At which place a Council of War was called, Colonel Easton being Chairman, it was voted that Colonel Allen should send forward parties to secure the roads to the northward, to prevent all intelligence from arriving before us. On Sunday evening, the seventh of this instant, (May ) we arrived at Castleton, where, the next day, was held a Council of War by a Committee chosen for that purpose, of which Committee I had the honour to be Chairman. After debating and consulting on different methods of procedure in order to accomplish our designs, if was concluded and voted that we would proceed in the following manner, viz: That a party of thirty men, under the command of Captain Herrick, should, on the next day, in the afternoon, proceed to Skenesborough, and take into custody Major Skene and his party, and take possession of all the boats that they should find there, and in the night proceed up the Lake to Shoreham, with the remainder of our men, which was about one hundred and forty, who were under the command of Colonel Ethan Allen, and Colonel James Easton was his second, and Captain Warner the third in command; as these three men were the persons who raised the men, they were chosen to command, and to rank according to the number of men that each one raised. We also sent off Captain Douglass, of Jericho, to proceed directly to Panton, and there consult his brother-in-law, who lived there, and send down some Boats to Shoreham, if possible, to help our people over to the Fort. All this was concluded should be done, or attempted, and voted universally. After this affair was all settled, and the men pitched on to go in each party, all were preparing for their march, being then within about nine miles of Skenesborough, and about twenty-five miles, the way we went, from Ticonderoga.

Colonel Arnold arrived to us from you with his orders. We were extremely rejoiced to see that you fully agreed with us as to the expediency and importance of taking possession of those garrisons, but were shockingly surprised when Colonel Arnold presumed to contend for the command of those forces that we had raised, who we had assured should go under the command of their own officers, and be paid and maintained by the Colony of Connecticut. But Mr. Arnold, after we had generously told him our whole plan, strenuously contended and insisted that he had a right to command them and all their officers, which bred such a mutiny among the soldiers which had nearly frustrated our whole design, as our men were for clubbing their fire-locks and marching home, but were prevented by Colonel