Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s May 10, 1775. I’m at Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. The British garrison is relaxed. I’ve come in with Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys. They quickly overpower the guards and are in control of the fort. Allen is boldly banging his sword on the door of the British commander’s quarters.
EA: “I order you to surrender this instant.”
BC: “By what authority do you demand a surrender?”
EA: “In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Army.”
The British captain wisely surrendered.
This surprise capture of Fort Ticonderoga gave much needed inspiration plus many captured cannons to use against the British.
In the little town of Montpelier, Vermont, a historical marker reads, “Ethan Allen, Leader of the Green Mountain Boys, demanding the surrender of Ticonderoga “in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.”
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.
