Ethan Allen: His Life and Times

For most Americans familiar with the Hero of Ticonderoga and founding father of Vermonts Revolutionary credentials, Ethan Allen symbolizes rugged American pioneering spirit and candid individualism. In this discerning account, prolific Revolution-era biographer Randall peels away the mythological facade and transports readers to a New England frontier torn by religious divisions and disputed land claims. Drawing on archives from both sides of the Atlantic, Randall convincingly portrays Allen as a character of Machiavellian morality occupying a nebulous position between self-aggrandizing land speculator and latter-day Robin Hood. An acknowledged deist (though admittedly unsure what that was), Allen proved to be a budding intellectual whose controversial Reason, the Only Oracle of Man (1784) predates Tom Paines Age of Reason. In addition to exploring Revolutionary tribunals, debates at the Catamount Tavern, and the exploits of the Green Mountain Boys, Randall discusses Allens lesser-known, harrowing experiences as a POW aboard a notorious British prison ship. Capably constructed and pleasingly told, Randalls hefty tome will definitely appeal to American Revolution enthusiasts and biography buffs. (Check Catalog)