CHAPTER XXI.
THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS.
The old hall in Philadelphia, where the city fathers met, was filled witha notable gathering, representing eleven colonies.
Those men constituted the Second Continental Congress.
The first had been held in October, 1765, and a resolution was adopteddeclaring that the American colonists, as Englishmen, would not and couldnot consent to be taxed but by their own representatives. Thisresolution was called forth through the passage of the "Stamp Act."
The Second Congress assembled in Philadelphia in September, 1774, andpledged the colonies to support Massachusetts in her conflict with theEnglish ministry, and after petitioning the king and the English people,adjourned to meet, as it happened, on the very day that Ethan Allencaptured Ticonderoga.
The members of that Congress were all loyal to England. The time forindependence had not come.
But what a galaxy of men!
There were such giants among men as Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry,Samuel and John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
But among all those men there was not one whose ambition led him to placeself above country.
John Adams told the Congress that the time had come when the Englishpeople must learn that it would be better to die fighting for libertythan to live in perpetual slavery.
Not a man wanted war.
Washington had been a soldier with Braddock, and had won distinction, buthe was for peace. Jefferson demanded liberty, but he deprecated war.Sam Adams startled the members by saying that if England persisted in apolicy of coercion it would be necessary to fight, yet even Adamsbelieved in peace.
John Adams made a strong speech, in which he asked why a tyrant everexercised tyranny, and he answered the question by saying it was becausethe people were unable to resist.
"Let us be strong enough to enforce our demands," said he, "and the kingor his ministers will fall back and concede all we ask."
He waited to see the effect of his words.
There was silence.
"Yes, brothers, it is only the strong that obtain justice. The weakpetition and are spurned, the strong ask and they are listened to withattention, and their demands granted.
"These colonies should be Great Britain's strength, they are herweakness. Give us the right to make our own laws, to raise the taxationas we please, to defend our coasts from external assaults and our landfrom internal troubles, and we shall honor the king and prove that theAmerican Confederation of Colonies is the strength of that country. Letus tell the king plainly what we want. Let our petition be backed by agood army, and we shall win."
"What do you propose?" asked Jefferson.
"I propose that we organize an army, not of one colony, but of aconfederation of all colonies, and that we appoint a commander-in-chief,a man who shall be able to organize the army and to lead it, ay, even ifit be necessary until we have entire independence."
"Where could we find such a man?" asked one of the Northern delegates.
"We have one here. The man who saved the wreck of Braddock's army isjust the one to build a nation. I nominate George Washington as thecommander-in-chief of the army of liberation!"
There was an outburst of cheering such as the Quaker City had but seldomheard.
The delegates knew Washington.
He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and had previouslymade a name for himself with Braddock.
When his name was mentioned by Adams he left the hall.
He was afraid to remain for fear he should be called upon to accept.
He wanted time for deliberation.
The congress adjourned until the following Thursday.
The delegates talked the matter over, and when the Congress reassembledGeorge Washington was the unanimous choice of the delegates.
But before he was asked to give his answer, articles of confederationwere drawn up and signed, and the colonies became one for the purposes ofmutual defense.
"I fear that this day will mark the downfall of my reputation," saidWashington to Patrick Henry when he heard he was unanimously selected toorganize an army of twenty thousand men, who were undisciplined, withoutweapons, without arms of any kind worth speaking of, and having no moneyto pay for the food they would require, not mentioning arms.
The question of salary was next discussed, but Washington stopped it byemphatically declaring that he would not touch one penny of salary, andonly asked that out-of-pocket expenses should be paid.
In the midst of the cheering which these words evoked, Ethan Allenentered the hall.
"Who is that man?" asked John Hancock.
"Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga," answered Sam Adams.
The cheering broke out again, but this time it was for the Green Mountainleader.
Again and again did the walls re-echo with the plaudits.
Then Sam Adams called Ethan Allen to the chairman's desk, and JohnHancock warmly congratulated the hero.
A resolution of thanks was passed, and Allen was asked to introduce hisfriends.
Seth Warner and Remember Baker were welcomed as able coadjutors, andAllen took care to say that they were typical of all the Mountain Boys,and that what they had done was only a foretaste of what they would do ifnecessary.
Eben Pike was called up, and the boy bashfully wriggled--no one couldcall it walking--up to John Hancock's desk.
When Allen told of the bravery of the young scout and of the way in whichhe had so recently saved his friends from falling into the hands of theEnglish, Hancock rose from his seat and called for three hearty cheersfor the young hero.
Then the Congress settled down to work and appointed officers to assistWashington.
What a brave lot of men! Their names cannot be too often repeated.
The major-generals were Artemus Ward, Charles Lee, Phillip Schuyler andIsrael Putnam--the famous wolf-den Putnam. Then the brigadier-generalscomprised Richard Montgomery, Seth Pomeroy, David Wooster, William Heath,Joseph Spencer, John Thomas and Nathaniel Greene. The adjutant-generalwas Horatio Gates.
Allen overheard Gen. Schuyler speak of Canada and of its importance.
Allen made his acquaintance and asked him to allow him to tell of theplan New York had rejected.
Schuyler was delighted, and thanked the Vermonter warmly.
"If ever you are in command of such an army of invasion," said Allen, "Ishall ask to be allowed to join as a volunteer."
"My dear Allen, there is not a man in all Philadelphia at the presentmoment I would rather have," answered the general.
Alas! what suffering was to follow that conversation!
The Hero of Ticonderoga; or, Ethan Allen and His Green Mountain Boys Page 21