“To be sure he was,” said old Timothy Ransom.  “To be sure he was.  But I’ll tell you all I know about the matter.  I was at work on my farm when I heard of the battle of Lexington.  I belonged to a regiment of militia that used to meet for drill on a neighbouring farm.  Ethan Allen was the Colonel, and he was fit to be the leader anywhere.  He would lead where any would follow, was as honest a man as ever breathed, and had a great share of strong sense.  As soon as Colonel Allen heard that the war had really begun, he determined to seize Ticonderoga, where a great quantity of munitions of war were stored.  I forgot to tell you, however, that Allen was commissioned a colonel by the government of Vermont.  He collected our boys at his residence, and marched to Bennington, where he expected to be joined by more volunteers.  At Bennington we met Colonel Easton, with some men from his regiment of militia.  Our party then amounted to two hundred and seventy men; and, though I was one among ’em, I may be allowed to say, that a more daring, and a tougher set of men were never assembled.  About dusk on the 7th of May, we reached Castleton—­that’s about fourteen miles east of Skenesborough.  There we were to make our final arrangements.  A council of war was held.  Colonel Allen was appointed commander of the expedition, Colonel Easton second in command, and Seth Warner, third.  Allen, with the main force, was to march to Shoreham, opposite Ticonderoga, Captain Herrick with thirty men was to push up to Skenesborough, and capture the young Major Skene, confine his people, and seizing all the boats he could find there, hasten to join Allen at Shoreham; and Captain Douglas was to proceed to Panton, beyond Crown Point, and secure all the boats that should fall in his way.  On the 9th of May, Arnold arrived at Castleton, with a few officers and men, and after introducing himself to our officers, showed a commission from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, by which he claimed the supreme command.  But our boys wouldn’t hear anything of the kind.  We all said that Ethan Allen was our leader, and if he had not the command, we would march back to our homes.  So Colonel Arnold found that he would have to join us without a command, or go back where he came from.  He chose to join as a mere volunteer, smothering his claim till another occasion.  On the same day on which Colonel Arnold arrived, Mr. Phelps, one of the Connecticut Committee who were with us, disguised himself as a countryman who wanted to be shaved, and visited Ticonderoga, to spy into the condition of the garrison.  He found that the walls of the old fort were broken down, and that the small garrison were careless of all discipline.  As soon as Colonel Allen was informed of this state of things, he resolved to move on at once.  We marched to the shore of the lake, opposite Ticonderoga, during the night of the 9th of May.  Allen had secured a guide in a boy named Nathan Beman, who was fully acquainted