Ethan Allen's failed 1775 attempt to capture Montreal remains a curious footnote of history
In short: In September 1775, Ethan Allen led a small militia force across the St. Lawrence River, hoping to seize Montreal from the British. The plan collapsed when his partner failed to arrive, leaving Allen isolated. His subsequent capture and imprisonment became a celebrated tale, immortalized in his own popular 19th-century memoirs.
The Battle of Longue-Pointe was a pivotal moment in the early American Revolutionary War. Ethan Allen, already famous for his role in capturing Fort Ticonderoga, sought to expand the rebellion into the Province of Quebec. On September 25, 1775, he crossed the St. Lawrence River with about 110 men, intending to rendezvous with Major John Brown. However, Brown never appeared, and a detained local escaped to alert British General Guy Carleton of the intrusion.
Carleton mobilized a diverse force of 34 regulars, 200 militia, and a small contingent of Indian agents to confront the invaders. When the engagement began, Allen’s Canadian allies fled, leaving him with only about 50 men. After a 90-minute exchange of fire, Allen was captured. While he later claimed he acted alone to protect his men from execution, some historians, such as Justin Smith, suggest Allen may have fabricated the story of Brown’s betrayal to mask his own tactical failure.
Following his capture, Allen was sent to England and later held on prison ships. British authorities, fearing that executing him would create a martyr, eventually moved him to New York City. He was exchanged in May 1778 for British Colonel Archibald Campbell. The incident had little immediate military impact on the broader conflict, as Montreal fell to Continental forces under Richard Montgomery on November 13, 1775, without a fight. Today, the site of the skirmish is marked by Parc de la Capture-d'Ethan-Allen in the Mercier-Est neighborhood of Montreal.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Battle of Longue-Pointe
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