Bennett exhaustively researched the period between 1764 and around 1786 or so to make the argument that Ethan Allen would have been willing to ally Vermont as an independent republic under Great Britain. Unfortunately the 'argument' such as it is, is buried under an literal white-out of information. Four different entities were interested in claiming some or all of Vermont: New York, New Hampshire, Great Britain (via Canada) for strategic reasons, and even Massachusetts who coveted land in the south.. The primary wrangling was between NY and NH both of whom had been extending (without authority from the Crown much of the time) land grants to settlers. The area was mainly known, in fact, as the New Hampshire Land Grants. All during the Revolution the wrangling dragged on and on, military incursions, removal of people from their homesteads, etc. Bennett asks: What did Ethan Allen actually do? First, he was not suited to the military, but he was a magnetic person and 'had a mind overflowing with thoughts and ideas. a "teeming brain" that constantly sought expression in action, debate or in writing'. He could inspire and recruit. Thus he was instrumental in forming the Green Mountain Boys (later G.M. Rangers) however, he was far too impulsive to be a good military LEADER. In short, Ticonderoga was a lucky hit. Not long after that on a poorly planned and worse executed attempt to capture Montreal, he was captured and became a prisoner of the British for several years. Once free he immediately went to work trying to ensure Vermont (which had been given this name somehow or other in the interim) would become and remain independent. Bennett's argument that the Allens were quite serious about allying with Great Britain if they had to is believable, but my guess (and it is just a guess) that it had to be serious in order to push the US Congress into making a decision to pay off New York's claims and invite Vermont into the fold. Allen was tireless for throughout in his campaign for an independent state and much about the unusual character of Vermont is directly attributable to him and to what the people in the state went through to become independent. (For example, it was the first and only state where you did not have to own land or pay taxes in order to vote. Of course, you did have to be male. The constitution also outlawed slavery although abuses were not enforced with any enthusiasm. Nonetheless.) Bennett does give Allen credit for pretty much single-handedly ensuring that Vermont became first, an independent republic (which it was, by the way, for 11 years) and then in 1791 becoming the 14th state. This is just about the most disorganized and unintelligible book I've read in ages -- It's sad, as it is clear Bennett worked hard. He can write a reasonable sentence but he can neither organize a paragraph nor lay out a coherent chapter. He needed a friend/editor to help him and he didn't have the help, as people often don't these days. If I didn't care about Vermont I would not have gone on with it and I cannot recommend it. ** ( )

An overview of the complex relationships involving Ethan Allen and The Green Mountain Boys efforts to defend the rights of settlers who had been given land grants of questionable authority from the colony of New Hampshire. These grants were challenged by the colony of New York, leading to years of conflict between the colony and Allen's crew. Also involved in this mix is how the American Revolution and the formation of the Vermont Republic effected settlers' rights. An interesting twist was the author's argument that Allen actively sought to incorporate Vermont back into the British Empire both during and after the Revolution.

While the author's research is impressive, and the subject very interesting, unfortunately the writing style is difficult making this a challenging read. Far too much insignificant detail bogs down the compelling story lines. ( )