The Green Mountain War

[TLS]

Spring, 1785

A year of escalating tension finally comes to a head in early 1785, as reports of the Bennington Massacre (as the murder of one New Yorker is now known) forces the government of the Empire State to action. Neighboring New York and New Hampshire have both, separately, declared that the time has come to eradicate the rebellious self-proclaimed government of Vermont. Vermont’s neighbors to the north and south, British Canada and Massachusetts, are urgently petitioned for assistance by the Green Mountains, but no formal assistance is forthcoming—though the coffers of the Vermont Republic do seem to grow as the threat of war looms.

As the winter thaw concludes in late March the New Yorkers begin to assemble at Troy, calling together the local militia with the core of the regular State Line from West Point. It takes the better part of the month for the New Yorkers to assemble at Troy, as the artillery, especially, takes time to float up the Hudson and re-assemble, but by early May the New Yorkers are ready to march towards their target: Bennington, the sight of the infamous massacre.

The Vermonters are not ignorant of the machinations at Albany and recognize that the New Yorkers are likely to make their approach from the west. However, the Vermonters are squeezed between two larger armies. The New Yorkers are clearly assembling at Troy but the New Hampshirites also begin to assemble a force of their own at Chesterfield and at Lebanon, both threatening the Vermonter eastern frontier. The Green Mountain Boys are forced to divide their forces to anticipate the coming attacks, but Ethan Allen believes that the greater threat is posed by the larger New Yorker army and decides to concentrate his forces at Bennington. He is able to pull down the forces from Castleton but is unwilling to leave Windsor and Brattleboro open to potential New Hampshirite attack.

The Battle of Bennington, May 6

Vermont (Ethan Allen)
-1 Infantry Company
-2 Militia Infantry Regiments
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies

New York (Goose Van Schaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-2 Cavalry Companies
-1 Artillery Company
-2 Militia Infantry Regiments
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies

The Green Mountain Boys are arrayed as best they can into a defensive arrangement, having spent the previous few weeks hastily assembling positions to repel a New York invasion (VT gets 1 FF turn). The New Yorkers can bring their heavy guns into position, however, and pound the Vermonters with their artillery (NY artillery gets to fire in FF turn). The Vermonter fire is generally ineffective, only inflicting light casualties on the attackers, while the New York guns can put a regiment of the Vermont militia to flight (VT rolls no hits, NY rolls a hit, shatters 1 militia infantry regiment).

The Green Mountain Boys don’t have much time to recover, however, as Gen. Van Schaick gives the order for the New Yorkers to advance. The Vermonters are better able to concentrate their fire on the attackers, but the New Yorkers leverage their superior numbers and higher-quality forces to overpower the defenders on the outskirts of the town (Turn 1: Vermont Mil Inf Reg rolls 1x, shatters 1 NY mil reg,; NY Inf Reg and Mil Inf Reg each roll 1x, shattering 1 VT Mil Inf Reg, Inf Company, and Mil Cav companies). Allen is barely able to direct the Vermonters as they retreat to the east of the city, and the New York cavalry companies work to harass the fleeing “rebels” (VT loses 2 mil cav companies, 1 inf company in the retreat).

Casualties of the Battle of Bennington

Vermont [160 killed, 300 captured, 500 wounded, 640 escape/desert]
-1 Infantry Company (Destroyed) [20 killed, 100 captured, 80 escape/desert]
-2 Militia Infantry Regiments (Shattered, reduced to 1) [100 killed, 500 wounded, 400 escape/desert]
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies (Destroyed) [40 killed, 200 captured, 160 escape/desert]

New York [50 killed, 250 wounded, 100 desert]
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment (reduced to 3 mil infantry companies) [50 killed, 250 wounded, 100 desert]

Van Shaick moves quickly to assert New York control over Bennington and has brought a few of the refugees from the winter to help identify and round up alleged instigators. With the local militia having been put to flight, they are unable to locate the militia officer supposedly responsible for the murder, but approximately 30 key leaders and town notables are arrested and hauled off towards Albany. Though they protest their innocence and claim that they are the victims of score-settling rather than a real court of law, the New Yorkers are not inclined to believe them.

Allen moves quickly to reassemble the Green Mountain Boys at Wilmington, roughly halfway between Brattleboro and Bennington, but the Vermonters have lost essentially all their defensive depth. Fervent letters are sent from President Chittenden to Massachusetts, looking for aid, and to the British governor at Quebec. For now, the New Hampshire forces remain on their positions opposite those of the Vermonters, wary of the possibility of foreign intervention in the conflict but eager to move to make good on their decades-old dream.

Forces in Theater, End of Spring

Vermont

Windsor
-1 Fort
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Wilmington (Allen)
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Regiment

New York

Bennington (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-2 Cavalry Companies
-1 Artillery Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-3 Militia Infantry Companies
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Lebanon
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

[Galveston Bay]

As news reaches Boston that shooting has begun, Massachusetts orders a general muster of all militia companies and regiments for a 7 day period July 1-7 so that a proper inspection, muster and drill can be carried out.

[Kilani]

General Van Schaick is ordered, in the strictest possible terms, to avoid fighting any New Hampshire militia or regulars that he encounters.

Captured Vermonters are, on the whole, treated humanely (or as humanely as anyone treats prisoners of war at the moment), with officers being offered their parole.

[TLS]

Summer, 1785


The shock of spilling fellow American blood casts a pall over the leaders of each of the involved armies. Low-level conflict and insurrection had been a staple of American life for decades—which state, after all, did not routinely work to undermine its rivals at one point or another—but for hundreds of Americans to be left dead in a field is a completely different matter. As the New Yorkers solidify their hold over Bennington, Ethan Allen is left to pick up the pieces and plan for a resurgent attack by the New Yorkers, the New Hampshirites, or both.

Vermont’s calls for aid do not fall on entirely deaf ears, but the influx of foreign aid that they were expecting does not arrive overnight. Volunteers do arrive from the south to help prop-up the Vermont Republic. Daniel Shays, a retired Continental Army captain with a chip on his shoulder and resentment against the rich land-owning class that seeks to usurp Vermont’s rights, convinces the equivalent of an entire militia regiment to defect after the Massachusetts General Assembly calls for a militia muster in the first week of July.

As the summer starts in earnest, Allen recognizes that his position is far too exposed and moves to withdraw back to Brattleboro. Shays and his volunteers join Allen there, but the situation is far too exposed for Allen’s liking. The Granite Staters make no moves to cross the river, but the presence of an army of New Hampshire to his back and a large army from New York at his front convinces Allen that his position is untenable. He orders the evacuation of the township to move back north to the capital at Windsor, where the Green Mountain Men can better defend and plot their advance.

The New Hampshirites, therefore, quickly move in and occupy the center of Brattleboro and declare the re-imposition of the writ of New Hampshire law, and they send cavalry up behind the retreating Vermonters to proclaim their arrival across the eastern bank of the Connecticut. By the time the New Yorker cavalry reaches Marlboro they begin to encounter evidence of New Hampshire’s presence, and their advance is formally halted near West Brattleboro. The local commanders of each army are instructed to not engage with the other, and, after tersely exchanging niceties and establishing the contours of the front line, return to their camps.

Van Shaick’s target for the season thus occupied, he decides to secure New York’s writ over southwestern Vermont. Basing the core of his army at Londonerry, just shy of 40 miles from Windsor, he has the militia and soldiers fan over the countryside to “restore law and order”. The Green Mountain Boys left in the rear of the line by Allen’s retreat attempt to utilize hit-and-run tactics to harass and tie up the New Yorkers, but are, at the moment, largely ineffective (no NY militia unit rolled an attrition hit).

After a bloody spring, the summer thus largely passes uneventfully. The New Hampshire army at Lebanon does not make any moves, fearing that the larger number of Vermonters could overwhelm their positions, while the Vermonters plot their next move from their only position of strength. By now, however, Vermont’s border with Massachusetts is firmly sealed by invading forces, leaving the north only potential route for re-supply and assistance—and it remains to be seen whether the British to the north are willing to help their southern neighbors.

Forces in Theater, End of Summer

Vermont

Windsor (Allen)
-1 Fort
-2 Infantry Companies
-1 Cavalry Company
-3 Militia Infantry Regiments
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment (MA Volunteers)
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies

New York

Londonderry (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-2 Cavalry Companies
-1 Artillery Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Bennington
-3 Militia Infantry Companies
-1 Militia Cavalry Companies

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

[Galveston Bay]

In Massachusetts, there is no condemnation of the 'desertion" instead the Legislature quietly passes an amendment as part of the annual appropriations bill stating that service in the defense of fellow New England territories and states, even if Massachusetts is not in a state of war, is considered active service for 1 year for all purposes under the law.

The Navy begins routine courier service between Boston and Passaguamody Bay (right on the Canadian / Maine line) as mail service has not yet reached that area through private means and also to patrol the border.   Passengers intending to pass through British Canada to northern Vermont are allowed free passage.

Massachusetts also pressures Rhode Island and Connecticut to send inspectors to New York to ensure that prisoners in this fight are reasonably well treated.

[Kilani]

Massachusetts tacit support for Vermont is noted in certain circles in New York and causes quite a bit of a consternation and frustration; for many of the legislature (and Clinton himself) it is seen as a purely internal matter and for Massachusetts to be meddling is seen as an overreach and a rather arrogant one at that. Especially since the two states only recently concluded an agreement that included a mutual defense arrangement.

A letter is sent, quite polite, that asks that New York cease it's support of bandits and vagabonds in the disputed Hampshire Grants area. It is not, it is written, seen as in the spirit of the agreement only so recently ratified by the New York legislature.

[Galveston Bay]

Massachusetts Governor Artemis Ward politely replies denying in the strongest polite terms any official action by the Commonwealth.  As to what free men do, short of imposing a British style occupation, he reports he  can do little if Massachusetts men move west.

[TLS]

Fall, 1785


The Vermonters have been backed decisively into a corner by the twin New Hampshire and New York invasions. Ethan Allen is now holed up in Windsor with essentially the remainder of the Green Mountain Boys and is prepared to fight tooth and nail against the attackers. Windsor is a strong enough defensive position, with the river providing some defense against a potential New Hampshire attack and the fort to the south of the city providing a bulwark against the invaders, but the attackers have better weapons, larger weapons, and more training. In the fact of the potential New Yorker onslaught, some of Allen’s men slip away (1 militia regiment, 1 militia cavalry desert) but the core of the army remains.

Vermont’s situation could potentially be made direr when the New Yorkers reach out to the New Hampshirites to coordinate in the attack against the Vermonter capital, but New Hampshire remains enigmatic in its posture. The New Hampshire regulars are willing to move north of Windsor to cut off the Vermonter escape route to the north, but otherwise do not commit to assisting the New Yorkers in battle—though they do not necessarily disavow the possibility. The Vermont government largely disperses from Windsor, with President Chittenden retreating north to the town of Burlington on Lake Champlain, but Allen remains.

Van Shaick is eager to conclude the campaign before the onset of winter, worried both about his supply lines and the reliability of his militia units. Attrition has already whittled away some of his men in the rear (two of the militia infantry companies in Bennington desert) and he does not trust the militia to not all go home as soon as the first snow falls. He thus marches on Windsor in early October, arriving outside the town on October 18. He gives the Vermonters the opportunity to surrender, but Allen refuses to consider it. Van Shaick thus commences the assault the next morning. The core of Allen’s force remain inside the protection of the fort’s installations (2 infantry companies and 2 militia infantry regiments get +1 to defensive rolls, except against the artillery) but the Massachusetts volunteers and the cavalry are outside the loose series of defenses.

The Battle of Windsor, October 19

Vermont (Allen)
-1 Fort
-2 Infantry Companies
-1 Cavalry Company
-2 Militia Infantry Regiments
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment (MA Volunteers)
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

New York (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-2 Cavalry Companies
-1 Artillery Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Allen’s men fire with abandon at the approaching New Yorker columns but are only successful at forcing off some of the cavalry (FF turn: VT inf company rolls 1x, disrupts 1 NY cav company) while the New Yorker guns focus fire on the fort. The New York gunners are successful, or lucky, to hit the fort’s magazine, blowing a hole wide open in the west wall and throwing the Vermonters into disarray (NY arty company rolls a hit, which hits the fort; the fort defensive bonus is negated moving forward and it will not fight).

The New Yorkers, now more confident of their ability to take Windsor having negated the fort, advance towards the Vermonter positions. Allen’s men are in disarray from the smoke, chaos, and flames from the magazine hit, both pouring out from its flaming walls and using the rubble to better posture themselves against the attackers. The New York militia wither under the fire (VT mil inf reg rolls 1x, shatters NY mil inf reg) but the regulars continue their attack. The regulars can put more of the Vermonters out of commission (1 infantry company, 1 cavalry company, and 1 mil cavalry company are shattered) but the core of the Vermonter position remains intact.

Allen now recognizes that his situation is incredibly tenuous. Losing the fort has negated much of Windsor’s value as a defensive position and he simply lacks the ability to go blow-for-blow against Van Shaick. He thus pivots to withdraw from the field and flee to the northwest, aiming to get enough of a core to Burlington to continue the war from the north. Van Shaick’s advantage in cavalry and artillery, however, mean that he will have to stage a fighting retreat—and hope the New Hampshirites don’t in the way.

The fire from the artillery causes the Massachusetts volunteers under Shays to crumble (artillery rolls 1x, shatters MA volunteer mil inf reg) and then the rest of the New Yorkers move to pursue the army as he attempts to hold his army in good order as it withdraws. Lacking a cavalry screen, Allen’s men struggle to effectively exchange fire while withdrawing, and the combination of cavalry, continued artillery, and better disciplined fire from the New Yorkers lead to an absolute rout (VT rolls no hits, NY rolls 2x, shattering both the militia infantry regiments). Allen’s core infantry company is continually harassed on its way out by the New Yorker cavalry, but the sheer number of fleeing Vermonters causes the New Yorker horsemen to lose track and fail to destroy the unit (though the last remaining VT inf company is then shattered).

The entire Green Mountain Boy force is thus put to flight and routed, but the forces stream out in numerous directions. Those who flee north run straight into the hands of the New Hampshire forces that have crossed the river at Hartland. The men from the Granite State do not make a concerted effort to really seize or detain the Vermonters, putting up a conspicuously poor-spirited attempt to keep them in custody, but do make a point of holding onto as many Massachusetts volunteers as they can. Some of the Vermonters, especially the militia, just return to their homes. A core, however, continue with Allen up to Lake Champlain, reaching Chittenden’s new seat of government by the beginning of November.

Casualties of the Battle of Windsor
Vermont [400 killed, 540 wounded, 1,600 captured (1,000 by NH, 600 by NY), 1,340 deserted]
-1 Fort (Destroyed) [40 killed, 100 captured, 60 deserted]
-2 Infantry Companies (Shattered, reformed into 1) [20 killed, 100 wounded, 80 deserted]
-1 Cavalry Company (Destroyed) [20 killed, 100 captured, 80 desert/escape]
-3 Militia Infantry Regiments (2 Shattered, 1 Destroyed, reformed into 1) [200 killed, 400 wounded, 800 captured, 800 deserted]
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment (MA Volunteers) (Destroyed) [100 killed, 600 captured, 300 deserted]
-2 Militia Cavalry Companies (Shattered, reformed into 1) [20 killed, 40 wounded, 60 captured, 80 deserted]

New York [60 killed, 300 wounded, 140 deserted]
-1 Cavalry Company (Shattered, disbanded) [10 killed, 50 wounded, 40 deserted]
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment (Shattered, reduced to 3 companies) [50 killed, 250 wounded, 100 deserted]

Van Shaick is frustrated by his inability to capture Allen and completely destroy the Green Mountain Boys, but has, at the very least, successfully now captured the Vermonter capital and put their army twice to flight. As in the previous few seasons, however, the New Hampshirites quickly move to assert their domination in the vacuum left by the collapse of the Vermonters. They do not move south from Hartland, but instead send detachments north, up the river, to assert their writ—though few of the Vermonters give it much heed, counting on winter to whittle away at the invaders.

The New Yorkers settle into winter quarters fairly confident in their holdings, moving to send their militia home at the end of the campaigning season. As small detachments begin moving their way across the southeast of the state back to New York, however, they find themselves repeatedly ambushed. Harassment whittles away at some of the retreating units and less-defended supply caravans, but Van Shaick’s core remains ensconced at Windsor, plotting next year’s moves.

Forces in Theater, End of Fall

Vermont
Burlington ( Allen)
-1 Infantry Company

-1 Militia Infantry Regiments
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southern Vermont (Raiders)
-2 to 4 Militia Infantry Companies

New York

Windsor (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Artillery Company
-3 Militia Infantry Companies

Bennington
-1 Militia Infantry Company
-1 Militia Cavalry Companies

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Hartland
-1 Infantry Regiment

[Kilani]

The legislature of New York is quite pleased to hear about Van Schaick's victories so far and praise for him is effusive in many parts of New York high society. Somewhat more concerning to the New York government is a report from the army noting interrogations and capture of certain Massachusetts volunteers from the Battle of Windsor. Their accounts of coming to fight in Vermont attribute their motivation less to a belief in Vermonter liberty and more to cash inducements from local officials in Massachusetts proper.

There is grave concern and much muttering and Governor Clinton opts to prepare a special delegation to their Yankee neighbor over the winter to address this development.

[Galveston Bay]

The government in Boston sends requests of extradition to New Hampshire and New York, charging the men in New Hampshire and New York custody from Massachusetts for theft of government property, absence from military service (militia drill) without leave, criminal endangerment (for threatening the peace of Massachusetts by their actions in Vermont), and criminal mischief.

[Kilani]

Allen is told (whether through intermediaries or messengers under flag of truce), that if he and his men surrender, they will be granted amnesty by the New York legislature and governor, on the condition that they pledge to follow the laws and directives of the State of New York and give their oath to not take up arms against the lawful government again.

The same is offered to those Vermont men currently being held as prisoners of war.

The Massachusetts volunteers are taken to Albany and thence to West Point and then New York City while the legislature and the governor debate on what, precisely, to do with them. They are not citizens of New York state, but they were taken in arms against them (and there is the worrying issue that it seems like they may have had cash inducements from local officials to do so) - further complicating matters is the demand from Massachusetts to hand them back over for civil trial in that state. There is a (private) worry and opinion that the charges against these men will quietly be dropped once the heat has died down.

So for now, those men are held, and the Massachusetts government is informed that any release of those volunteers taken under arms will wait until the fighting is over and the state of New York can be properly assured they won't slip north to Vermont again.

[TLS]

Winter, 1786


The Vermont government, now relocated to Burlington, is thoroughly at the end of its rope. The state is now essentially being partitioned by the New Yorkers and New Hampshirites, with New York occupying most of the south and east of the state and the New Hampshiremen holding most of the east bank of the Connecticut River, save for the area around Windsor, and spreading out into the north. The coming of winter has slowed the invader expansion, and much of the state remains effectively out of the invader’s control, but the coming of spring promises more losses.

Representatives of the Vermonters trudge out into the winter gloom to seek allies. Ethan Allen’s brother, Ira, takes the lead in directing the diplomatic effort, while Ethan leads the military campaign. Burlington is not an easily defensible position, but the Green Mountain Boys are making due best they can. The hit-and-run tactics that the Vermonters turn to prove increasingly effective as the winter progresses, and Van Shaick’s army at Windsor is strapped for supplies. The New York militia are hard hit by the combination of weather and resistance, and by early February most of the New Yorkers have simply deserted their posts (3 NY militia units hit desert rolls).

This leaves the New Yorker rear dangerously unguarded, and the New York garrison at Bennington is essentially isolated. The Green Mountain Boys, under local commander and Ethan’s cousin, Ebenezer "Indian" Allen, decide on one desperate assault over the winter. Supported by arms and men that have mysteriously appeared in southern Vermont, the mountaineers decide that the best way to force out the invader is to harass and dismantle their supply lines that all run through Bennington.

Raid on Bennington, February 10

Vermont (“Indian” Allen)
-4 Militia Infantry Companies

New York
-1 Militia Infantry Company
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

The Vermonters may know the land, but attacking an entrenched position in the dead of winter is a risky gambit (the New Yorkers get an FF turn from defending, and because they’re defending during winter they get an FF turn before each turn—this is a sui generis case; if they had higher hit values, I’d instead cause the attackers to lose a point). The Vermonters are desperate, however, and gamble that this is their one chance to force the New Yorkers on the back foot.

The New Yorker pickets raise the alarm shortly after dawn and the militia scramble to their posts. They’re generally ineffective in their initial response (FF turn: roll no hits) as the Vermonter forces begin slipping through their lines. The attacking Vermonters fall upon the disorganized New Yorkers, and in the ensuing melee chaos reigns (MF turn: each rolls 1 hit, shattering 1 militia infantry company from each).

The New York militia cavalry, noting the three-to-one odds, are thoroughly unwilling to die holding some god-forsaken Vermonter village—especially when the coming of Spring will certainly bring reinforcements. The local militia captain, then, elects to use the cavalry to cover the retreat of the shattered militia and leaves Bennington to the enemy.

Casualties of the Raid on Bennington


Vermont (10 killed, 50 wounded, 40 desert)
-1 Militia Infantry Company Shattered (10 killed, 50 wounded, 40 desert)

New York (10 killed, 40 wounded, 10 captured, 40 desert)
-1 Militia Infantry Company Shattered (10 killed, 40 wounded, 10 captured, 40 desert)


The Vermonters send up a cheer at having liberated their land, but “Indian” Allen is convinced that this victory cannot be held. Rather than wait in the town for the inevitable New Yorker counterattack, he elects to take a radical step: burn it to the ground. The town is largely depopulated, following the fighting of the last year, but a sizeable contingent remains. The Vermonters gather the remaining townspeople and forcibly evict them—many unwillingly—before setting fire to their homes and stores. The militia accompany them to the border with Massachusetts, where Bay State militia have been tipped off to their arrival, and Vermont refugees (numbering around two hundred families) temporarily settle in the area around Williamstown for the remainder of the winter. Having deposited their countrymen at the frontier (and their few captured New Yorkers—they have no supplies to hold any prisoners) the Vermonters then disappear back into the woods to fight again in the Spring.

Forces in Theater, End of Winter

Vermont
Burlington ( Allen)
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southern Vermont (Raiders)
-3 Militia Infantry Companies

New York

Windsor (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Artillery Company
-2 Militia Infantry Companies

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Hartland
-1 Infantry Regiment

[TLS]

Spring, 1786


After their embarrassing loss of Bennington in the previous season, the New Yorkers are ready to bring the campaign against Vermont to a close. The New Yorkers begin calling up the spring militia, this time having to go a little further afield than Albany due to the losses sustained the previous year, and by mid-April the first New Yorker militiamen are coming across the border. They trudge trough the town of Bennington, symbolically razed by the retreating Vermonters, but are not meaningfully impeded by its destruction. The New Yorkers base themselves out of the town of Manchester, but effectively disburse their militia units over the Vermont countryside to pursue and suppress the Green Mountain Boys’ continued persistence in nominally occupied territory.

Van Shaick’s main force at Windsor spends the spring assembling to push on Lake Champlain. The New Yorkers augment their core with a greater concentration of militia, bringing an entire militia regiment to round out their numbers, but are also cognizant of the need to ensure adequate supplies. The New York militia work to defend the supply lines that go through Manchester and Londonderry, but for the most part the spring season is quiet. Though isolated incidents of violence do occur, the Vermonters are busy spending the spring months planting and tending to their farms. More optimistic New Yorkers think this means that the Vermonters have been reconciled to the reality of New York’s rule, but the more observant note that for every New York land surveyor that appears and begins doling out eviction notices there seems to be another local farmer who mysteriously disappears from his homestead.

Along Lake Champlain, the Vermont government’s entreaties to its neighbors becoming increasingly frantic. The Allen family that has so faithfully defended the autonomy of the Green Mountains is, according to reports, increasingly divided against itself. While all continue to favor the cause of war, and an attempt by the New Yorkers to secure a peace is rebuffed, the issue remains as to how the war can still be fought. A rising camp of those favoring the Libertarian idea clings to the hope of Massachusetts’ aid, but the militia and arms sent so far have done little to impede the invaders. Absent a full military commitment, Massachusetts’ aid will be insufficient. That leaves only one other opportunity for assistance…from the British governor at Quebec. While this is no one’s first choice, the odds of military catastrophe continue to mount, and the Vermont legislature and government begin to entertain the previously unthinkable. All the while, Ethan Allen himself keeps his cards close to his chest and prepares for the inevitable New Yorker assault.

Forces in Theater, End of Spring

Vermont

Burlington ( Allen)
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southern Vermont (Raiders)
-3 Militia Infantry Companies

New York

Windsor (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Artillery Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southeast Vermont
-5 Militia Infantry Companies
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Hartland
-1 Infantry Regiment

[TLS]

Summer, 1786

The New Yorkers are adamant that the war be brought to a swift and effective conclusion before 1786 is out, as rumblings across the frontier, increasing casualties from the occupation, and general New Hampshirite untrustworthiness all cause deep unease in New York City. Van Shaick thus departs from Windsor with his full army in tow, leaving the general militia occupation force to assert control while the New Hampshirites continue to slow creep across northern Vermont. Van Shaick’s army moves through the wilderness of northern Vermont at a steady pace, to keep the artillery safely protected en route, and arrive across the lake from Fort Ticonderoga by early August. While camping on the east bank of Lake Champlain, Van Shaick makes one final attempt to convince Allen to surrender the Green Mountain Boys but does not receive a reply.

On August 9^th the New Yorkers arrive at the outskirts of Burlington prepared for a battle to the end, but they find the town flying a white flag. One of Van Shaick’s cavalry companies gingerly approaches the town to discover that it is essentially abandoned. One of the remaining Vermonters occupying the town relays that Allen’s army, along with the entire government of the Vermont Republic, fled the town not two-days prior. Rather than give Van Shaick his decisive battle, Allen elects to flee into the woods with the core of his army and stage a guerrilla war. President Chittenden, most of his cabinet, and a core of the General Assembly have fled north—to Canada.

The Vermonters do not actually cross into Canada, but instead base themselves at the tiny hamlet of Alburgh, on the Alburgh tongue in the middle of Lake Champlain—a spit of land only accessible, by land, from British Canada. Alburgh, which was founded by Ira Allen only a few years prior, is declared the provisional capital of Vermont, guarded by a small detachment of Green Mountain Boys but well within sight of the British army that has begun amassing north of the border. Rumors of potential collusion between the Vermonters and the British, already strong, become rampant as it becomes increasingly clear that the Vermonters are relying on the British for at least implicit protection.

Further south, the guerrilla warfare campaign begins to pick up steam as the summer progresses. In the key interlude between the planting and harvesting seasons, the Vermonters begin to harass the New Yorkers in earnest. The militia who have been left to guard the New York rear are poorly suited for a campaign of occupation and subjugation and suffer heavy casualties throughout the summer while ineffectively combating the Vermonters (New York loses 3 militia infantry companies). Rather than effectively counter the attackers, the New Yorkers instead end up carrying out wanton and random acts of retribution against likely unaffiliated civilians, burning homesteads and executing men of arms-bearing age. While these acts of retribution are not widespread, they occur with greater and greater frequency, further discrediting the New Yorker occupation.

All the while, the forces of New Hampshire spread over the northeast in an attempt to cement control. They issue notices re-iterating their promises to defend Vermonter property rights. They elect to break their infantry regiment into five companies to greater assert their control over the region, banking that the Vermonters will be unable to marshal a sufficient force to eject them and lacking the incentive to do so in the face of a more aggressive occupier. Though they do not meet substantial resistance as they fan out, it remains to be seen if the Vermonters do truly favor the New Hampshire forces or if they are merely biding their time.

Forces in Theater, End of Summer

Vermont

Alburgh
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Vermont (Raiders, loosely commanded by Allen)
-5-8 Militia Infantry Companies
-1-2 Militia Cavalry Company

New York

Burlington (Van Shaick)
-2 Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Artillery Company
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southeast Vermont
-2 Militia Infantry Companies
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Hartland
-1 Infantry Company

Randolph
-1 Infantry Company

Montpelier
-1 Infantry Company

Newbury
-1 Infantry Company

St. Johnsbury
-1 Infantry Company

[TLS]

Fall, 1786


The New Yorkers, believing that they have essentially prevailed in their war, begin to re-orient their army towards occupation rather than continued conquest. Van Shaick sends his artillery back into New York proper, believing it to be far too unwieldy for a low-level war, and breaks up one of his infantry regiments to back up his beleaguered occupation force in the south, as well as two other infantry companies from New York. The war is increasingly taking its toll on the militia in Vermont, and the militia are reduced to their bare minimum (1 mil inf regiment, 1 mil inf company, 1 mil cavalry company desert), so the influx of regular troops is much-needed. The regular army soldiers bring the insurgent-occupier numbers into near parity, and the Vermonters begin to suffer heavier casualties compared to their easy pickings against the militia, but the New Yorkers are still fighting on foreign ground (New York loses 2 infantry companies shattered, 1 mil infantry company shattered Vermont loses 2 militia infantry companies shattered).

Van Shaick is given orders to advance on Alburgh and eject the Vermonters, but he faces the issue of having to transport his army across Lake Champlain. As the New York government hasn’t dedicated any funding, or indeed attempting to build any fleet, along the lake, he is forced to commandeer a small fleet of row-boats to ferry his forces up the lake. Rather than attempt a chaotic island-hopping campaign, however, he elects to simply mass his forces at Missisquoi for a quick ferry across the lake. He is met with a particularly rude surprise when he arrives at St. Alban’s , though, as his forces notice a particularly disturbing sight: a mass of red coats on the opposite shore.

His concern is further raised when he sends a messenger across the lake, under a flag of peace, to discuss the surrender of the Vermont government. He is met by a representative of the British governor of Quebec, James Johnston, who informs the New Yorkers that the Alburgh Tongue is under the temporary occupation of the colony of Quebec in order to facilitate the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Vermont and New York. The Vermonters have requested the intervention of the British crown to help safeguard their holdings and keep the peace between New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Van Shaick soon discovers that British forces have crossed the northern border down to the Missisquoi river in the west and as far south as Newport further east, leaving the British in control of a 6 to 10-mile strip along the frontier. He urgently sends back for instructions from New York, but also states that he will be unable to proceed with the campaign without reinforcements, particularly in light of Britain’s intervention.

New York’s position is left even more tenuous when news arrives in mid-November that the Libertarian legislature has issued a demand that a plebiscite be held in Vermont to determine the region’s future. New Hampshire’s forces, already spread thin, attempt to respond to the dual threats by Libertaria and Britain but are already at their max depth without calling up the militia, which they are currently loathe to do for an offensive operation. The Libertarians are vague in their call for a plebiscite, but it is clear that they intend to leverage it for annexation into their new republic, while it is now unclear whether the Vermonters have fully elected to go with the British, continue to cling to their independence, are resigned to their fate as New Yorkers, seek to join the Libertarian republic, or are willing to take shelter under the less-oppressive occupation of New Hampshire. Thus, while 1786 ends with far less open bloodshed than the year before, the war is no closer to its resolution.

Forces in Theater, End of Fall

Vermont

Alburgh
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Vermont (Raiders, loosely commanded by Allen)
-4-6 Militia Infantry Companies
-1-2 Militia Cavalry Company

Britain

Alburgh
-1 Infantry Regiment

Swanton
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Company

Newport
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry Company

New York

St. Alban’s Town (Van Shaick)
-1 Infantry Regiments
-1 Cavalry Company
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Southern Vermont (Occupation Duty)
-5 Infantry Companies

New Hampshire

Chesterfield
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment

Brattleboro
-1 Infantry Company
-1 Cavalry Company

Lebanon
-1 Militia Infantry Regiment
-1 Militia Cavalry Company

Hartland
-1 Infantry Company

Randolph
-1 Infantry Company

Montpelier
-1 Infantry Company

Newbury
-1 Infantry Company

St. Johnsbury
-1 Infantry Company

[Kilani]

The New York response is, naturally enough, positively furious, and while Van Schaick is order to retire south in order to cnsolidate the ground already held, the New Yorkers launch their own diplomatic offensive. The British are reminded, quite forcefully, that the royal order of July 26, 1764, affirmed that "the Western bank of the Connecticut, from where it enters the province of Massachusetts Bay as far north as the 45th degree of northern latitude, to be the boundary line between the said two provinces of New Hampshire and New York"; under the Crown's own rulings, the territory is rightfully New York's to dispense with and the intrustion of the British into American affairs is seen as a flagrant attempt by the British to regain control of the newly independent colonies. It is, in fact, a violation of the very first clause of the Treaty of Paris:

Britain acknowledges the United States (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof.

Vermont was very specifically included in that clause, as a part of the state of New York and New York sees no reason to bow to British meddling now.

[TLS]

The New York response is, naturally enough, positively furious, and while Van Schaick is order to retire south in order to cnsolidate the ground already held, the New Yorkers launch their own diplomatic offensive. The British are reminded, quite forcefully, that the royal order of July 26, 1764, affirmed that "the Western bank of the Connecticut, from where it enters the province of Massachusetts Bay as far north as the 45th degree of northern latitude, to be the boundary line between the said two provinces of New Hampshire and New York"; under the Crown's own rulings, the territory is rightfully New York's to dispense with and the intrustion of the British into American affairs is seen as a flagrant attempt by the British to regain control of the newly independent colonies. It is, in fact, a violation of the very first clause of the Treaty of Paris:

Britain acknowledges the United States (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof.

Vermont was very specifically included in that clause, as a part of the state of New York and New York sees no reason to bow to British meddling now.

Winter, 1787

The government of Quebec notes that the treaty between the British Crown and the erstwhile United States did not explicitly include the territory of what is now Vermont, and if the government of New York wants to rely on colonial writ to ascertain borders then they should consider what they lost by seceding from His Majesty's warm embrace. Indeed, the British crown has its own relations with the Republic of Vermont, and was invited to intervene on behalf of the Vermonters to put an end to bloodshed. The British crown has no interest in a return to bloodshed and war, and has intervened to provide the necessary circumstances to bring about a peaceful end to strife and war in the Green Mountains.

[Kilani]

The New York response is, naturally enough, positively furious, and while Van Schaick is order to retire south in order to cnsolidate the ground already held, the New Yorkers launch their own diplomatic offensive. The British are reminded, quite forcefully, that the royal order of July 26, 1764, affirmed that "the Western bank of the Connecticut, from where it enters the province of Massachusetts Bay as far north as the 45th degree of northern latitude, to be the boundary line between the said two provinces of New Hampshire and New York"; under the Crown's own rulings, the territory is rightfully New York's to dispense with and the intrustion of the British into American affairs is seen as a flagrant attempt by the British to regain control of the newly independent colonies. It is, in fact, a violation of the very first clause of the Treaty of Paris:

Britain acknowledges the United States (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof.

Vermont was very specifically included in that clause, as a part of the state of New York and New York sees no reason to bow to British meddling now.

Winter, 1787

The government of Quebec notes that the treaty between the British Crown and the erstwhile United States did not explicitly include the territory of what is now Vermont, and if the government of New York wants to rely on colonial writ to ascertain borders then they should consider what they lost by seceding from His Majesty's warm embrace. Indeed, the British crown has its own relations with the Republic of Vermont, and was invited to intervene on behalf of the Vermonters to put an end to bloodshed. The British crown has no interest in a return to bloodshed and war, and has intervened to provide the necessary circumstances to bring about a peaceful end to strife and war in the Green Mountains.

Vermont, respond the New Yorkers, most certainly WAS included, sicne the New Yorkers specifically included it during negotiations! To quote Article 2D of the Treaty of Paris:

And that all Disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the Boundaries of the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their Boundaries, viz.; from the Northwest Angle of Nova Scotia, viz., that Angle which is formed by a Line drawn due North from the Source of St. Croix River to the Highlands; along the said Highlands which divide those Rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost Head of Connecticut River; Thence down along the middle of that River to the forty-fifth Degree of North Latitude; From thence by a Line due West on said Latitude until it strikes the River Iroquois or Cataraquy; Thence along the middle of said River into Lake Ontario; through the Middle of said Lake until it strikes the Communication by Water between that Lake & Lake Erie; ; Thence down along the middle of that River to the forty-fifth Degree of North Latitude; From thence by a Line due West on said Latitude until it strikes the River Iroquois or Cataraquy; Thence along the middle of said River into Lake Ontario; through the Middle of said Lake until it strikes the Communication by Water between that Lake & Lake Erie...

Unless the British wish to somehow move the boundary south, they are in clear violation of the treaty that ended the war.

[TLS]

Vermont, respond the New Yorkers, most certainly WAS included, sicne the New Yorkers specifically included it during negotiations! To quote Article 2D of the Treaty of Paris:

And that all Disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the Boundaries of the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their Boundaries, viz.; from the Northwest Angle of Nova Scotia, viz., that Angle which is formed by a Line drawn due North from the Source of St. Croix River to the Highlands; along the said Highlands which divide those Rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost Head of Connecticut River; Thence down along the middle of that River to the forty-fifth Degree of North Latitude; From thence by a Line due West on said Latitude until it strikes the River Iroquois or Cataraquy; Thence along the middle of said River into Lake Ontario; through the Middle of said Lake until it strikes the Communication by Water between that Lake & Lake Erie; ; Thence down along the middle of that River to the forty-fifth Degree of North Latitude; From thence by a Line due West on said Latitude until it strikes the River Iroquois or Cataraquy; Thence along the middle of said River into Lake Ontario; through the Middle of said Lake until it strikes the Communication by Water between that Lake & Lake Erie...

Unless the British wish to somehow move the boundary south, they are in clear violation of the treaty that ended the war.

Winter to Early Spring, 1787

British soldiers remain in place throughout the winter in an attempt to maintain peace and stability in the Green Mountains. The harsh winter keeps everyone locked in place, but the de facto exiled government of the Vermont Republic instructs their rearguard forces to maintain a state of readiness in case the war begins in earnest in the coming year. The lamentations of the New Yorkers begin to reach the ears of the British Crown in London, where the Libertarians maintain a diplomatic campaign to encourage the Court of St. James to maintain its neutrality--their own designs on Vermont, after all, require that it not become a British protectorate. In return, heavy pressure is put on the government of Quebec by London, and a negotiating team arrives in Vermont from the Isles in late March.

Unwilling to undermine the unity of the British position, however, they do not abandon the maximalist claims put forth by the governor in Quebec. The British representatives do not doubt that New York lays claim to this land, and that the Dutchmen find themselves to be quite clever legal researchers, but the government of Britain clearly recognizes the right of Vermont to self-governance. Britain is making no claim to land in the Green Mountains, but is merely providing an opportunity for the quarrelsome Americans to resolve their problems without further bloodshed.

To that end, the British re-iterate that they have no interest in bloodshed, nor do they intend to remain in Vermont beyond what is absolutely necessary. The British solely seek to provide the impetus for a diplomatic solution to the current impasse, and invite the Vermonters, New Yorkers, New Hampshirites, and the Libertarians to assemble for negotiations to settle the Green Mountain issue. Britain's sole interest is the return of peace, as the Crown has no claims on this land, but a persistent and pervasive wave of banditry and violence in the Green Mountains--the inevitable outcome of a non-negotiated settlement to the Vermont issue--will require that the British Crown maintain order for the benefit of all involved.

[Kilani]

Still bitter regarding all of the "foreign" interference in what is considered a purely New York affair, the legislature and the governor nevertheless agree to a round of negotiations; they do, after all, hold a strong position on the ground (despite the banditry). As such, representatives prepare to travel north to Canada for a round-table meeting.

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