Editing Ethan Allen (section)

=== Raids on St. John ===
On the following day, a detachment of the Boys under Seth Warner's command went to nearby [[Fort Crown Point]] and captured the small garrison there.<ref name="B118"/> On May 14, following the arrival of 100 men recruited by Arnold's captains, and the arrival of a [[schooner]] and some [[bateau]]x that had been taken at [[Whitehall (village), New York|Skenesboro]], Arnold and 50 of his men sailed north to raid [[Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)|Fort St. John]], on the [[Richelieu River]] downstream from the lake, where a small British warship was reported by the prisoners to be anchored.<ref name="Randall101">[[#Randall|Randall]], p. 101</ref><ref name="Smith155">[[#Smith14I|Smith (1907)]], p. 155</ref> Arnold's raid was a success; he seized the sloop {{HMS|Royal George|1776|6}}, supplies, and a number of bateaux.<ref name="Smith157">[[#Smith14I|Smith (1907)]], p. 157</ref>

Allen, shortly after Arnold's departure on the raid, decided, after his successes at the southern end of the lake, to take and hold Fort St. John himself. To that end, he and about 100 Boys climbed into four bateaux, and began rowing north.<ref name="Jellison130">[[#Jellison|Jellison]], p. 130</ref> After two days without significant food (which they had forgotten to provision in the boats), Allen's small fleet met Arnold's on its way back to Ticonderoga near the foot of the lake.<ref name="Randall105">[[#Randall|Randall (1990)]], p. 105</ref> Arnold generously opened his stores to Allen's hungry men, and tried to dissuade Allen from his objective, noting that it was likely the alarm had been raised and troops were on their way to St. John. Allen, likely both stubborn in his determination, and envious of Arnold, persisted.<ref name="Jellison129_0">[[#Jellison|Jellison]], pp. 129–130</ref>

When Allen and his men landed above St. John and scouted the situation, they learned that a column of 200 or more regulars was approaching. Rather than attempt an ambush on those troops, which significantly outnumbered his tired company, Allen withdrew to the other side of the river, where the men collapsed with exhaustion and slept without sentries through the night. They were awakened when British sentries discovered them and began firing grapeshot at them from across the river. The Boys, in a panic, piled into their bateaux and rowed with all speed upriver. When the expedition returned to Ticonderoga two days later, some of the men were greatly disappointed that they felt they had nothing to show for the effort and risks they took,<ref name="Jellison130_1">[[#Jellison|Jellison]], pp. 130–131</ref> but the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point proved to be important in the Revolutionary War because it secured protection from the British to the North and provided vital cannon for the colonial army.