Ethan Allen's Surrender, Captivity Good Theater

than Allen's surrender at Montreal, September 25, 1775, is
among the most theatrical scenes in U.S. history. The details
can be found in Allen's 1779 The Narrative of Colonel Ethan
Allen—and in only one other early source, a play published in Philadelphia
in 1776.1
After a night of crossing the St. Lawrence River, Allen and his company
of 110 men faced a walled city with its gates closed. In the afternoon
when Montreal's defenders attacked, Allen was greatly outnumbered.
At first both sides fired their muskets at a distance from cover.
But then Allen's men began to melt away, and he ordered a retreat,
which turned into a race. He found that he could outrun the British
Regulars, but the Canadians and Indians kept coming. After he exchanged
fire with an enemy officer—“the ball whistled near me, as did
many others that day”—he offered to surrender if treated honorably.2