Part 40 (1/2)
Montgomery was full of praise of the plan of invasion.
Arnold and Morgan were marching through Maine to attack the citadel of Quebec, and Montgomery was to march into Canada to the westward, and after capturing Montreal and other important places, form a junction with Arnold and drive the English out of Quebec.
”That man has a great brain,” Montgomery remarked, as he told Allen the plan.
”To whom do you refer?”
”Gen. Benedict Arnold.”
”What has he done?”
”He formulated the plan and sent it to Gen. Was.h.i.+ngton----”
”He did?”
”Yes, and the commander was so pleased with it that he wrote a personal letter to Arnold, thanking him and saying that the plan should be put into immediate execution.”
”And Arnold really took the credit, if credit there be?”
”Of course; why not?”
”I am not surprised, and yet----”
”You are not jealous?”
”Jealous? No, not of a thief.”
”A thief?”
”Yes, a thief. I drew up that plan and copied it in duplicate, so that if one got lost the other would remain. I took one copy to Albany and laid it before the a.s.sembly.”
”And the copy?”
”I left it at Ticonderoga.”
”What became of it?”
”I do not know; at least I find that I know now, though I had no suspicion. When I returned from the Continental Congress I asked for the plan, and was told it had been lost. The truth is that Arnold took it away with him.”
”Gen. Was.h.i.+ngton shall know this.”
”No, never mind. I care not who gets credit for the plan if it is only successful; but if I should fall let the people of Vermont know that the plan was mine.”
”Rest a.s.sured of that.”
”I have the original with me, and you shall read it, for I want no one to accept my word for anything.”
Allen was right. Benedict Arnold had read the plan, and had actually appropriated the copy and sent it in Allen's writing to Philadelphia.
Once he was asked about Allen's statement, and he replied that he had employed Ethan Allen to make copies from his rough draft.