The Green Mountain Boys

by Daniel Pierce Thompson

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Historical Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1839

About the author

Daniel Pierce Thompson (October 1, 1795 – June 6, 1868) was an American author and lawyer who served as Vermont Secretary of State and was New England's most famous novelist prior to Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Daniel P. Thompson was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts on October 1, 1795 and moved to Vermont with his family in 1800. He was raised in Berlin, Vermont, and graduated from Middlebury College in 1820. He then moved to Virginia, where he taught school, studied law, and attained admission to the bar before returning to Vermont to become an attorney in Montpelier, Vermont.

Influenced by James Fenimore Cooper and Walter Scott, he wrote historical adventure and romance novels, many of which feature life in Vermont.

In 1835 he authored May Martin, or the Money Diggers. Its favorable reception established his popularity, and he specialized in Vermont during the Colonial and Revolutionary War eras.

His writings include a satirizing of Anti-Masonry, The Adventures of Timothy Peacock (1835); The Green Mountain Boys (1840); Locke Amsden, or the Schoolmaster (1845); The Shaker Lovers, and Other Tales (1848); Lucy Hosmer, or the Guardian and the Ghost (1849); The Rangers, or the Tory's Daughter (1850); The Tales of the Green Mountains (1852); Gaut Gurley, a Tale of the Umbagog (1857); The Doomed Chief, or King Philip (1860); and Centeola (1864). Thompson also authored 1859's History of the Town of Montpelier.

New England's most famous novelist of the 1840s and 1850s, Thompson's work was responsible for imprinting the story of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in the public's consciousness. His ability to tell action and adventure stories plainly and quickly made his novels popular well into the 1900s, and many of his books are still in print.

Thompson died in Montpelier, Vermont on June 6, 1868. He was buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Montpelier.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books! I have a late 1800s edition, when it was considered "an American classic", since it was originally published in the 1830s. It's written in a style reminiscent of Fenimore Cooper, though in a much more interesting way. The characters are all very colorful.
I am rather confused why the other reviewer would say this was for young children; the editor must have totally rewritten the whole story. The only children in the book are very, very minor characters. Actually, the men fight with Ethan Allen, and it is focused greatly on the border quarrels of Vermont in those days. There's a healthy dose of old-fashioned romance. There's even some mystery and a great villain. It does contain a lot of words that many college graduates today do not know, so unless you love old books of this sort, have an old dictionary (such as
Webster's 1828 edition) handy when you read.
This is one of my favorite books and I have reread it many times! The ending is absolutely wonderful.

[Paula Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting book about the revolutionary war and my 5th great grandma was in it she was Ann Story she was a brave and courageous women.Hiding and helping the Green Mountain boys and raising her family.

[Kyle Callahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A children's tale, originally written in the 19th century and but updated for the children of the 20th...which means cutting out a TON of detail and cutting to the chase. It's a basic adventure tale, where the heroes are part of the famous Green Mountain Boys, who were, in essence, a paramilitary band of frontier farmers who did their best to terrorize first the New York rich people who claimed ownership of Vermont, and then the British, who claimed ownership of America. If you've got a child about the age of eight or nine, then this will be a fun read.

But if your child has any respect for artistry, then you might want to check out the original version instead. You can find the whole thing for free online.