Ethan Allen's Rifles

This 1878 Beadle and Adams dime novel, Ethan Allen's Rifles: or, The Green-Mountain Boys by W.J. Hamilton, depicts the disputed New Hampshire Grants conflict. When Sheriff Davidson attempts to serve writs of ejectment against settlers holding New Hampshire patents, young militiamen led by Ned Fairchild intercept him on Otter Creek. They feign deafness to his demands, disarm him, and burn his writs before releasing him unharmed—establishing defiance against New York Governor Tryon's land claims. The narrative frames this resistance as principled, with the Green Mountain Boys positioned as defenders of legitimate settlement grants. A detailed historical prelude explains the jurisdictional conflict between New Hampshire and New York colonies over Vermont territory, contextualizing the rebellious young men's actions as politically justified resistance to external authority.