"I fear that this day will mark the downfall of my reputation," said Washington to Patrick Henry when he heard he was unanimously selected to organize an army of twenty thousand men, who were undisciplined, without weapons, without arms of any kind worth speaking of, and having no money to pay for the food they would require, not mentioning arms.
The question of salary was next discussed, but Washington stopped it by emphatically declaring that he would not touch one penny of salary, and only asked that out-of-pocket expenses should be paid.
In the midst of the cheering which these words evoked, Ethan Allen entered the hall.
"Who is that man?" asked John Hancock.
"Ethan Allen, the hero of Ticonderoga," answered Sam Adams.
The cheering broke out again, but this time it was for the Green Mountain leader.
Again and again did the walls re-echo with the plaudits.
Then Sam Adams called Ethan Allen to the chairman's desk, and John Hancock warmly congratulated the hero.
A resolution of thanks was passed, and Allen was asked to introduce his friends.
Seth Warner and Remember Baker were welcomed as able coadjutors, and Allen took care to say that they were typical of all the Mountain Boys, and that what they had done was only a foretaste of what they would do if necessary.