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When Americans Invaded Canada 200 Years Ago A IC I AD CA ADA- Fo go ten Ca paign of the Revolution In one of the most daring and least known episodes wooden fort named Chambly. The way to ~I ontreal was of the Revolutionary War, two small American forces now open, and Montgomery did not hesitate. invaded Canada exactly two centuries ago-months Enriched by the booty he had captured at St. John 's, which included cannon, stocks of muskets, bountiful sup­ before the Declaration of Independence. The Conti· plies of ammunition and some, though not enough, warm nental Congress hoped to achieve two main goals: to clothing for his men, he moved as swiftly as possible to the forge strong ties with the anti-British French-speaking St. Lawrence. He crossed the river without difficulty and, Canadians, and to eliminate the threat of British inva· on November 13, occupied ~f ontreal without a fight. Gener­ sion of the Thirteen Colonies from the north. The al Carleton [Gen. Guy Carleton, the British commander]. who had barely 150 troops with him in the town, fled by campaign came amazingly close to succeeding under boat downstream to Quebec. Gen. Richard Montgomery, moving north through And there, safely in the citadel, Carleton heard more bad New York, and Col. Benedict Arnold, slogging north· news. ~Iontgomery's \Vas not the only American force that west through the Maine wilderness. The story of that threatened him. On :\ovember 8, to the astonishment of the ill-fated endeavor is condensed from "200 Years," Canadians who saw them, there had abruptly appeared on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence, directly opposite publi.shed by U.S. News & World Report Books. Quebec, a ragged scarecrow band of 650 armed and in- On June 27, 1775, Congress authorized Gen. Philip • ' , "' /.I Schuyler, the patriot commander in New York, to move into ARNOLD'S ROUTE #• -Quebec / Canada and seize any positions vital to colonial security. ... MONTGOMERY'S ,., A.MERICAt<S DEFEATE!) General Schuyler, however, was a better officer of supply ROUTE _, <(-. 0 AT CJEBEC. DEC. 31 , # ~o> ,/ than combat commander. For many weeks he remained at --- rJb '&. "" Ticonderoga gathering men and supplies, boats for trans­ , , - # {e<::< <I>•-. / port, and intelligence of dubious accuracy from the north. , ~ ~ In fact, when his force was finally set in motion on August _, C3-• / 28, it was not by his order at all (he was absent from l# ~IONTGOMERY TAKES / Ticonderoga, attending a conference in Albany) but by that I '.IC'iTBEAl. NOV. 13 /l Montreal • .-._~ ' , of his second in com~and, Gen. Richard :-..1ontgomery. St .Jot; "·"'·. ~· StEGE OF STJOHN'S, ,' / :' Montgomery's period as temporary commander was brief · ,n SI SEP1' 6 - NOV. 2 , ' I but intense. He led 1,200 men toward St. John's, held then ---------, r---------------J ' by 700 seasoned British troops. I ) / ' In preliminary skirmishing along the approaches to the NEW ,'( s \ : YORK 1 \ "' ' , MAINE fort, the redcoats handled the Americans roughly. Schuyler I ' g. VERMONT l I rejoined his command just as these first fights were taking .. ( ~ ,-./ : • ,' (J I I place and at once halted offensive operations to erect defen­ I I I I lf -.J ( ' sive works. I ' I I Soon, however, reinforcements arrived, swelling his ranks • ( MOIITGOMERY STARIS FROM 1 TiICOO d eroga I FORT T.CON:)EROGA. : to nearly 2,000. Schuyler, in a decision determined by his J AUG. 28, 1775 : great preponderance of force, was about to resume the L.i ( ,' N offensive when he suddenly fell ill- so ill that he was forced I I NEW \ to relinquish his command to :\Iontgomery and go back to \ \ HAMPSHIRE ', I I Ticonderoga. I I : I 1 Montgomery was thereby enabled to press the offensive, I I /-- · L ____ l ____ .!"~~urjport • ARNOLD STARTS FRO although he did so with deliberate speed. He was acutely aware that his great numerical superiority over the enemy ! MASSACtfUS£;JTS ~~~~~:.vi1~~T. was offset by their possession of strong defensive works and by his lack of cannon powerful enough to reduce them. His men, moreover, were a various, undisciplined crew of short­ TWO INVASION ROUTES term enlistment, having small respect for military authority: They could be led but not commanded. Montgomery there­ INTO CANADA fore wisely decided against any attempt to carry St. John's by storm; he besieged it instead. · Two American officers, Richard Montgom­ The St. John's garrison held out for 55 days. Its comman­ ery and Benedict Arnold, ted invasion forces dant, Maj. Charles Preston, on November 2, when it had north to Canada from New York and Mas­ long been obvious that his position was untenable and that he and his men faced starvation, accepted Montgomery's sachusetts in 1775. The campaign nearly generous terms of surrender. succeeded, but was turned back in a furious Weeks earlier, patriot artillery, impotent against thick battle at Quebec. stone walls, had peunucd mto subnus~ion the only other obstacle to an advance on Montreal, this point being the Copyright @ 1975, U.S. News & World Report. Inc. 77 - ... W HEN AMERICANS INVADED CANADA who cleared clogged river channels and cut back the dense [continued from preceding page] undergrowth in forests. The pioneers among them were usually Morgan's riflemen; although there was some rotation credibly determined American fighting men, under the of leadership. Arnold himself remained at the head of this command of Col. Benedict Arnold! straggling column, with the ever-resourceful Burr at his Back in August, George Washington had written to Gen­ side-his example of high courage and good cheer being an eral Schuyler, then in command at Ticonderoga, asking for inspiration to his men. his advice about a "Plan of an Expedition which has en­ As October advanced, the early northern winter closed gaged my thoughts for several days. It is to penetrate into down: One morning the expedition awoke to find 6 inches Canada by Way of Kennebeck River [in :\1aine] and so to of snow on the ground. By then clothing repeatedly soaked Quebeck. .. ." Washington had received a favorable reply and brush-torn \Vas so tattered that it ga\·e inadequate from Schuyler and soon thereafter had decided to send the protection against the increasing chill. ~or \\'as there any expedition. The man he chose to lead it was Benedict protection against lengthening cold nights. Inevitably, there Arnold. was much sickness. Arnold, having been frustrated in his attempt to lead an Nor did their sufferings diminish after they reached Cana­ invasion northward from Ticonderoga, accepted vvith alacri­ dian soil. Arnold, by this time, had pushed on ahead of the ty and immediately went to work. An order went at once to foremost of the rifle units in order to obtain food from Reuben Colburn, a boat builder in the tiny settlement of sympathetic habitants in nearby settlements. Gardinerstown, on the shore of the Kennebec, for the While he was gone, his expeditionary force was daily construction of 200 bateaux; each was to be large enough to reduced as men crazed by pai.n and hunger wandered off carry six or seven men with baggage and provisions, yet the trail, never to be seen again; others collapsed beside the light enough for easy portage. Other orders called for the accumulation of needed supplies at Gardinerstown. Sorl'.e 1,100 men, most of them volun­ teers, made up the expeditionary force: 10 companies of New England musket­ men, 2·companies of Pennsylvania rifle­ men, and 1 company of Virginia rifle­ men under the command of a giant woodsman, Capt. Dan Morgan. As his personal aide Arnold chose a personable young man by the name of Aaron Burr. On Septemer 11, Arnold began the march to Newburyport. From this point some days later the entire force sailed in 11 vessels to t.he mouth of the Ken­ nebec. There, at Gardinerstown, the commander encountered his first bad omen. The bateaux he had ordered were shoddily made, and many were smaller than specified. l\1uch green pine had been used, so that the boats were heav­ ~------~~----------~----~~----~¥----~~--------~-."~---.--.-------·~,,~~ ier than if made of seasoned timber On Dec. 31, 1 7 75, Gen. Richard Montgomery was killed as he led one force of a (each bateau weighed at least 400 " surprise" pincers attack on Quebec that failed. Col. Benedict Arnold led the other force. pounds) and were bound to spring leaks as the green wood warped and opened at the seams. Arnold did not hesitate to proceed, however. trail and were left to their fate. At almost the last moment At first all went well. Not until the expedition passed the possible for survival, the starving men obtained relief; the site of present-day Augusta did its troubles begin. The first food came back from Arnold, who found the French of portages proved longer, more numerous and much more the Chaudiere region not hostile to the patriot cause and difficult than indicated by the map Arnold followed. The certainly very kind and helpful to sick, famished men. labor of · carrying supplies and the overly heavy bateaux A few days later, after what is assuredly one of the epic across them reduced the strongest men to exhaustion. marches of history, Arnold stood upon the St. Lawrence Across parts of the Great Carrying Place, heavily burdened shore. A share of his force's fighting strength was already men were forced to wade through knee-deep mud. restored, for these were men of great toughness and resil­ Then as the expedition entered the rugged northwest iency. They were ready, even eager, to move against Que­ Maine wilderness, the weather turned bad. Incessant, cold bec, visible to them atop its fabled rock across the broad rain soaked the men to the skin and brought the Dead river.
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