A Year With George Washington
January 17th, 1776 – Washington receives a dispatch from General Philip Schuyler that the Canadian expedition has failed with heavy losses.
In late June 1775, the Continental Congress made the extraordinary decision to authorize the invasion of Canada. Fearful of the British threat to the population centers of New England and the Middle Colonies, many in Congress believed the decision was justified.
Already in possession of Fort Ticonderoga, the plan was to travel up Lake Champlain to the Richelieu River, capture St. John, and then the city of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River.
Colonel Benedict Arnold had been pushing for the attack, suggesting that Governor Sir Guy Carleton already had plans for a campaign into the American territory and reportedly had riled up the Indian tribes to make war as well.
Command was not given to Arnold as he hoped. Instead, it was given to forty-two-year-old Philip Schuyler. Arnold was not made second in command either, as the honor went to the capable and experienced Major General Richard Montgomery.
By early September 1775, Schuyler and Montgomery, with some 2000 soldiers, had gotten within twelve miles of their first objective, the city of St. John. The British troops, in place to defend against an American invasion, numbered roughly half that of Schuyler’s force, consisting of the 7th and 26th Foot, a handful of British citizens, and French Canadians (whose loyalty was suspect).
The fringe of St. John was as far as Schuyler would go; however, as failing health forced his return to Fort Ticonderoga, General Montgomery, now in command of the expeditionary force, proceeded onward up the Richelieu River.
While Montgomery laid siege to St. John, Colonel Ethan Allen, with a small force of Canadian volunteers, attacked Montreal. The ill-conceived attack failed, and Allen was captured and taken prisoner. He and his fellow captives were paraded before the citizens of the city and then shackled in the cargo hold of a prison ship.
On November 3rd, with supply lines disrupted by the siege and provisions nearly exhausted, the commander of St. John’s surrendered the fort to Montgomery. The Americans took over 500 men prisoner, including Lieutenant John Andre, who, years later, would cross paths with Benedict Arnold.
British Governor Carleton, having lost all but 150 men and being vulnerable to attack at Montreal, moved his men and supplies down the St. Lawrence to the last British bastion at Quebec. Montgomery marched into the city and took Montreal without a fight on November 13th. Carleton’s fleet was captured downstream on November 19th, but the Governor disguised himself as a Canadian peasant and managed to escape.
Colonel Benedict Arnold, reporting directly to George Washington, had been ordered to join forces with Montgomery for the capture of Quebec City via a different route, an eastern approach through Maine. He was given command of a force of 1100 men, including Daniel Morgan and his Pennsylvania riflemen.
Using an old map created by a British Engineer, he and his army sailed from Newburyport, Massachusetts, to the mouth of the Kennebec River and then proceeded upriver to Fort Western (located near present-day Augusta, Maine).
Quickly, upon leaving the last American outpost in Maine, Arnold’s fortunes changed for the worse. Arnold’s remaining trek to Quebec was fraught with one disaster after another. The 200 bateaux ( long, open boats used for transporting materials and men) he had constructed for the expedition were built with green rather than seasoned wood and thus leaked uncontrollably, soaking the men, gunpowder, food, and supplies. Most of the now- sodden provisions for their journey spoiled, and the men soon went without food. More than one-third of Arnold’s men refused to continue and turned back.
Traveling overland from the Kennebec River, Arnold’s remaining army encountered an untamed land of swamps, lakes, and streams, each in its turn, all but impossible to navigate. When they finally reached the rapid-flowing Chaudière River, the men, who had little experience with white-water rivers, turned over in the raging current. Each time, the men tumbled into the water along with their precious supplies. Some men drowned, some were never seen again. What’s more, winter weather had set in. The men found it impossible to stay warm or dry.
Both Washington and Arnold thought the length of the expedition was to be only 180 miles, but it was, in fact, nearly twice that long, at 350. By the time Arnold descended the Chaudière to the settlements on the St. Lawrence, he had lost almost half his men to sickness, famine, or desertion. The remaining 600 were of little use as a fighting force as they were exhausted and on the verge of literal starvation.
But the irrepressible Arnold, who hadn’t yet learned he had been promoted to Brigadier General, wasted no time when he arrived at Quebec City and attempted a siege of the fortress. Though Montgomery and his men had yet to join him, Arnold demanded a surrender. With no artillery and his men not fit for duty, he was rebuffed.
Montgomery and his men arrived and joined Arnold on December 3rd, 1775, and once again attempted a siege. That too failed, and it was decided that they would assault the city. On December 31st, 1775, Montgomery, Arnold, Morgan, and their men led the charge. All of them paid a price. Montgomery was killed, Arnold was wounded, and Daniel Morgan was taken prisoner, together with 350 Americans.
George Washington, who, like Arnold, believed that Canada was so sparsely defended that victory was all but certain, was shocked to hear of the disastrous defeat. He had been so confident of prevailing that he had requested Montgomery and Arnold send sorely-needed supplies back to Boston upon victory.
Washington bristled at the fallout from the failed Canadian expedition. He lost his first planned expedition against the enemy. He lost a capable leader in Montgomery. He learned short-term enlistments would bring about a cascade of problems for his army. Washington was aware that the reason Montgomery had not given the siege the time it needed to work was that the enlistments of many of the men were set to expire. Montgomery had little choice but to rush the assault on Quebec City on the last day of the year.
He would also learn for the first time that Benedict Arnold had an indomitable spirit and was a true leader among men. This is why six years later, Washington would be shellshocked at Arnold’s betrayal. For now, at least, he could count on him to fight for liberty, and fight he did.
