The retreat and the mismanagement at Montreal part 4 (Quebec 1775)

The threat from the east

Forster had achieved only local success, largely because Carleton had not moved from Quebec. With the Americans gone, Carleton had turned his attention to internal security, forbidding those who had collaborated from entering Quebec without written permits. A commission toured the country around Trois Rivieres, mobilizing the militia, identifying those areas that had been least loyal, and focusing on the desire of most habitants to remain neutral. At the same time, Carleton went out of his way to behave humanely to his prisoners. The militia was ordered to search for stragglers, sick, and non-walking wounded who might either starve to death or suffer abuse from enraged habitants. Morgan and the other officers captured at Quebec were paroled, each receiving gold and a new shirt as he left for home.

Others, such as MacLean, believed that softness and delay would allow the enemy to recover. Apart from the recapture of the Gaspé by the Royal Navy, and the arrival of the 29th and 47th Foot at Trois Rivieres, there was no offensive movement. Even when Carleton learned of Forster's victory at The Cedars, rather than head west, he returned to Quebec to greet Burgoyne, who had arrived on 1 June. However, Carleton's absence did leave MacLean in command at Trois Rivieres and the active Scot landed the troops and set up camp to await his superior's return.

Meanwhile, at Sorel, MajGen John Thomas had regrouped and met with the commissioners. However, on 21 May, he contracted smallpox and died on 2 June. The previous day, MajGen John Sullivan had arrived with over 5,000 reinforcements and now found himself in command. The commissioners, believing rumors that Carleton's reinforcements were just two regiments from Halifax, urged him to order the army back to Deschambault. Apart from a few zealots, such as Duggan, and the Canadians, the order was not well received until a report came in that MacLean, at Trois Rivieres, had only 300 men.8

On the afternoon of 6 June Sullivan sent Brigadier General William Thompson with 2,000 men, to investigate Trois Rivieres and attack MacLean if circumstances appeared favorable. The troops left Sorel by boat and landed opposite Nicolet. They crossed the river the following night and landed at Pointe du Lac, about seven miles (11km) west of Trois Rivieres, at 2.00am. Leaving 250 men to guard the boats, Thompson divided his troops into four regimental columns and a small reserve, and set out through the woods keeping out of sight of the river. Unfortunately, his guide, a local farmer, lost his way (deliberately or accidentally) and led the Americans into a swamp. Struggling out of the woods, Thompson's column found the Martin and several other vessels with their guns trained on the road and quickly fell back under a hail of grapeshot.

Meanwhile, the other columns had made better progress. Wayne's column emerged first, and drove back some light infantry and Indians. In the distance across a meadow he saw the church and monastery, but also Fraser's brigade maneuvering into line. As the other columns emerged there were increasingly heavy exchanges of musketry, until Fraser brought up two 6-pdrs rapidly unloaded from one of the transports. He swept the woods with canister at which the entire American brigade broke, pursued by the flank companies of the 9th, 20th, and 62nd Foot. Thompson tried to rally as many men as he could, but only 50 stood with him and he was quickly overrun.

With Thompson and Irvine captured and St Clair wounded, command fell on Wayne. Although it was his first time under fire, Wayne kept his head. He formed a rearguard of 800 men from various units and planned a charge into the town. The British anticipated the move and some Regulars marched out to meet him, until halted by the fire of

Irvine's riflemen. Wayne's men then came under fire from artillery in the defenses around the town and the vessels in the St Lawrence. Realizing that the planned assault was not feasible, he fell back into the woods and ordered one company after another to slip away, finally leaving 20 riflemen to cover the withdrawal.

The retreat and the mismanagement at Montreal part 3 (Quebec 1775)

Meanwhile, Sherburn had sent a man ahead to learn what was happening at the fort. The man returned with news that Forster was marching to attack Sherburn with over 500 men. Not knowing that this was an exaggeration, Sherburn re-embarked his men, but found out the next day that Butterfield was still holding out, and set off again for The Cedars.

Again, however, his approach was discovered and about four miles (6km) from The Cedars he was attacked by Lorimier's men. Believing himself outnumbered, Sherburn surrendered with 97 of his men. Casualties had been light on both sides, but unfortunately the one death on the British side was a Seneca war chief, whose demise caused the tribesmen to threaten their prisoners.7

Having captured Butterfield's and Sherburn's commands (487 men in all) Forster placed the officers in the custody of some priests and set out for Montreal Island with 500 men and the rest of the prisoners. On 24 May, he arrived at Pointe Claire, 18 miles (29km) from Montreal, and learned that Arnold was entrenched around a large stone house at Lachine, with 600 men and some artillery. In fact, Arnold was also expecting the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion and some other detachments, which would eventually give him 1,500 men. Whilst his force grew, Forster's shrank as the independent-minded tribesmen returned home with their plunder. With no further news from Carleton, Forster decided to pull back to The Cedars, but was embarrassed by the numbers of prisoners and decided to effect an exchange. He found Sherburn and Butterfield so eager to remove their men from the clutches of the Indians that not only did they agree to leave four captains as hostages and that no prisoner would serve again during the war, but also that no similar condition would apply to the British prisoners.

As Forster pulled back, Arnold moved up to the eastern end of Montreal Island and on 26 May arrived at Vaudreuil by bateaux. Seeing Forster's men drawn up for battle, Arnold kept out of range of the two cannon Forster had captured at The Cedars. Landing on the opposite bank, Arnold formulated a plan to cross the river at night and attack Forster's flank and rear at dawn. However, his officers - especially Hazen - felt that the Indians would prevent any surprise and that a night march would end in confusion. The acrimonious discussions ended just after midnight and at 2.00am Sherburn arrived under a flag of truce and outlined the response to Arnold's threat to kill any Indian he caught serving with Forster and burn their villages. Arnold knew that any prisoner in their hands would be tortured and killed and agreed to the terms negotiated with Forster (except for the condition on not serving again during the war). It is worth noting that there was no mention of any ill-treatment of the men held by Forster.

The transfer occurred between 27 and 30 May, after which Forster retired to Oswegatchie and de Haas (who had taken over from Arnold) withdrew to Lachine. De Haas ignored an order from Arnold to burn the village of Conosadaga, believing that it would serve no purpose and might unleash forces that he had insufficient force to confront, let alone control. As the prisoners returned south, Congress condemned the actions of Butterfield and Arnold. Using the alleged atrocities as an excuse, they repudiated the agreement, despite written confirmation by one of the four hostages that the allegations of brutality were untrue.

The retreat and the mismanagement at Montreal part 2 (Quebec 1775)

The threat from the west

The Americans had deliberately ignored the British posts on the Great Lakes. They did not have the manpower to capture them, but if Quebec fell, those posts would have to surrender anyway. However, in April Arnold sent Captain Timothy Bedel with 400 men and two guns to fortify a trading post at The Cedars, 40 miles (65km) west of Montreal, to prevent trade and guard against a surprise attack.

Captain George Forster, commander of the light company of the 8th Foot based at Oswegatchie, had maintained clandestine links with Montreal and knew of Bedel's mission. The winter had seen the usual Indian migration to his post for handouts, but the warriors had remained longer than usual anticipating action. With 40 Regulars, a dozen British and Canadian volunteers, and 200 warriors under Lorimier, Forster decided to attack Montreal. Leaving on 12 May, he halted at the western shore of Lake Francis, where he learned of Bedel's strength, which demoralized the Indians until a letter arrived from Carleton stating that reinforcements were arriving at Quebec. On 18 May, Forster crossed the lake, headed for The Cedars, and surrounded the stockade.

When Bedel learned of Forster's approach he promptly fell ill, turned over command to Major Isaac Butterfield and fled to Montreal. Lacking artillery, Forster's troops resorted to long-range sniping with the Americans replying in kind. Whilst the firing produced no casualties, the whoops of the warriors created panic inside the stockade. Butterfield was extremely receptive to a summons to surrender, negotiations stalling only when Butterfield insisted that his men retain their arms. As more Canadians arrived to reinforce Forster, Lorimier proposed a simultaneous assault from two sides.

Meanwhile, Arnold had sent Major Henry Sherburn and a further 150 men to reinforce Butterfield and began raising more troops with the intention of following. Sherburn disembarked about nine miles (14km) downstream from The Cedars on the day Forster landed. News of his approach caused Forster to postpone the attack and send some men to watch Sherburn. At this point, Butterfield - unaware that relief was near - offered to surrender if Forster protected his command from the Indians. Forster agreed and the Americans marched out to allow the warriors to plunder the fort. When they had finished, Butterfield and his men returned to their barracks.

The retreat and the mismanagement at Montreal part 1 (Quebec 1775)

Despite events at Quebec, the beginning of 1776 saw Congress still sanguine that French Canadians would not only welcome "liberation" but would actively support it. While the recruiting parties for Lhdngston's and Hazen's new regiments had barely scraped together 500 recruits, the habitants were still providing supplies (at a price) and refusing to help Carleton. As long as the Americans behaved reasonably, the worst that could happen was that the people stayed passive.

As an Irishman, Montgomery, like Carleton, was aware of Catholic sensitivities, and had noted the habitants' disregard for the clergy when it suited them. Ignoring the latter, he had concentrated on winning the support of the former. Unfortunately, David Wooster had not, and the return of the vengeful Thomas Walker saw American policy depart rapidly from the "brotherly affection" and respect for personal property promised in the letter from Washington that Wooster had distributed on his arrival.

Despite advice to leave the Catholic Church well alone, Wooster insisted on closing the "Mass houses" on Christmas Eve. On the news of Montgomery's death, he took 12 hostages from among known loyalists. He later released them, but leaked a list of 64 "suspects" whom he was prepared to have deported to Philadelphia. He later disarmed the pro-British community, taking two new hostages, and set about reconstructing the militia. All officers would surrender the King's commission, new companies would be formed and new officers elected by the rank-and-file, and all ranks would swear allegiance to Congress. When several officers protested that their Royal commissions were precisely the type of personal property that the Americans had promised to respect, they were imprisoned in Fort Chambly.

Relations were further strained by lack of money. Once their gold was exhausted, the Americans resorted to paper money. This the Canadians shunned due to their experiences in the previous war. The Americans eventually turned to outright confiscation of property and forced labor, though often this was a last resort to alleviate shortages likely to cause the troops to mutiny. When Wooster departed for Quebec, his legacy included new taxes (for which, ironically, no Canadian had voted), bankruptcy, and civil unrest. Hazen, who replaced Wooster until Arnold arrived on 19 April, warned Schuyler that the Canadians were no longer friendly, and could rise up at any moment.

In February, Congress had appointed a three-man commission -Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase, and Charles Carroll (the latter two from Maryland, the only colony where Catholicism flourished) - to tour Canada to counter the hostility of the Catholic Church and rebuild trust. To assist them Congress also sent a priest, Father John Carroll, and a French printer from Philadelphia, Fleury Mesplet. On 2 April the commissioners left Philadelphia and reached Montreal on 29 April, to be greeted by carefully selected "representatives" of the citizenry.

Unfortunately, they had arrived too late and, more importandy, had brought no money to alleviate the army's $14,000 debt (which excluded the $20,000 loaned by James Price). Father Carroll found the local clergy convinced that the Quebec Act had given them all they wanted, and agreed that Carleton's liberal policies had inspired loyalty. Mesplet established his press in the Chateau de Ramezay, but had not published anything when events brought the mission to a premature end. Franklin's health had deteriorated during the long journey and, despite releasing the political prisoners, he could not redress Wooster's blunders. On 11 May, Franklin and Father Carroll left for Philadelphia.

On 5 May, Samuel Chase and Charles Carroll attended a council of war at Sorel, where all parties agreed that the populous, fertile triangle between Montreal, Chambly, and Sorel must be defended. British reinforcements might soon end the siege of Quebec, but that was no reason to give up the rest of Canada. The commissioners visited Chambly and St Johns and then returned to Montreal to write a report on the state of the defenses, before leaving for Philadelphia. The report blamed the short-term enlistments and Wooster's interference for the debacle and demanded his recall. More importantly, Wooster's decision to stop the merchants of Montreal trading with the Indians, in order to restrict the flow of intelligence, was overturned by the commissioners.

The retreat and the crisis at Quebec part 2 (Quebec 1775)

The lack of trained artillerymen meant that Arnold could never match the weight and number (148) of Carleton's guns, but even so the governor took no chances. When a foraging party found recently manufactured scaling ladders outside the St Louis Bastion, he ordered the snow drifts cleared from the ditch, barricaded the Lower Town with blocks of ice from the river, built two blockhouses outside the walls, and cut a trench in the river ice under Cape Diamond to prevent the picket barriers being outflanked. At night, fireballs lit the darker recesses of the ditch. But the attack never came.

Although no attack came from the outside, the prisoners inside the city were active. The officers in the upper floor of the Seminary, and the enlisted men housed in the Recollet Monastery, and later the Dauphine Bastion, prepared to escape, but both attempts were thwarted. However, some did find a way out. The Royal Highland Emigrants had recruited 94 men from among the British-born prisoners, who were guilty of treason and therefore liable to hang. Within days, 14 of them had gone over the wall (literally) and Carleton had the rest disarmed. Otherwise, American activity was reduced to indiscriminate shelling of the Upper and Lower Towns - an act condemned by many of the captured officers watching the bombardment from the windows of the Seminary.

On 1 May, Major General John Thomas of Massachusetts replaced Wooster, bringing with him over 1,200 men. On the night of 3 May, with the river now open, a brig was spotted moving upriver. However, when it failed to answer the identification signals Carleton had agreed with Pringle before his departure, the guns in the Lower Town pounded the vessel. Men were seen fleeing in a small boat: the brig was a fireship designed to destroy the shipping at Queen's Wharf. It was also the swansong of the American forces besieging Quebec.

Concerned at the state of the army, Thomas had proposed to withdraw to Jacques Carrier and Deschambault and fortify those places. Unfortunately, the following day saw the arrival of the first British ships - the frigate Surprise closely followed by the ship Isis and the sloop Martin. From them disembarked 200 men of the 29th Foot and Marines. Learning that Thomas was pulling back, Carleton immediately ordered a sortie. Adding the 7th Foot, Royal Highland Emigrants, and city militia to the fresh troops, he attacked Thomas's encampment with 900 men and turned the latter's orderly withdrawal into a panic-stricken retreat.

By 7 May the exhausted Americans - many with smallpox - had halted in Deschambault, where they were shelled by British vessels on the St Lawrence. Thomas wanted to make a stand but his army did not. The men were tired and sick and the position could easily be taken in the rear by Carleton, who had complete command of the river. Thomas ordered his troops back to Sorel, leaving 500 men to garrison Deschambault, but even these were withdrawn several days later.

The retreat and the crisis at Quebec part 1 (Quebec 1775)

The winter of 1775 was one of the worst in living memory. Outnumbered almost three to one, the best Arnold could do now was to deny the enemy firewood and forage, so he systematically burned outlying buildings and even some of the ships moored in the river. Carleton remained inside the city and refused to discuss prisoner exchanges, which Arnold sought to regain his only experienced artillery officer, Lamb.

From late January, American reinforcements began arriving from Ticonderoga via Montreal, including Warner's Green Mountain Boys and the first units from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. However, the journey had left the men in poor health, their uniforms in tatters and their weapons unserviceable. They arrived to find the camp riddled with smallpox (allegedly started by a prostitute sent out by Carleton), so much so that the other sick and the wounded were denied attention. Dr Senter reported 400 smallpox cases, mostly among the New Englanders; apparently, half of Warner's and Brown's men had disobeyed orders and inoculated themselves.

Equally worrying was the lack of specie. On 4 March, Arnold proclaimed that whoever accepted paper money would be paid in full, in coin, within four months. The ruse kept the army supplied for a few more months, but stories of troops looting from civilians - even priests and nuns - at bayonet point became rife. Discipline was collapsing and men overheard talking of going home when their enlistments expired were flogged. Even among officers morale was low, a situation not helped by the campaign still being waged against Arnold by Brown, Easton, and others.

The effect was to cause the habitants to reconsider their loyalties. On 23 March, 300 assembled to attack a detachment of Arnold's troops at Point Levis. Arnold learned of this and sent Major Lewis Dubois with 150 New Yorkers to the south shore, where they were joined by 150 rebel Canadians. Dubois dispersed the 46-strong advance party, killing three and wounding several more. Soon after, Carleton's sentries noticed men erecting a battery at Point Levis. Despite constant shelling, the battery became operational on 2 April, throwing red-hot shot at the town and the shipping in the river. Later that day, three men, believed to be Wooster, Arnold, and Antill, were seen surveying the town from a distance of 500 yards (457m). The next day, a second battery sprouted in front of Porte St Louis; a third later appeared across the St Charles.

Arnold and the siege of the city part 6 (Quebec 1775)

Back at Camp, Arnold wrote to David Wooster confirming the defeat and Montgomery's death and begging Wooster to relieve him. At one point, fearing a sortie by the garrison, he issued muskets to the patients in the hospital. Of his own command, at least 30 were dead (20 more bodies were found after the spring thaw and several reportedly fell through the ice while fleeing across the frozen rivers) and 42 wounded, the latter being among the 426 prisoners now under guard in Quebec. Another dozen had been slain alongside Montgomery. Carleton had lost six dead (Anderson and five militia privates) and one militiaman wounded.

Montgomery's body was found the next day and given a quiet but decent burial on 5 January, along with Macpherson and Cheeseman. Two days after the attack, Meigs was allowed out on parole to collect the personal belongings of those captured and bring them into the city. With 100 men leaving as their enlistments expired, Arnold now had barely 600 fit men. Wooster would not leave Montreal, however, as, with only 600 men himself, he feared the defeat would inspire an uprising. He sent Antill and Hazen to Albany to tell Schuyler, who, though shocked, could send no reinforcements as the enlistments of his own men were about to expire, and he needed the rest to oppose Johnson, who was rallying Indians and Loyalists in the Mohawk Valley. General Washington was equally powerless to help, as the refusal of Congress to authorize long-term enlistments (or even to offer bounties for re-enlistment) had left his own army short of men. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut were asked to raise one regiment each specifically for service in Canada. However, even these colonies were struggling to find recruits; those that could, refused to allow their men to serve in "mixed" units. At this point, Washington considered resigning.