This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in and around the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay as the Revolutionary War ramps up. Last week, General George Washington implemented a strict rationing policy to troops stationed in Cambridge and around Boston as supplies dwindle. Troop contracts are up on January 1, and Washington convinces General Richard Montgomery and Major General Philip Schuyler to stick it out a bit longer. As we approach New Years, 1776, far in the north, the Americans press against Quebec with what little they have left, all while a nor’easter descends across Canada.
December 31, 1775, is a famed day in Canadian history, often forgotten in the United States. It is fitting then, that the national motto of the Province of Quebec is “Je me souviens,” or “I remember.” The night of December 30, General Montgomery gave the fatal orders to advance on the city, with the battle itself occurring during a blizzard in the pitch-black early morning of New Year’s Eve.
Quebec City was a walled fortress atop steep cliffs. The thick walls were made of sandstone mined from around the Saint Lawrence. The ramparts still stand, and they and the old town are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British had captured the city from the French just 15 years prior during the Seven Years’/French and Indian War, with the British later bolstering the city’s defenses.
The American side consisted of around 1,200 men, mostly from New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. There were 1,800 British behind the walls, including many that had fled from the captured Montreal in November. A general rule of warfare is to not storm an entrenched enemy with a smaller number of troops. This highlights the Americans’ need for decisive action while also foreshadowing their disastrous defeat.
As the winds raged and snow blanketed the streets, men’s muskets were clogged and frozen up. Montgomery would draw his sword to advance, but was killed by a cannon grapeshot before closing the distance with the enemy. His offense would eventually evaporate, with few being able to flee death or capture. One successfully fleeing this column was Captain Aaron Burr.
Benedict Arnold led another block of troops, not faring much better. Fire rang out from atop the walls, and Continental troops scattered and became lost in the fray. Attempting to pass a blockade, Arnold was badly wounded and was carried away from battle. General Daniel Morgan would take command and would subsequently be captured by the British not long after.
In the end, around 50 Americans would be killed and another nearly 400 would be captured. Only five Redcoats were killed. Arnold would barely make it out alive, and would never truly heal the injury from a ricocheted musket ball nor the resentment he held following his grueling march north to monumental defeat.
Washington would not know the status of this battle for some time, as the world entered 1776 and America’s hopes of annexing Canada as a “Fourteenth Colony” were gone.
On January 4, 1776, Washington writes from Cambridge to John Hancock and the Continental Congress assuring an attack on Boston “shall be attempted to be put in execution.” He would add, “It is not in the pages of history perhaps, to furnish a case like ours; to maintain a post within musket shot of the enemy for six months together.” Still not knowing of the fate of Quebec, he says victories there and in Boston would be “the most fortunate event of my whole life.”
On January 5, due to an unforeseen rise in temperatures, Colonel Henry Knox informs Washington he will not be able to cross the Hudson River with his artillery until the river refreezes. He says he will likely have to wait eight or nine days.
On January 6, Washington writes to Governor of Rhode Island Nicholas Cooke. He begins by thanking Cooke for much-needed supply deliveries. He then says, “I am told [British] Captain Wallace’s ships have been supplied for some time with provisions by the Town of Newport.” The Newport-ruling Town Council had come to an agreement with Britain to avoid being captured, while the town’s wealthy merchants also profit off the war. Washington states the repair of relations between Great Britain and America is impossible, and Newport must cease any correspondence and cooperation with the enemy.
This Week in Revolutionary War History
By Sam Bishop