&6 NATURAL AND CIVli 



remained but to put all to the risk of a general 

 assault ; and rather than to abandon the object., 

 it was determined to venture upon this despe- 

 rate measure. 



Ir was not till December the thirty first, that 

 circumstances would admit of an attack : On 

 that morning there was a heavy storm of snow, 

 and under this cover, Montgomery and Arnold 

 led on their troops to storm the city, the garri- 

 son of which was much more numerous than 

 their own army. The American troops were 

 divided into four bodies, of which two were di- 

 rected to make false attacks upon the upper 

 town, while the real ones were made by Mont- 

 gomery and Arnold, against the lower part of 

 the city. With undaunted resolution, Mont- 

 gomery led on his men, about two hundred, to 

 the first barrier, U'hich they soon passed, and 

 Jtdvanced boldly to the second ; but here a vio- 

 lent discharge of grape shot from several well 

 placed cannon, together with a well directed fire 

 of musketry, put an end to the life of this brave 

 and enterprising officer. Most of the officers 

 and others who were near their general, fell at 

 the same time, and the command devolved on 

 a Mr. Campbell ; but he was so unused to this 

 new kind of business, of storming a well forti- 

 fied city^ and so discouraged by the fall of Mont- 

 gomery, that he retreated without any further 

 exertions. 



Arnold, with his division, amounting to 

 about three hundred, made a vigorous attack 

 upon another part of the town, and after an 

 hour's engagement carried a small battery. In 

 this conflict, one or two men fell, and Arnold 



