3Q 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



CARLETON DKFEAT£D. ST. JOHNS TAKEN. UNSUCCESSFUL ASSAULT ON QUEBEC. 



ture of Chambly, made their advances 

 upon the fort at St. Johns with increased 

 vio-or. The garrison consisted of between 

 six and seven hundred men, who, in the 

 hopes of being soon relieved by General 

 Carleton,made a resolute defence. Carle- 

 ton exerted himself for this purpose, but 

 such was the disaflection of the Canadi- 

 ans to the BritisJi cause, that he could not 

 muster more tiian one thousand men, in- 

 cluding the regulars, the militia of Mont- 

 real, the Canadians, and the Indians. 

 With these, he purposed to cross the St. 

 Lawrence and join Col, Maclean, who 

 had collected a few hundred Scotch emi- 

 grants and tnken post at the mouth of the 

 Richelieu, hoping, with their united for- 

 ces, to be able to raise the siege of St. 

 Johns and relieve the garrison. 



In pursuance of this design, Carleton 

 embarked his troops at Montreal with the 

 view of crossing the St. Lawrence and 

 landing at Longueil. Tlieir embarkation 

 ■was observed by Col. Seth Warner, from 

 tl)'^ opposite shore, who, with about 3()U 

 Green Mountain Boys, watched their 

 motions, and prepared for their approach. 

 Just before they reached the south shore, 

 Warner opened upon tiicm a well direct- 

 ed and incessant fire of musketry and 

 grape sliot from a four pounder, by which 

 unexpected assault, the enemy were 

 thrown into the greatest confusion, and 

 soon retreated witli precipitation and dis- 

 order. When the news of Carleton's de- 

 feat readied Maclean he abandoned his 

 position at the mouth of the Richelieu and 

 hastened to Quebec. 



By these events, the garrison at St. 

 Johns was loft without the hope of relief, 

 and Major Preston, the conunander, was, 

 consequently, obliged to surrender. The 

 garrison laid down their arms on the IW 

 of November, marclied out of the works 

 and became prisoners of war, to the num- 

 ber of 500 regulars and more than 100 

 Canadian volunteers. Gen. Montgomery 

 treated them with the greatest politeness, 

 and had them conveyed by the way of 

 Ticonderoga into the interior of New Eng- 

 land. In the fort was found a large 

 quantity of cannon and military stores. 



Col. Warner, having repulsed General 

 Carleton, and caused Col. Maclean to re- 

 tire to Quebec, proceeded to erect a liat- 

 tery at the mouth of the Richelieu, whicji 

 should conimand the passage of the St. 

 Lawrence, and thus block up Gen. Carle- 

 ton at Montreal. In this situation of 

 things. Gen. Montgomery arrived from 

 St. Johns, and took possession of Mont- 

 real, without opposition, on the 13th of 

 November, Gen. Carleton liaving aban- 

 doned it to its fate, and escaped down the 



river in the night in a small canoe with 

 muffled oars. A large number of armed 

 vessels loaded with provisions and other 

 necessaries, and Gen. Prescott with 120 

 British officers and privates, also attempt- 

 ed to escape down the river, but were 

 stopped at the mouth of the Richelieu, 

 and all captured by theAmericans without 

 the loss of a man. 



The attention of Montgomery was im- 

 mediately turned towards Quebec, M'here 

 Carleton was now making every prepara- 

 tion for defence. Col. Arnold, after sur- 

 mounting incredible difficulties and Imrd- 

 siiips, hnd passed through the wilderness 

 from Maine to Canada, and appeared be- 

 fore Quebec with 700 men on the 9th of 

 November, and now Montgomery, having 

 removed every obstacle, hastened forward 

 to join him, which he did on the 1st day 

 of December. Their united force amount- 

 ed to only about 1000 men, while tliat of 

 tiie garrison numbered 1.500; but as the 

 latter was made up principallj' of Cana- 

 dians and militia, Montgomery still had 

 hopes of success. Finding that the artil- 

 lery and shells produced but little effect 

 U])on the enemies' works, and that the 

 weather was becoming too severe to carry 

 on a renrular siege, it was finally determin- 

 ed to make a general assault upon the town. 



Accordingly, on the morning of the 

 31st of December, the troops were led on 

 to the attack. But it proved unsuccess- 

 ful. The gallant Montgomerj' was slain, 

 and nearly one-half the American troops 

 were killed, or taken prisoners. Arnold, 

 though severely M^ounded, took tlie com- 

 mand of tJie shattered forces and coptin- 

 ued the blockade, determined to await 

 the re-enforcements which he believed 

 would soon be sent on to his relief. Thus 

 terminated in this quarter, the campaign 

 of 177.^, and thus comrhenced those re- 

 verses, whicii were to attend the Ameri- 

 can arms in Canada during the succeed- 

 ing year. 



Section II. 



Events of 1776. Small Pox fatal in the 

 army — Jlmerican army retreats — Unsuc- 

 cessful expedition against Three Pavers 

 — Affairs at the Cedars — Chamhhj and 

 St. Johns ahandoned hy the Americans 

 — JVaval cntragement on lake Champlain. 

 — Croim Point ahandoned. 



The re-enforcements, which were sent 

 to the relief of Arnold, arrived but slowly, 

 and when Gen. Thomas reached the camp 

 before Quebec, on the 1st day of May, 

 1776, the whole American force at that 



