Chap. n. 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



37 



RETREAT OF THE AMERICAN ARMV. 



AFFAIRS AT THE CEDARS. 



place did not exceed 1900 men. In this 

 state of things, and before any thing of 

 consequence had been attempted against 

 the city, the small pox commenced its 

 ravages among the provincial troops, and 

 it is hardly possible to conceive the dis- 

 trcsss, the terror and confusion it occa- 

 sioned in the American camp. Ignorant 

 of the true natuYe of the disease, and of 

 the means b}' which its progress miglit 

 be impeded ; and anticipating dangers, 

 which their fears iiad greatly magnified, 

 the troops could, with difficulty, be pre- 

 vented from a total dispersion. The sol- 

 diers, having lieard that inoculation was 

 the surest preventive of a fatal termin- 

 ation, proceeded, in defiance of orders, 

 to inoculate themselves ; and the recruits 

 as they arriv(-d, did the same, and thus 

 was the disease still wider diftused, so that 

 out of 3000 troops, which had now ar- 

 rived, not more tlian 900 were fit for 

 duty. 



After a few trifling efforts against the 

 town, Gen. Tliomas was convinced that 

 notliing of consequence could be effected 

 with an army in the condition to which 

 his was reduced, and being nearly desti- 

 tute of provisions, and daily expecting 

 tlie British garrison would bo re-enforced 

 t)y the arrival of an army from England, 

 it was concluded, in a council of war, to 

 abandon the siege and make the best re- 

 treat their circumstances would permit. 

 The next day a British man of war and 

 two frigates arrived at Quebec, with suc- 

 cours for the town, having, with incred- 

 ible exertions and dexterity, cut their way 

 through the ice while the navigation was 

 extremely difficult and dangerous. 



One thousand marines having been 

 landed from the siiips, Gen. Carleton put 

 himself at the head of these, and 800 of 

 jiis own troops and about noon marched 

 out to give battle to the Americans. But 

 he was too late. Gen. Thomas, foresee- 

 ing this event, had commenced his retreat; 

 but it was done with so great precipitation 

 that the Americans had left behind, their 

 artillery, stores and baggage, and a num- 

 ber of their sick. Carleton was content 

 with o-etting possession of these, and with 

 being relieved of his besiegers, and did not 

 pursue the Americans. The prisoners who 

 fell into his hands were treated with the 

 most humane and kind attention. 



The Americans continued tlieir retreat 

 to the river Richelieu, having marched the 

 first 4.J miles without halting. Here tliey 

 found several regiments waiting for them 

 under Gen. Thompson, who a few duys 

 after succeeded to the command, by the 

 unfortunate death of Gen. Thomas, who 

 died of the small pox. Gen. Sullivan 



and several battalions arrived about this 

 time, and Sullivan having taken the com- 

 mand, now planned an enterprize against 

 the enemy whicli savored much more of 

 boldness than prudence. The British ar- 

 my, which was now augmented by re- 

 enforcements from Europe to more than 

 1L!,000 men, liad tlieir chief rendezvous 

 at Three Rivers, a post on the north side 

 of the St. Lawrence, about half-way be- 

 tween Quebec and Montreal. Gen. Sul- 

 livan conceived the design of surjirising 

 this post, and for that purpose detached 

 Gen. Thompson on the 7th of June, with 

 1S00 men, who proceeded down the river 

 in the night, expecting to reach Three 

 Rivers before day-light. But unavoidable 

 delays rendered it impossible. They were 

 discovered by the British, before they 

 reached the village, who marched out, 

 attacked and dispersed tliem, making their 

 general, and about 200 men prisoners. 



Montreal had, early in the spring, been 

 placed under the command of Arnold, who 

 was now raised to the rank of brigadier- 

 general, and a party of 880 Americans 

 under Col. Beadle had been posted at tlie 

 Cedars, a small fort 43 miles above that 

 citv. Being frightened at the appearance 

 of a force descending tlie river to attack 

 him, Beadle abondoned the command to 

 Major Butterfield, and hastened to Mont- 

 real for a reenforcement ; and Butterfield, 

 with an equal want of spirit, surrendered 

 the fort and garrison on the ].^th of May. 

 As soon as Beadle arrived at IMontreal, 

 Arnold detached Major Sherburne with 

 140 men, to relieve the fort at the Cedars. 

 On their way tliey were attacked, sur- 

 rounded, and after a gallant defence of 

 nearly two hours, made prisoners, by a 

 body "of 500 Indians. Many of the Amer- 

 icans were killed ■ or wounded in the en- 

 gao-ement. Twenty others were after- 

 wards put to death in cool blood, with all 

 the aggravations of savage barbarit}^ The 

 remainder were stripped, driven to the 

 fort and delivered up to Capt. Foster, to 

 whom Butterfield had surrendered. 



When the intelligence of these events 

 reached Arnold, he put himself at the 

 head of eight or nine hundred men and 

 flew to the rescue of the unfortunate cap- 

 tives. Upon his approach to the fort he 

 received a communication from Capt. Fos- 

 ter, informing him tliat if he would not 

 consent to a cartel, which he had already 

 forced Major Sherburne and other officers 

 to sign, the prisoners should all be ivtme- 

 diaiehj ptit to denih. Arnold hesitated, 

 but humanity and a regard for the cap- 

 tured officers, at length compelled him to 

 accede to the proposal, and thus was his 

 vengeance disarmed. 



