GENERAL ARNOLD. 34T 
the people of the United States confidently 
imagine, at this day, that if there were a rup¬ 
ture with Great Britain, they need only send 
an army thither, and the plane must fall into 
their hands immediately. Arnold, after his 
return from the expedition against the place, 
under Montgomery, in the year 1775, used 
frequently to declare, that if he had not been 
wounded he should certainly have carried it. 
.But however that expedition may be admired 
for its great boldness, it was, in reality, far 
from being so nearly attended with success as 
the vanity of Arnold has led his countrymen to 
imagine. 
All thoughts of taking the city by a regular 
siege were abandoned by the Americans, 
when they came before it; it was only by 
attempting to storm it at an unexpected hour 
that they saw any probability of wresting it 
from the British. The night of the thirty- 
first of December was accordingly fixed upon, 
and the city was attacked at the same moment 
in three places. But although the garrison 
were completely surprised, and the greater 
part of the rampart guns had been dismounted, 
and laid up for the winter, during which sea¬ 
son it was thought impossible for an army to 
make an attack so vigorous that cannon 
would be wanting to repel it, yet the Ameri¬ 
can,s were at once baffled in their attempt. 
i 
