Arnold Marches North: The Failed Assault on Quebec

Benedict Arnold led 1,100 Continental soldiers into the Maine wilderness on an epic march toward Quebec City, battling starvation, desertion, and freezing rivers across 350 miles of uncharted territory. Though the subsequent assault on Quebec would fail, Arnold's determination during the march established his reputation as the Revolution's most aggressive battlefield commander. The expedition departed Fort Western (now Augusta, Maine) on September 25, 1775, following a route up the Kennebec River and across the Height of Land to the Chaudiere River, which flows north into the St. Lawrence. Washington had authorized the march to complement the main American invasion of Canada under General Philip Schuyler, creating a two-pronged attack designed to capture Quebec and bring Canada into the rebellion. The march was harrowing from the start. The bateaux, flat-bottomed boats built to carry supplies upriver, were constructed of green wood that quickly waterlogged and leaked. Portages through dense forest and swampland exhausted the men and destroyed supplies. Rain, snow, and freezing temperatures set in by mid-October. Provisions ran dangerously low, and the troops resorted to eating candles, leather moccasins, and their pet dogs. Three companies turned back. The survivors who reached the St. Lawrence in November were emaciated, half-clothed, and short on ammunition. Arnold waited for the rest of his force, then led an assault on Quebec City on December 31, 1775, during a blizzard. The attack failed, with Arnold wounded in the leg and General Richard Montgomery killed. But Arnold's willingness to endure what most commanders would have abandoned made him the Revolution's most admired soldier, a reputation that makes his later betrayal all the more devastating.