The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 THE WAR FOR INDEPEDENCE 349 .the Canadians in on the side of thestates, would remove a havenfrom British forces who couldfrom that vantage point launch anattack against the states, andwould show to the British the determinationof America. The planwas the more attractive becauseCanada was lightly defended. Congresswas reluctant to authorizethe expedition because there wasstill hope of reconciliation. Evenso, permission was given for itfinally.Two armies were launched intoCanada in late 1775. The mainarmy which set out byway ofLake Champlain was initially underthe command of General PhilipSchuyler, but he fell ill and wasreplaced by the much more· energeticRichard Montgomery. Thisarmy met with a series of successesby taking Forts Chambly andSt. John's, followed by Montreal.The way to Quebec, the historickey to dominance of Canada, nowlay open.Meanwhile, the second army underthe command of Benedict Arnoldwas making its way towardQuebec by a more easterly route.Arnold set out up the Kennebecriver through Maine along a routethe difficulties of which were onlyhazily grasped at the start. Arnoldand his men braved rapids, unsuspectedwaterfalls, long overlandportages, and some of the mostmiserable weather ever recorded toreach their destination. "So greatwere the hardships that officers ofthe two rear divisions turned backwith 350 men. But the rest plungedon through a forbidding wilderness,overcoming almost incredibleobstacles. Some of them becamelost; some died; all who could,struggled forward. . . . After amonth of desperate effort, 600scarecrows of men straggled intoa camp on· the headwaters of theChaudiere."G This was in earlyNovember; they reached Quebec afew days later.On December 2, 1775, Montgomery'sarmy joined forces with Arnoldoutside Quebec. Althoughthey now had superiority in numbersover the British, they wereunable to take advantage of it becauseSir Guy Carleton chose todefend the city from behind itswalls rather than come out intothe open. An assault upon the cityon December 31 failed. GeneralMontgomery was able to get asmall force within the walls, buthe was killed, and Arnold's menwho were supposed to make a rendezvouswith Montgomery's wereturned back after Arnold, who waswounded, relinquished the command.For several months, Americanscontinued to lay Quebec undersiege, but to no avail. SuperiorBritish forces eventually arrived;though American reinforcements