Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec
Part of American Revolutionary War and Invasion of Quebec (1775)
Marker commemorating the Arnold Trail to Quebec, the "Great Carrying Place" on the Kennebec River in Caratunk, Maine
Date September 19 – November 13, 1775 Location Province of Quebec Result British victory
Belligerents
Great Britain	United Colonies
Commanders and leaders
Guy Carleton Allan Maclean	Benedict Arnold
Strength
~1,800 (British regulars, militia, and naval personnel at Quebec by December 1775)	~1,100 at outset ~600 fit for duty upon arrival at Quebec
Casualties and losses
Minimal during expedition phase	~500 lost (killed, captured, deserted, sick, or returned)

Detail of a 1795 map, overlaid with Arnold's expedition route:
*A: Cambridge
*B: Newburyport
*C: Fort Western
*D: Fort Halifax
*E: Great Carrying Place
*F: Height of land
*G: Lake Mégantic
This map does not accurately represent the area around the height of land and Lake Mégantic.

In September 1775, during the early days of the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Benedict Arnold led about 1,100 American soldiers on a difficult journey. Their goal was to reach Quebec City in British Canada. This expedition was one part of a larger plan to invade Quebec. The other part was led by Richard Montgomery from Lake Champlain. Arnold's route took his men through the wild forests of what is now Maine.

Many unexpected problems hit the expedition early on. Carrying their boats and supplies (called portaging) up the Kennebec River was extremely hard. Their boats often leaked, ruining gunpowder and food. Over a third of the soldiers gave up and returned home. The land was swampy, and bad weather combined with incorrect maps made the journey even tougher. Many soldiers were not skilled at navigating fast-flowing rivers, causing more boats and supplies to be lost in the rapids of the Chaudière River.

By November, when Arnold finally reached settlements near the Saint Lawrence River, only about 600 of his men remained. They were exhausted and very hungry. They had traveled about 560 kilometers (350 miles) through unknown wilderness, which was twice as far as they expected. With help from local French-speaking Canadians, Arnold's troops crossed the Saint Lawrence River on November 13-14. They tried to surround Quebec City, but it was too strong. They then moved to Point-aux-Trembles to wait for General Montgomery. Later, they launched an unsuccessful attack on the city. Arnold was later promoted to brigadier general for his leadership.

Today, Arnold's route through northern Maine is known as the Arnold Trail to Quebec and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some places along the trail are named after people who were part of this historic journey.

Why Invade Quebec?

The American Revolutionary War began in April 1775. Soon after, in May, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British. They knew that the British Quebec was not well-protected, with only about 600 soldiers. Arnold also believed that the French-speaking Canadians there might support the American cause.

Arnold and Allen told the Second Continental Congress that taking Quebec was important. They warned that the British could use Quebec to launch attacks into New York. At first, Congress was hesitant. But by July, they worried the British might indeed use Quebec as a military base. So, they approved an invasion of Quebec, with one force going through Lake Champlain, led by General Philip Schuyler.

Planning the Journey to Quebec

A 1760 map by British engineer John Montresor that Arnold used as a guide

Arnold wanted to lead an invasion himself. In August, he met with George Washington, the leader of the American army. Arnold proposed a second invasion route to Quebec City, coming from the east. Washington liked the idea, but first checked with General Schuyler to make sure both invasion forces could work together.

Arnold's plan was to sail from Newburyport, Massachusetts to the Kennebec River in Maine. From there, his men would use special shallow boats called bateaux to travel up the Kennebec. They would then cross a high point of land to Lake Mégantic and follow the Chaudière River down to Quebec. Arnold thought this 290-kilometer (180-mile) journey would take only 20 days.

He used a map and journal from a British engineer, John Montresor. However, this map was not very accurate, and some details were even missing or wrong.

Washington connected Arnold with Reuben Colburn, a boat builder from Maine. Colburn helped gather information and build the necessary boats. Unfortunately, a local surveyor with British sympathies, Samuel Goodwin, provided more inaccurate maps, making the planning even harder.

Once General Schuyler approved the plan, Washington and Arnold quickly started gathering soldiers and supplies.

Gathering Soldiers for the Expedition

Many soldiers were tired of waiting around after the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston. They were eager for adventure. Arnold chose about 750 men for his expedition. These soldiers were divided into groups, with leaders like Lieutenant Colonels Roger Enos and Christopher Greene.

Another group of 250 skilled riflemen from Virginia and Pennsylvania joined under Daniel Morgan. These frontiersmen were excellent at wilderness fighting. In total, Arnold's force was about 1,100 men. Some famous future leaders, like Aaron Burr, were also part of this group.

Washington and Arnold also thought about how local Native American tribes and French Canadians would react. An Abenaki chief told Washington that many Canadian Native Americans and French people supported the Americans. Four Abenaki scouts joined the expedition to help guide the way.

The Journey Begins: Cambridge to Fort Western

A 1776 mezzotint of Benedict Arnold by Thomas Hart

On September 11, the soldiers started their march from Cambridge to Newburyport. This sea journey was considered very risky because British ships patrolled the coast. Bad weather delayed their departure from Newburyport until September 19.

After sailing for twelve hours, they reached the mouth of the Kennebec River. By September 22, they arrived at Reuben Colburn's house in Gardinerston. Here, they organized supplies and prepared their boats. Arnold was worried because the boats, called bateaux, were "very badly built" and too small. Colburn and his team had to quickly build more.

The British soon learned about Arnold's movements. General Thomas Gage knew Arnold's troops were heading north, but he thought they were going to Nova Scotia. Eventually, British Admiral Samuel Graves realized the Americans were likely heading for Quebec.

Scouting Ahead

As the troops arrived, Arnold sent some men in boats up the Kennebec River to Fort Western. Others walked to Fort Halifax. While waiting, Arnold heard rumors of a large Native American force near the Chaudière River. He believed these rumors were false.

By September 23, Arnold and most of his force reached Fort Western. The next day, he sent two small groups ahead to scout the route. One group was to go as far as Lake Mégantic to gather information. The other was to map the route to the Dead River, a place known as the Great Carrying Place. This would help Arnold plan their daily travel.

Early Challenges on the Trail

The full expedition left Fort Western on September 25. Daniel Morgan's riflemen led the way, clearing paths. Reuben Colburn and his boat builders followed, ready to fix boats. Morgan's group traveled light, while Lieutenant Colonel Enos's group carried most of the supplies. Arnold traveled in a light canoe to move quickly among his troops.

By October 2, Arnold reached Norridgewock Falls, the last settlements on the Kennebec. Problems were already clear. The boats leaked, spoiling food and needing constant repairs. The men were always wet from the leaks and from pulling the heavy boats upstream. As temperatures dropped, many soldiers got sick with colds and dysentery, weakening the force.

The portage around Norridgewock Falls, about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile), took almost a week, even with help from oxen. Arnold didn't leave until October 9. Most of the expedition reached the Great Carrying Place by October 11. Heavy rains made these portages very muddy and difficult.

The Great Carrying Place

Daniel Morgan, by Charles Willson Peale

The Great Carrying Place was a tough 19-kilometer (12-mile) portage. It bypassed a part of the Dead River that was impossible to navigate. The route climbed about 300 meters (1,000 feet) and included three ponds. Lieutenant Church, who surveyed the route, called it a "bad road but capable of being made good," which turned out to be too optimistic.

Morgan's lead group met Lieutenant Steele's scouting party near the first pond. Steele's men had scouted ahead but were almost starving. They had run out of supplies and were eating fish, moose, and duck. Most soldiers continued to hunt for food to survive.

Church's description of the route didn't mention the heavy rains and swampy areas between the ponds. Rain and snow slowed the portage. The expedition had its first death when a falling tree killed a soldier. Some men got very sick from drinking stagnant water. Arnold had to build a shelter for the sick and send men back for supplies.

The first two groups reached the Dead River on October 13. Arnold arrived three days later. He sent letters to Washington and Montgomery about his progress. Some letters for Montgomery were captured, giving Quebec's governor, General Guy Carleton, the first warning of the invasion.

Struggles on the Dead River

Traveling up the Dead River was incredibly slow. Despite its name, the river flowed quickly, making it hard to row and pole against the current. More leaky boats spoiled food, forcing Arnold to cut rations in half. Then, on October 19, heavy rains caused the river to rise rapidly. On October 22, the men woke up to find their camp flooded and had to move to higher ground.

After drying out, they set off on October 23. Some men got lost, mistakenly going up a side branch of the river. Soon after, seven boats overturned, destroying the last of their food. This accident made Arnold consider turning back. He held a meeting with his officers. Arnold argued that they should continue, despite the grim situation. The officers agreed. They decided to send an advance party ahead to get supplies from French settlements. The sick and weak would return to Maine.

Further back, Lieutenant Colonel Greene's men were starving, eating candle tallow and shoe leather. On October 24, Greene tried to catch Arnold but couldn't. When he returned, Lieutenant Colonel Enos had arrived. Enos's captains wanted to turn back. Enos, after a tie-breaking vote to continue, later agreed with his captains to return. After giving some supplies to Greene's men, Enos and 450 soldiers turned back.

Detail from Montresor's map showing the height of land; Spider Lake and swampy areas are absent.

Detail from a 1924 topographic map of the same area, annotated with Arnold's approximate route over the height of land (H). Note Spider Lake and swamps shown to the east of Lake Mégantic; parts of the expedition were lost for days there.

Reaching Lake Mégantic

Chaudière Falls, painting by Joseph Légaré

The inaccurate maps caused more trouble when the expedition reached the high land. Parts of the advance party got lost in swampy bogs that weren't on their maps. This delayed their arrival at Lake Mégantic. Although they crossed the high land on October 25, they didn't reach the lake until two days later.

On October 28, the advance party went down the upper Chaudière River, losing three boats in rapids. The next day, they met some Penobscot Native Americans, who confirmed they were close to Sartigan, the southernmost French settlement.

When Arnold reached Lake Mégantic, he sent instructions back to the other groups on how to navigate the swamps. However, his directions included information from the incorrect maps. As a result, some parts of the expedition spent two days lost in swamps. Most finally reached the falls on the upper Chaudière on October 31. During this time, Captain Henry Dearborn's dog was eaten due to extreme hunger, a sad event recorded in his diary.

Arrival at Quebec City

Arnold first met local people on October 30. They were kind and provided food and care for the sick. Some were paid, while others refused money. Arnold shared letters from Washington asking for help and promised to respect the locals' property and religion. A local Canadian, Jacques Parent, told Arnold that the governor of Quebec had ordered all boats on the southern side of the Saint Lawrence River to be destroyed after intercepting Arnold's messages.

On November 9, the expedition finally reached the Saint Lawrence River at Pointe-Levi, across from Quebec City. Arnold now had only about 600 of his original 1,100 men. The journey had been 560 kilometers (350 miles), not the 290 kilometers (180 miles) Arnold expected. Arnold learned that his messenger had been captured and his letters intercepted.

With help from local Canadians and Native Americans, Arnold's forces crossed the Saint Lawrence River on the night of November 13-14. They likely slipped between two British warships guarding the river.

Quebec City was defended by about 150 British soldiers, 500 local militia, and 400 marines. When Arnold and his tired troops reached the Plains of Abraham on November 14, he demanded the city's surrender, but it was refused. The Americans had no cannons and were too weak to attack a fortified city. Hearing rumors of a British attack, Arnold decided on November 19 to retreat to Pointe-aux-Trembles. There, they waited for General Montgomery, who had recently captured Montreal.

After the Expedition

Roger Enos, one of Arnold's subordinate commanders on the Quebec expedition

When Montgomery arrived on December 3, the combined American forces returned to Quebec City. They began a siege and finally attacked on December 31. The battle was a terrible loss for the Americans. Montgomery was killed, Arnold was wounded, and Daniel Morgan was captured along with over 350 men. Arnold learned after the battle that he had been promoted to brigadier general for his leadership during the expedition.

The invasion ended with a retreat back to Fort Ticonderoga in the spring and summer of 1776. Arnold commanded the rear guard, slowing the British advance enough to prevent them from reaching the Hudson River that year.

Lieutenant Colonel Enos and his men, who had turned back, arrived in Cambridge in late November. Enos faced a court martial for leaving his commanding officer without permission. He was found not guilty and continued his service in the army.

Reuben Colburn, the boat builder, was never paid for his work, despite promises from Arnold and Washington. This financially ruined him.

Many soldiers who survived the expedition later became important figures. Henry Dearborn settled on the Kennebec River and later became the U.S. Secretary of War. Private Simon Fobes, who kept a diary, was captured at Quebec. He escaped and retraced the journey back home, rejoining the army. Captain Simeon Thayer also kept a journal, which was published later.

Legacy of the Arnold Trail

Arnold Trail to Quebec
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Commemorative marker in Eustis, Maine
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Built	1775
NRHP reference No.	69000018
Added to NRHP	October 1, 1969

Many places along the expedition's route are named after the journey. East Carry Pond, Middle Carry Pond, and West Carry Pond are on the portage route at the Great Carrying Place. Arnold Pond is the last pond on the Dead River before the high land. Mount Bigelow was named for Major Timothy Bigelow, one of Arnold's officers.

The wilderness part of the route through Maine, from Augusta to the Quebec border, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 as the "Arnold Trail to Quebec." The Major Reuben Colburn House, where Arnold stayed, is now a state historic site. Both Fort Western and Fort Halifax are National Historic Landmarks.

Historical markers remembering Arnold's expedition can be found in several towns, including Danvers, Massachusetts, Moscow, Maine, Skowhegan, Maine, and Eustis, Maine. Flagstaff Lake in Eustis, created in the 20th century by damming the Dead River, covers part of the original expedition route.

In September and October 1975, a reenactment of this expedition took place as part of the United States Bicentennial celebrations.