Quebec, Battle of, was an important British victory early in the American Revolution (1775-1783). In late 1775, American troops led by Colonel Benedict Arnold traveled to the Canadian city of Quebec , on the cliffs above the St. Lawrence River . On Dec. 31, 1775, the Americans tried to capture the city, but a British garrison drove them back.
An earlier Battle of Quebec took place when the British invaded the city in 1759, during the French and Indian War . The treaty ending that war transferred control of Canada from the French to the British. This article focuses on the American Revolution’s Battle of Quebec. For information on the 1759 battle, see Quebec, Battle of .
Background.
The first fighting of the American Revolution took place in Massachusetts in April 1775. George Washington became commander of the Continental Army in June. He soon worked on a plan to drive the British from Boston . At the same time, the Continental Congress ordered an invasion of British-controlled Canada. The Congress feared that the British would mount attacks on New York from their strongholds in the north.
North to Canada.
In autumn of 1775, two American expeditions marched northward into Canada. Colonel Arnold and about 1,100 men left Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Sept. 19, 1775. Their route crossed wet, rocky terrain, and the journey took far longer than Arnold had expected. Illness and hunger caused many of his troops to turn back. By the time Arnold’s army arrived near Quebec in November, it numbered fewer than 700.
The other American expedition into Canada was led by Brigadier General Richard Montgomery . It captured the city of Montreal on November 13 and then joined Arnold outside Quebec in early December. Montgomery’s force included 19-year-old Aaron Burr , a future United States vice president, and Captain Daniel Morgan , a future brigadier general.
With Arnold’s and Montgomery’s groups together, the combined American force numbered about 1,000. A British force of about 1,600 soldiers, led by Major General Guy Carleton , defended Quebec.
The battle.
During a heavy snowstorm early on the morning of December 31, the Americans launched their attack. About 900 soldiers stormed Lower Town, an eastern section of the city near the St. Lawrence River. Arnold attacked the north side of Lower Town, and Montgomery’s troops advanced from the south.
Arnold’s men fought past the first barricade they faced, but during the fight, Arnold himself was shot in the leg and carried from the battlefield. Daniel Morgan took command of Arnold’s force and succeeded in penetrating the British outer defenses. Later, however, he and many of his troops were cut off by an enemy counterattack and captured. Montgomery was shot dead early in the attack on the south end. Arnold soon called off the attack and retreated about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the city.
Aftermath.
During the course of the battle, about 60 Americans were killed or wounded. Some 400 were captured. Only 18 of the British defenders were killed or wounded. Colonel Arnold won promotion to brigadier general for his efforts at Quebec.
American reinforcements joined Arnold’s camp in the months that followed. British reinforcements in far larger numbers reached Canada in the spring of 1776. The British defeated the Americans in a June battle at Trois Rivières, midway between Montreal and Quebec. The American force retreated to New York in July.
