Retreat from Quebec
When American troops invaded Canada in September 1775, they hoped to quickly beat the British troops and make Canada a part of their rebellion; but it didn’t quite work out that way. It wasn’t until December that the main American army even reached Quebec, the capital city; and the British, under Sir Guy Carleton, were well prepared to meet them. For the next six months, the city was under siege. The Americans tried attacking once, but were beaten badly. After that, it was basically a standoff: neither side was strong enough to be willing to risk an attack on the other.
On May 1, 1776, Major General John Thomas arrived to take over the command of the American army at Quebec. He found everything in a shambles: almost half of his 1,900 men were sick (most of them with smallpox), about 300 more had already finished their enlistments and were unwilling to serve longer, there was hardly any gunpowder and only a few days’ worth of food, and the army was so scattered that only a fraction of their force would be able to gather in any one spot to withstand an enemy attack. On May 5, the American officers unanimously decided to retreat, and the army started getting ready to leave.
Early the next morning, three British warships arrived to help save Quebec. While they unloaded their soldiers, the Americans kept hurriedly loading the artillery and the sickest men on boats to be transported upriver. At about one o’clock, General Carleton led his little army out to attack. Just as General Thomas had feared, the Americans were unable to gather enough men in one spot to make a stand. Soon the whole American army was on the run, leaving behind all their artillery, about 500 muskets, and about 200 men who were too sick to travel on their own.
After six days of retreating, an American lieutenant named Eleazer Cleghorn sat down and wrote a hurried letter:
I…am in perfect health, he wrote, though something lame in my feet, occasioned by my sudden and unexpected retreat; of which I am unable to give you a very particular account, being in the utmost hurry. We arrived at Quebeck the last of March, and the whole company were soon taken with the small-pox. We lay in plain sight of the city, where we could see their motions; they kept up a heavy fire the greatest part of the time; our Army seemed totally neglected; we were wanting of men, and had not sufficient provisions for those that were present, and our supply of warlike stores was very inconsiderable. On Monday morning last the enemy were reinforced with three men-of-war and their tenders; upon which orders were given to make a speedy retreat, and about one o’clock in the afternoon the enemy sallied out upon us, and, knowing the situation of our little distressed Army, determined to drive all before them. The whole of our Army fled that were able to travel; the sick we left behind to share the fate of being killed or taken prisoners.
Thomas Ainslie, a British customs officer at Quebec who also served as a captain in the British militia, helped defend the city against the Americans. He recorded in his journal what happened on that memorable day of May 6, 1776:
The General at the head of about 800 men march’d out at 12 oclock; the little army extended itself quite across the plains making a fine appearance. The Rebels saw us very formidable.
A few shots were exchang’d by our advanc’d party & the rear guard of the enemy, their balls whistled over us without hurting a man — they fled most precipitately as soon as our field pieces began to play on their guard houses, & advanc’d posts, they left cannon, mortars, field pieces, muskets & even their cloaths behind them. As we pursued them we found the road strew’d with arms, cartridges, cloaths, bread, pork, &cc.
Their confusion was so great, their panic so violent, that they left orderly books & papers, which for their own credit shou’d not have been left. Look whatsoever way one wou’d, he saw men flying & loaden carts driving full speed.…
Thus was the country round Quebec freed from a swarm of misguided people, led by designing men, enemies to the libertys of their country, under the specious title of the Assertors of American rights.
Interestingly enough, it was General John Thomas who led the American troops when they occupied Dorchester Heights about two months earlier, forcing the British to evacuate Boston. So Thomas took part in ending the first two sieges of the Revolution: Boston, where the British were forced to leave ahead of schedule, and Quebec, where the Americans got chased away before they were ready. Before the month was out, General Thomas came down with smallpox, like so many of his men; he died of it on June 2.
Sources
American Archives, 4th Series, 6:430.
Literary & Historical Society of Quebec, 7th Series of Historical Documents, 83-84.