1775-76 Storming of Quebec and St. John

On June 27, 1775, the newly formed Continental Congress authorized General Philip Schuyler to investigate whether an invasion against the British in Quebec was practical. When Schuyler learned that British General Guy Carleton had approached the Iroquois to join his cause and that he was fortifying St. John, Schuyler selected General Richard Montgomery to launch an Invasion of Canada.

Benedict Arnold had written Congress suggesting such an undertaking against Canada when he took control of Fort Ticonderoga. He believed that he should have been selected for the command. Arnold went to Boston and convinced George Washington to send a second force under his command. He was given a Colonel’s commission in the Continental Army and 1,100 men to lead an attack on Quebec.

It wasn’t until December 31, 1775, that a coordinated attack was launched against the entrenched city. Montgomery died and Arnold took a shot in the leg. Their attack was hastily repelled by General Guy Carleton. Arnold continued to lay siege on the city until he was relieved of command in April 1776.

General Carleton was left with much damage to repair at St. John.