Battle of Trois-Rivières
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| Canadian theater, 1775–1776 |
|---|
| Ticonderoga – Crown Point – Longue-Pointe – Fort St. Jean – Quebec – Les Cèdres – Vaudreuil – Trois-Rivières – Valcour Bay – Fort Cumberland |
The American army in Canada had suffered a severe blow in the disastrous attack on Quebec City on New Year's Eve of 1775. A heavy flow of supplies and reinforcements allowed the Americans to maintain a presence in the vicinity of Quebec into 1776, but massively superior British artillery made siege impossible, and disease and attrition further thinned their ranks.
In May, a Royal Navy relief squadron sailed into Quebec Harbor. Carleton added the 9th, 20th, 29th, 53rd and 60th Regiments of Foot along with German troops from Brunswick to his command and sallied out against the Americans. Sullivan was already in retreat towards Montreal.
Carleton pursued, and Sullivan made a determined counterattack at Trois-Rivières, about halfway to Montreal. Although his men were soundly defeated by the professional British infantry, much of Sullivan's battered army was allowed to escape to Montreal by the overly-cautious Carleton.
This offered only temporary safety, however. British raiding parties had been operating on the outskirts of Montreal throughout Spring, successfully engaging the occupiers and taking almost 500 prisoners at Les Cèdres and Vaudreuil. Unable to control the area, General Arnold abandoned Montreal on June 15 after attempting to burn the city. His letters to Sullivan urged: "let us quit...and secure our own country before it is too late."
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