Revolutionary War Historical Article
The American Revolution Month-by-Month August 1775
By Compatriot Andrew "Andy" Stough
Editor's Note: This article was reprinted by Permission of the Gold Country Chapter No. 7 of the CSSAR and was slightly edited by the Sons of Liberty Chapter of the CSSAR
The idea of conquering Canada was not new to the Congress in August of 1775. Detailed plans to conquer Canada had been advanced in the spring of that year as separate plans by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen. Congress had held off in the vain hope that Canada would join the rebellion. Once again Congress had disregarded the advice of military leaders for their own plans.
Canada had been locked in by agreement with the London Government at the time of the transfer of authority from France to England. The Quebec Act was merely a formalization of that agreement by which Canada was allowed to retain it’s French culture, the French language and it’s Catholic faith as well as a guarantee that the Ohio and Illinois territories would be reserved for the Canadians. Union with the colonies would give them but one vote among fourteen, as well as discrimination against it’s Catholic religion by all but Catholic Maryland. They also had tasted the military ability of the English colonies during the wars between England and France and feared military action against them without the protection of Great Britain.
Having settled in their mind the problems of a Continental Army, Congress turned its attention to eliminating Canada as a British stronghold to the north which could be used as a base to launch an attack down the lakes and to the Hudson River Valley thereby dividing the colonies into two separate divisions. To this end, they had in June of 1775, instructed Major General Schuyler of New York to raise an army and take possession of Canada using the approach from the Hudson River Valley to Montreal.
Having wasted the spring and summer when an army would enjoy the most favorable conditions for combat, Congress now compounded that error by giving command of what would became the Northern Army to General Philip Schuyler. He was a good enough militia officer but was lacking the dash and fire of a general leading troops in such a large operation as the Canadian expedition. This was particularly true since an expedition equipping in August would have to not only fight the enemy but the devastating forces of winter.
References
Robert Leckie's "George Washington's War"
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