ARNOLD’S MARCH

Inscription

ARNOLD’S MARCH
IN LATE OCTOBER 1775 BENEDICT
ARNOLD AND HIS SOLDIERS PASSED
THROUGH HERE ON THE ARNOLD
EXPEDITION, EN ROUTE TO CANADA
TO ATTACK QUEBEC CITY.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2026

In September and October of 1775, Colonel Benedict Arnold and 1,100 Continental Army troops were sent on an expedition from Cambridge in Massachusetts through the Maine wilderness to Quebec City in Canada. This was part of a two-pronged attack strategy by the Continental Army against the British controlled province of Quebec. However, the trip north through the wilderness of Maine was treacherous and difficult, and more than a third of the men were forced to turn back due to illness, injuries, and starvation due to ruined supplies before they reached the Chaudière River. The force was unaccustomed to handling boats in white waters, sinking many, and they had very poorly drawn maps. They faced dysentery, freezing cold temperatures, and relied on hunting for food.

In late October, Arnold and his men were travelling north on the Dead River. On the 24^th, Arnold wrote in a report from the Dead River 30 miles south of Chaudière Pond about their unexpected loss of their remaining provisions, plans to send back the sick and feeble, and expectations to reach Canada in 15 days. Arnold held a war council with his officers to determine if they would abandon the mission, but they decided to press on and sent an advance party on to bring supplies back from the French settlements on the Chaudière River.

By the time Arnold reached settled lands above the St. Lawrence River his force was reduced to 600 starving men. What had been anticipated to be a 180-mile trip had ended up doubled in both mileage and time. The French Canadians helped the men cross the Saint Lawrence on November 13^th and 14th, and then the remaining troops asked Quebec City to surrender. The city was defended at the time by about 150 soldiers, 500 militia members, and 400 marines on warships, and so they declined to surrender. Although the Americans waited for the second prong to arrive, and battle did not commence until December 31st, it was a resounding loss for America. Despite the overall unsuccessful nature of the entire expedition, Arnold was promoted to Brigadier General upon his return.

Due to man-made dams, the area Arnold and his soldiers were camping in during late October 1775 is underneath Flagstaff Lake as of 2025. The trip is very well documented, as many soldiers kept detailed journals about their sufferings, in addition to Arnold’s regular reports to the Continental Congress.