Читать книгу Revolution An Uncommon Chronicle of the American War for Independence - Kenneth JD Samcoe - Страница 15

Schuyler Commands Expedition

The Canadian peasants began to shew a disposition little to be expected from a conquered people ... The agents and friends of the (rebel) Congress had not been idle - by word and by writing they had poisoned their minds - they were brought to believe that the (British) Minister had laid down a plan to enslave them ... that they would be continually at war, far removed from their wives and families.

Excerpt from the Journal of

Thomas Ainslee

Schuyler

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: July 11, 1775. Rumors of a British attack on New York City and the sighting of British troops along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain prompted the rebel Congress in Philadelphia to initiate an armed expedition into the Canadian territories early this week.

One thousand Continental troops under the command of Major General Philip Schuyler will march from Cambridge to re-enforce the rebel held Fort Ticonderoga, located on Lake Champlain, approximately 200 miles northeast of Cambridge. The expedition is expected to continue north toward British occupied Montreal and Quebec.

Announcement of the expedition came on the heels of rebel intelligence reports suggesting that British Commander Gage is planning to re-enforce his garrisons at St. Johns and Quebec. General Gage has approximately 1,000 troops scattered throughout the territory under the command of Lt. General Sir Guy Carleton, British Governor of Canada.

Rebel leaders believe that control of the Hudson River from Lake Champlain is crucial to a successful New York campaign. The Hudson flows south from Lake Champlain to New York, and divides the northern colonies in two. It could serve as a vital supply line for an attacking army.

The majority of General Schuyler’s army is made up of militia from the New England colonies. The Provincial Congress of New York has yet to raise a regiment in their colony.

General Schuyler was ordered to, as much as possible, obtain approval of the colonists in Canada before he launches a major offensive. Though it is believed the Canadian settlers are sympathetic to their southern neighbors, Congress has concerns about adverse reaction to turning Canada into a battlefield in the event of an all out war.

Another concern for the rebels is the wording of several treaties the British have with the Iroquois Indian nation in Canada. If the treaties obligate these Native Americans into a war against Schuyler’s forces, local colonial support would seem imperative to his success.