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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
CONTINENTAL ARMY BEGINS THE INVASION OF QUEBEC
On Aug. 28, 1775, the Northern Department of the Continental Army launched its first major military operation of the Revolutionary War with the invasion of the Canadian colony of Quebec. The invasion occurred five days earlier than scheduled due to critical intelligence of increased British naval power at Fort Saint-Jean (also known as St. Johns).
The French-Canadian colony of Quebec had been captured by Great Britain during the French and Indian War in 1759. Per the Quebec Act of May 1775, the colony’s borders were extended into the Great Lakes region (present-day Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana), and American colonists were denied the ability to settle in the area. This restriction further inflamed colonial anti-British sentiments. The Continental Congress determined that French-Catholic Quebec posed a military and political threat to the largely English-speaking Protestant colonies and authorized a military invasion of Quebec in June 1775.
The invasion was comprised of two expeditions to capture the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, with the goal of persuading the colony to join the revolution. The expedition to Montreal, planned for Sep. 2, 1775, would be led by the commander of the Northern Department, congressman and former militia commander Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler, who was stationed at the newly captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York. Frequently plagued by ill health, he was supported by Brig. Gen. Richard Montgomery, a former British army officer whose distinguished military career made him far better equipped to lead the invasion. Schuyler planned to capture Fort Saint-Jean, twenty-five miles southeast of Montreal, before taking the city proper. The fort was a strategic objective due to its command over the Richelieu River, which connected Lake Champlain in New York and Vermont to the St. Lawrence River, and ultimately, to Quebec City.
On Aug. 25, 1775, Sgt. Peter Griffin, serving in Col. James Easton’s Regiment, reported to General Montgomery on a scouting mission he performed at Fort Saint-Jean, where he observed several ships in the harbor. Another well-known officer and spy, Maj. John Brown, verified Griffin’s report and warned General Montgomery the Continentals had to launch an invasion before the British navy could seize control of Lake Champlain. With this intelligence, Montgomery hastened the invasion plan and, with the support of General Schuyler who was in Saratoga at that time, set out from New York with 1,200 Connecticut and New York militiamen on Aug. 28, 1775.
The Northern Department launched a series of probing attacks into Quebec, including two failed attempts against Fort Saint-Jean. When Schuyler became too ill to continue the campaign, Montgomery took charge. The American force was diminished due to illness, leading Montgomery to forgo another assault and instead lay siege to the fort on Sep. 17.
Throughout the first month of the siege, the American soldiers entrenched around the fort battled swamp-like conditions caused by the low area near the river and heavy rain, as well as dwindling food and ammunition. Meanwhile, Col. Ethan Allen, no longer commander of the Green Mountain Boys, was ordered by Montgomery to recruit Quebec residents to the American cause. Against orders on Sep. 25, Allen and about 110 partisans attempted unsuccessfully to capture Montreal. Allen was captured and remained imprisoned until May 1778.
The tides of war soon turned in the Americans’ favor. During the siege, Montgomery continued to receive reinforcements from New York, bolstering his numbers to more than 2,000. This allowed him to dispatch some 350 soldiers to attack the weaker garrison at Fort Chambly, ten miles downstream. The British surrendered quickly on Oct. 18, granting the Americans access to much-needed supplies. The Continentals also prevented reinforcements from Montreal from relieving the battered forces at Saint-Jean later that month. Faced with continued attacks and low rations, the garrison surrendered on Nov. 3. Montgomery then prepared to lay siege to Montreal, which surrendered on Nov. 13 to avoid bombardment.
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| Date Taken: | 08.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2025 16:23 |
| Story ID: | 546297 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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