1775 Quebec Expedition

Benedict Arnold’s Expedition to Quebec City was one of the most daring and punishing undertakings of the American Revolutionary War. Intended to strike British-held Quebec and encourage French Canadian support for the rebellion, the expedition carried roughly 1,100 Continental soldiers from Massachusetts up the Kennebec River and across more than 300 miles of Maine wilderness. Poorly built bateaux, rain, brutal portages, hunger, illness, and flooding decimated supplies and thinned the ranks, yet Arnold pressed on despite the odds. After weeks of exhaustion and near starvation, the surviving force emerged from the wilderness into Canada and joined American troops outside Quebec City. Though the assault on the city ultimately failed, Arnold’s march became legendary for its endurance and resolve, standing as a testament to the extreme sacrifices made in the early fight for American independence.