I've just finished reading old friend Thomas A. Desjardin's book Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775 . I started reading it some months ago, and kept alternating back and forth between it and Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton. I finally finished it last night. The book is short--256 pages--but it is without doubt the most thorough treatment of its subject yet written. It is a complete and thorough treatment of the march of Benedict Arnold's troops to Quebec. The ordeal those men faced is almost indescribable, but Desjardin does an outstanding job of documenting it. It's no surprise at all that Arnold's command suffered extreme attrition along the way--men starved to death, died of exposure, and did desperate things just to stay alive. When they finally got to Quebec, the command's size had been sufficiently reduced by attrition that only a few hundred were left. Arnold's little army was nowhere near large enough to take the walled fortress town, but the intrepid Arnold elected to assault it anyway once he received reinforcements from Montgomery's army in Montreal. Montgomery was killed by a blast of grapeshot, Arnold was badly wounded in the leg, and virtually all of Arnold's little army was captured and taken prisoner. The military expedition failed miserably. All of the suffering was rendered fruitless as a result. At the same time, however, Desjardin points out that even though the expedition failed, it nevertheless directly led to the great American victory at Saratoga, which was largely attributed to Arnold's courage and heroism. It brought Arnold to the forefront, and set him up to play a huge role in the events of 1776. Arnold is, of course, reviled for his decision to cast his lot with the British. Because of that, it is easy to forget just how talented a natural soldier he was and just how large of a role he played in the ultimate success of the American Revolution. Ultimately, Arnold felt that he had been unfairly treated and that the time was not right to break with the Crown, and he has been cast as one of the great villains of American history as a consequence. Arnold's role in bringing about the ultimate American victory in the Revolution is only now being given the focus and credit that he deserves. Tom Desjardin is an excellent historian. Tom has done tremendous research in piecing together the narrative of the expedition, and he tells the story well, if a bit graphically at times. The book features excellent maps, and is a good read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the northern campaigns of the American Revolution. Eric
Hi Eric, Does this book cover the experiences of the soldiers taken prisoner at Quebec and their ultimate release? Two of my ancestors were on the march to Quebec and I think they were taken prisoner, although I have not been able to confirm that from the records that I have seen thus far. They were in a MA regiment and volunteered for the march (as all did, I think). Their MA military service records are blank after they went on the march, and then they pick up again at the very end of 1776. If anyone knows where a complete roster of prisoners can be found (perhaps a British archive?), I'd be grateful. Thanks. Steve Burk
Steve, Welcome aboard. The answer to your question is that it does touch on their fate in general terms but not with a great deal of specificity. Eric
Hi Eric, Thanks for the info. I am curious, when you say that Desjardin's book " is without doubt the most thorough treatment of its subject yet written". Does that include both Justin Smith's "Arnold March from Cambridge to Quebec" and Kenneth Roberts "March to Quebec"? I have read them both and would be dleighted, but surprised, if someone has now been more thorough than those two treatments. Does Desjardin explore sources that Smith & Roberts neglected, or in what way is he more thorough? Steve
Steve, I believe he's made use of previously untapped sources, which is why I think it's the most comprehensive treatment yet. Eric
Eric, Is it correct then that you have read the two books that I mentioned in my previous post? Steve
