he citadel, while the second
division under Arnold was to pass around the city to the north, assault
by way of the St. Charles, and unite with Montgomery in his attack upon
the Prescott gate. The other two divisions were to remain in the rear of
the upper town and divert the garrison by feint attacks.

A blinding snowstorm was raging and the men could hardly distinguish one
another. Success depended upon surprise, but the defenders had learned
of the intended attack, and Montgomery had hardly started when the
battery delivered a fire which instantly killed him and both his aides.
Their deaths threw his men into a panic, and they fled in such haste
that they escaped the fate of their leaders.

Meanwhile, Arnold had moved, as agreed upon, with his division along the
St. Charles, the men bending their heads to the icy blast and protecting
their muskets under their coats. As soon as the garrison caught sight of
the dim figures they opened fire, but the Americans pressed on and
carried the first barricade. Arnold, however, received a severe wound in
the leg, and, suffering great pain, was carried to the rear. Daniel
Morgan, one of the bravest officers of the Revolution, succeeded to the
command, and, with his riflemen at his heels, was the first to climb the
ladders placed against the barricade. Two musket-balls grazed the
leader's face, which was scorched by the flash, and he was knocked down;
but he instantly sprang to his feet and called upon his men to follow
him. They did so with such dash that the enemy took refuge in the houses
on both sides of the street.

But for the disaster that had overtaken Montgomery, Quebec probably
would have been captured, but Morgan's command was in darkness, the
driving snow interfered with firing, and they knew nothing of the town.
Only a few of the troops found the next barricade, and, when they
climbed the ladders, were confronted by leveled muskets whose fire was
very destructive. Not only that, but the British, who had taken refuge
in the houses in the streets, kept up their firing.

[Illustration: ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, NEW YORK, WHERE MONTGOMERY WAS
BURIED.]

The Americans fought for a long time with the greatest heroism, but
after the loss of sixty, the remainder, with the exception of a few
that had fled, were obliged to surrender. The fragments of the helpless
army fell again under the command of the wounded Arnold, who, despite
the hopelessness of the attempt, still pressed the