He passed in
the night-time the batteries which the congress troops had built at
Sorel and the adjacent islands. The oars of his boat were muffled, and
when in close proximity to the enemy the men used the palms of their
hands. He reached Quebec safely, and at once inspired the garrison and
loyal residents with his courageous spirit. He arrived not a moment
too soon. General Benedict Arnold--a name discredited in history--had
succeeded in reaching Quebec by the route of the Kennebec and Chaudiere
rivers--a route which in early times had been followed by the Abenakis,
those firm allies of the Canadians. Arnold was not able to commence
any active operations against Quebec until the arrival of Montgomery
from Montreal, with a force of fifteen hundred men, of whom a very
small number were French Canadians. At this time there were in {285}
Quebec only some eighteen hundred regular and militia troops, of whom
over five hundred were French Canadians, under Colonel Voyer. No doubt
the American commanders confidently expected to find in Quebec many
active sympathisers who would sooner or later contrive to give the town
into their hands, when these learned that all Canada except the capital
was in the possession of the invading forces.

Many of their men were sick, and the artillery was insufficient for the
siege of the fortress. It was decided then to attempt to seize the
town by a piece of strategy, which was very simple though it had some
chance of success. Arnold was well acquainted with the locality and
entered heartily into the plan which was devised by Montgomery for a
combined attack on Lower Town. Late at night on the 31st December,
during a heavy snowstorm, Montgomery marched from Anse-au-Foulon along
a rough and narrow road between the foot of Cape Diamond and the St.
Lawrence, as far as Pres-de-ville, or what is now Little Champlain
Street. Arnold at the same time advanced from the direction of the St.
Charles. It was arranged that the two parties should meet at the lower
end of Mountain Street and force Prescott Gate, then only a rough
structure of pickets. While the two bodies were carrying out this
plan, attacks were made on the western side of the fortress to distract
the attention of the defenders. Carleton, however, was not taken by
surprise as he had had an intimation of what was likely to happen.
Consequently the garrison was on the alert and {286} Montgomery's force
was swept by a sudden dischar