rive. Having rested a few
days, on the 9th of November Arnold reached Point Levi, on the right
bank of the St. Lawrence, and immediately opposite to the town of
Quebec. It has been conjectured that if he could have crossed the river
at once, Quebec would have been captured. The wind, however, was so
strong at the time of his approach, that he could not venture, and this
gave time to Colonel Maclean and his Highlanders, who had been falling
back from Fort Chamblee, taken by Montgomery, to get into the menaced
city. On the 14th, the wind having, abated, Arnold crossed the St.
Lawrence and landed in safety. On reaching Quebec he formed his men on
the Heights of Abraham. But they were ill provided for maintaining a
siege, having no artillery, and therefore Arnold proposed nothing
more than to cut off supplies from the garrison till the arrival of
Montgomery. For this purpose he descended from the Heights of Abraham
and retired to Point Aux Trembles, twenty miles above Quebec. At this
place he was very near taking General Carleton and his staff prisoners,
for they had only quitted that place a few hours before his arrival.
Carleton, however, escaped, and arrived in safety at Quebec, where he
instantly set about making every preparation for its defence. Soon
after the two American corps joined, and they marched together to lay
immediate seige to Quebec. Montgomery had brought a little artillery
with him, and about the 20th of December they opened a six-gun battery
within seven hundred yards of the walls. Their artillery, however,
was too light to effect a breach, and they were all, moreover, soon
dismounted by the town-guns, fired by some seamen under the direction
of Colonel Maclean. The American commanders now removed their guns to a
safer distance, still continuing their ineffectual fire, with the hope
of amusing the garrison, and concealing their design of making an
assault in another direction. They now, in fact, were contemplating a
desperate enterprise, and one to which it was a long time before they
could obtain the consent of the officers and men. It was not, indeed,
till the New Eng-landers were promised the privilege of plundering the
town, that they would accede to the wishes of their commanders. But
this golden bait was swallowed, and the men promised to do all that was
wished. Accordingly, on the last day of this year, between four and five
o'clock in the morning, and in the midst of a violent storm of wind and
s