Delegates to Congress . Letters of delegates to Congress, 1774-1789, Volume 4, May 16 1776-August 15 1776
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Commissioners to To: Canada to John Hancock


Sir
Montreal May 27. 1776.

   We refer you to the inclosed letter from Genl. Thomas of the 20th instant for the reasons which induced him to order Colo. Maxwell to retreat from 3 Rivers to Sorel.(1) He has since given orders, as we are informed by Genl. Thompson's letter of the 20th


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to remove all the Artillery & Artillery Stores from the mouth of Sorel without the least consultation with the Genl. Officers. We have reason to beleive that there is not that good understanding & free communication of sentiments between the General Officers, which we think essential for the good of the service. General Thomas is now at Chambly under the Small pox; being taken with that disorder, he left the Camp at Sorel, & wrote to General Wooster to come and take the Command. When the interest of our Country, and the safety of your Army is at Stake we think it a very improper time to conceal our sentiments either with respect to persons or things. General Wooster is in our opinion unfit, totally unfit, to Command your Army & conduct the war; we have hitherto prevailed on him to remain in Montreal, his stay in this Colony is unnecessary & even prejudicial to our Affairs, we would therefore humbly advise his recall.

   In our last we informed you of the deplorable state of the Army. Matters have not mended since we went to the Mouth of Sorel last week, where we found all things in confusion, there is little or no discipline among your Troops nor can any be kept up, while the practice of Enlisting for a twelve Month continues. The General Officers are all of this Opinion. Your Army is badly paid and so exhausted is your Credit, that even a Cart cannot be procured without ready Money or force. We will give you an instance of the lowness of your Credit. 3 barrels of gunpowder were ordered from Chambly to Montreal. This powder was brought from Chambly to a ferry about 3 Miles off, where it would have remained, had we not luckily passed by, and seeing the distress of the Officer, under taken to pay ready and hard money for the hire of a cart to convey it to Longueul. The Army is in a distressed condition, and in want of the most Necessary articles. Meat, Bread, tents, Shoes, Stockings, Shirts &c. The greatest part of those who fled from Quebec left all their baggage behind them, or it was plundered by those whose times were out, & have since left Canada. We are informed by Colo. Allen that the Men, who from pretended indisposition had been excused from doing duty, were the foremost in the flight, and carried off such burthens on their backs as hearty & stout Men would labour under.

   With difficulty 3 hundred tents and about 2 hundred Camp kettles were procured here, & sent to the Sorel for the use of the Army, and were delivered, as we are informed, to one Major Fuller, who acted in the room of Mr Campbell D.Q.M.G., who had joined the Army at the Sorel, but a day or two before our arrival there. Among other instances of mismanagement we give the following, Colo. Nicholson's regiment consisting only of one Hundred Men received 30 tents and 31 camp kettles, Colo. Porters Regt. not exceeding that number rec'd 56 Tents & 33 kettles.

   Your Army in Canada does not exceed 4000. Above 400 are sick


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with different disorders. 3/4ths of the Army have not had the small Pox. The greater part of Greatons, Bonds, & Burrels Regts. have been lately innoculated. There are about Eight Tons of Gunpowder in the Colony. To evince the great distress we are reduced to for want of bread, we must inform you, that we were obliged to buy 30 Loaves of bread of our baker, to feed Colo. De Haas detachment, which entered this town Friday Night on their way to join General Arnold at La Chine and who could not be supplied by the Commissary; Such is our extreme want of flour, that we were yesterday obliged to seize by force 15 bbs to supply this garrison with bread; previous to this seizure a general order was issued to the town Major to wait on the Merchants or others having provisions or Merchandize for Sale, requesting a delivery of what our Troops are in immediate want of & requiring him to give a receipt expressing the quantity delivered, for the payment of which, the faith of the United Colonies is pledged by your Commissioners. Nothing but the most urgent necessity can justify such harsh measures, but men with arms in their hands will not starve, where provisions can be obtained by force: to prevent a general plunder which might end in the Massacre of your Troops & of many of the Inhabitants we have been constrained to advise the General to take this Step. We cannot conceal our concern that Six Thousand Men should be ordered to Canada without taking care to have Magazines formed for their Subsistance, cash to pay them, or to pay the Inhabitants for their Labour, in transporting the baggage, Stores, and provisions of the Army. We cannot find words strong enough to describe our Miserable Situation, you will have a faint Idea of it if you figure to yourself an Army broken and disheartned, half of it under innoculation or under other diseases, Soldiers without pay, without discipline and altogether reduced to live from hand to mouth, depending on the scanty & precarious Supplies of a few half Starved cattle & triffling quantities of flour which have hitherto been picked up in different parts of the Country.

   Your Soldiers grumble for their pay; if they receive it, they will not be benefitted as it will not procure them the necessaries they stand in need of. Your Military chest contains but eleven thousand paper Dollars. You are indebted to your Troops treble that sum and to the Inhabitants above 15000 dollars. You have no adjutant General, a most important Officer, General Thomas appointed a Man totally unfit for the Office, as we are informed by General Thompson & Colo. Sinclair. On General Arnolds recommendation Colo. Antil now does that duty & We gave him Expectation of being paid. We are by no means proper judges of his abilities & fitness for that Station but we are informed, that it requires a Gentleman of great activity and abilities. You have no muster master, We have Authority only to fill up such Vacancys as may happen during our



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   Continuance in Canada. We met Mr. Flemming appointed by Congress Deputy Adjutant for this Colony, in [New York?], and Captn. Rensselaer the Deputy Muster Master passed Us on the Lake. In some few Instances it may be necessary to make new appointments. E.G. more Deputy Commissaries and Deputy, or Assistant Quarter Masters. Your Generals here have hitherto exercised that power.

   The Detachment of 150 Men mentioned in our last to have been sent to the relief of the Cedars under the Command of Major Sherburne were intercepted; we were some time before we could learn the fate of both parties. General Arnold upon his arrival from Sorel set off with a party of 100 Men & took post and Entrenched at La Chine about 9 Miles from this City; Captn Young with a Small Detachment posted at Fort St. Ann on the end of this Island evacuted his post and retreated back leaving the provisions & Stores, on a report that some Indians were landed on the Island. His post might have been defended some days until relief could be sent. General Arnold was soon reinforced by part of Greatons Regt. & some other Troops. Colo. De Haas with 110 Riffle Men & 300 Musqueteers was despatched immediately from Sorel. By the best Intelligence we can get, the enemy are about Six hundred, abt 40 or 50 Regulars, 300 Inds. & 250 Canadians. They have the two pieces of Cannon taken from Colo. Bedels party and were Yesterday within three Miles of General Arnolds Camp, but finding he had been reinforced made a precipitate retreat. Colo. De Haas set off at Six oClock yesterday Morning to endeavour to cut off their retreat, & General Arnold was to follow in a few Minutes in persuit of them. We hope hourly to hear that our prisoners are liberated, & the Enemy routed. The Canadians being threatened to have their habitations destroyed by the Savages, thro' fear are induced to join the Savages. We have also a party of Canadians. We enclose You Copies of Letters from Genls Thomas, Arnold & Thompson (2) and are, Sir, with great Respect to yourself & the Congress, Yr. Most Obedt. Servants,Samuel Chase

   Ch. Carroll of Carrollton

   May 28. 1776

   Tuesday General Arnold arrived on Sunday Evening with the Troops, at St. Anns just in time to see the Savages carrying off from an Island the last boat Load of our unhappy prisoners.(3) He had no Boats to follow them. He sent a Caghnawaga Chief to the Savages to inform them if they injured any of our Prisoners that he would destroy their Villages & follow them to the end of the Earth. They replied If he attempted to cross over or attack them that they would immediately kill all their prisoners & for that purpose had collected them together. A Council of war notwithstanding determined to attack them, & the Kings Troops in the morning. Lieut. Park was


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sent by Captn. Forster to inform Genl. Arnold that the Savages were determined to kill their prisoners if attacked, that he could not control them & therefore from the Dictates of Humanity, he would propose to release all our prisoners, on Condition that they should not bear Arms agt. the King during the War, & that an equal number of his Majesties Troops of the same Rank should be returned in Exchange. This proposal was rejected by Genl. Arnold. The inclosed is a Copy of the agreement entered into. This hyprocritical, insidious, base & wicked Conduct of a British Officer needs few Comments. The Governors, Agents & Officers of a British King incite the Savages to join them in a war against these Colonies without the least provocation or Injury. No cause of Quarrel Subsists between the Savages & the Colonies. If by the Chance of War any of our Troops are made prisoners they are delivered by the King's Officers into the Murderous hands of those Cruel & barbarous savages; contrary to the practice & usage of every civilized Nation in the World; the British Troops secure their safety by Threats from the Savages to murder the Prisoners if attacked. Captn. Forster alledged he had it not in his power to controul the Savages from an act, which he declares to be opposite, & contrary to the humane Disposition of the British Govt. & to all civilized Nations. If the Commander of British forces cannot controul the Savages from Committing acts of Cruelty & Barbarity, why do they incite them to Arm agt. Us or act in Conjunction with Barbarians whose Savage Customs they condemned? This same Conduct in the French during the last War, was censured and execrated by the British Nation. Captn. Forster had sufficient Influence over the Savages to induce them to deliver up their prisoners (tho' our Troops surrendered to him) in order to procure an Exchange of so many of the Kings Troops now our prisoners, he could controul their will for the Advantage of the British Nation, but had not the least Influence over them to prevent the Murdering our people in Cold Blood. The fear of the Indians of being attacked by our forces was only a pretext, for Captn. Forster appears desirous of Commencing Hostilities before the Expiration of the time limited. Five or Six of our prisoners were murdered by the Indians, in the most cruel manner after the Surrender, The whole were Stripped, contrary to the Terms of Capitulation, and drove in a Neck of Land: during a very stormy & tempestuous Night. Colo. Reads & [Starks?] Regts. arrived at St Johns Saturday Evening. The Letter from Genl. Thomas to Genl. Wooster of which the enclosed is Copy, this Minute came to hand.


Note:

   RC (DNA: PCC, item 166). In a clerical hand and signed by Carroll and Chase. Received and read in Congress on June 6, 1776. JCC, 5:420.



1 See Am. Archives, 4th ser. 6:592.



2 See ibid., pp. 588-97; and JCC, 5:420.



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3 For an account of this entire affair, see Justin H. Smith, Our Struggle for the Fourteenth Colony: Canada and the American Revolution, 2 vols, (New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons, l907), 2:367-80. See also Arm. Archives, 4th ser. 6:595-600.