Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775

by Thomas A. Desjardin

Book Overview

In September 1775, eleven hundred soldiers boarded ships in Newburyport, bound for the Maine wilderness. They were American colonists who had volunteered for a secret mission to paddle and march nearly two hundred miles through some of the wildest country in the colonies and seize the fortress city of Quebec, the last British stronghold in Canada. The march, under the command of Colonel Benedict Arnold, proved to be a tragic journey. Before they reached...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312339046
• ISBN13: 9780312339043
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Composite Tale From Sometimes Questionable Sources

Arnold's march to Quebec is a subject that an historian can research almost completely with little effort. Kenneth Roberts did us all a favor with his 1938 "March To Quebec" while writing Arundel, a fictional account of the campaign, which included almost all of the known and important journals by members of Arnold's expedition. Desjardin could almost have written his book from this single source, and in fact his end notes reference Roberts extensively. The journals contained in Roberts and an additional two dozen references cover 99+ percent of the known information concerning the march and the battle for Quebec with Roberts accounting for probably 80%. In short, this book is a weaving of those journals into a narrative, complete with the inaccuracies and exaggerations in those journals. Most of the references listed are peripheral to the journals, even the primary sources, and the chapter on "America'a Hannibal" is superfluous in that it deals with Arnold in other campaigns. The reader is cautioned that this light read lacks the depth of analysis and discussion normally expected in a historical work. One could read the journals contained in Roberts's book and perhaps come away with a better appreciation of the travails and experiences of this campaign. The march itself was probably best handled in an unreferenced work of 1903 by Justin Smith, "Arnold's March From Cambridge To Quebec." John Codman's 1901 work, "Arnold's Expedition to Quebec" also covers the ground well, although it contains information that has been impossible to verify from other sources or critical analysis. The battle is covered relatively poorly in primary sources, with the usual contradictory accounts, especially with respect to Arnold's attack on the lower town. Morgan's actions at the barricades fall more properly into the realm of myth-making, although clearly the riflemen fought as well as they could. The saga of the captured Americans, (of which my Great-great-great-grandfather James Dougherty of Smith's Lancaster Riflemen and who then violated his parole and fought in Washington's army until 1783 was one), is covered at any length only in Henry's journal, a page of two in others including several British sources, and a few letters and other documents such as those by James Dougherty. That Quebec would never have become the 14th colony to rebel and the capture of Quebec would have cost the patriots more than they would gain is also a fairly common opinion among historians. In short, I recommend other works concerning Arnold's expedition for the casual historian of the Revolutionary period such as Roberts for the journals, Smith for a critical analysis of the march, and Arthur Lefkowitz's "Benedict Arnold's Army" for the overall invasion. But Desjardin's book is what it is, a composite of the stories as recorded by the participants.

Excellent Treatment of an Overlooked Campaign

Thomas A. Desjardin has filled a large gap in the historiography of the American Revolution with his book _Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775_. This expediton has long needed a detailed tactical treatment, and, faced with a real challenge, Desjardin was again risen to the occasion with an excellent study of a doomed campaign. 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.

The March to Quebec in Detail

This is a small but fact-filled work which is an easy read and brings its subject to life. Mr. Desjardin's position as Historic Site Specialist for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands shows through with his very detailed descriptions of the personalities and terrain involved in the expedition. I would suggest that a reader have some familiarity with the history before picking up this work, since the author concentrates completely on his subject. I read this just after "George Washington and Benedict Arnold" by Palmer and "Benedict Arnold's Navy" by Nelson, and enjoyed the book's detail because I already knew the context. As with any "trek" story, the march to Canada can be tedious for some readers. Take heart! The writing is easy to read and the story flows.

Good Historic Read

Being an expatriot 'Mainer'I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had read Kenneth Robert's ARUNDEL too many years ago to remember, and found this a refreshing reminder of one of the great (if devestating) marches in United States History. It might have been intersting to follow up a bit more on where soldiers who returned settled. In know that in Diane and Jack Barnes's book IMAGES OF AMERICA, LAKE REGION (Bridgton, Harrison, Otisfield, Waterford, and Bridgton and Saco River Railroad (Arcadia Publishing, 1998) there is a statement to the effect that some of these towns were orginally settled by people returning from Arnold's March. Incidently, people were still discovering parts of old flintlocks, buttons and other artifacts of the March along its route back in the 1950's and '60's. I highly recommend the book to any interested in revolutionary history, hikers (who would like to 're-do' the route or parts of it) and anyone who likes fascinating true stories.

When Men were Men!

This compact, highly readable book does a tremendous job recapturing the incredible journey of Arnold's little army through the Maine Wilderness. It is a page turner. This reader felt exhausted just reading about the trek - Arnold and his men must have had incredible stamina and fortitude. I especially like the graceful nod to one of our great novelists-cum-historian, Kenneth Roberts. Desjardin follows Roberts in documenting with considerable sympathy the tremendous leadership skills of Arnold. The fate of Enis, one of Arnold's division commanders (well with 250 men, company commander is more accurate), is very important and well described by Desjardin. Despite deserting Arnold, endangering the entire mission and causing the death of men through starvation, Enis received an acquittal when he was courtmartialed. This says a lot about the politics surrounding the Army and must have stuck with Arnold years later when contemplating going over to the British. As other reviewers have commented, Desjardin makes a strong case that by seriously threatening Quebec without taking it, the Americans forced the British to divide their forces which ultimately led to Burgoyne's defeat by, that's right, Arnold at Saratoga. Perhaps Desjardin can turn his talents to that battle and the rest of Arnold's turbulent career.