When the bateaux laden with men in blue and white—Anthony Wayne’s regiment—had passed, the river was alive with bateaux bearing soldiers dressed in dark blue with red facings. These were Pennsylvania troops—the First Pennsylvania; and jostling along behind them came bateaux filled with men in brown and buff; with more in gray trimmed with blue, every man’s musket tipped with a bayonet. Their uniforms were handsome and new, and each soldier’s hair was clubbed and neatly tied. Even their women, who came last of all in the bateaux that carried the baggage, were decked out in bright colors and stylish sunbonnets; and though they were noisy, like most camp women, they were none of them drunk, not that I could see.

Nowhere—not in St. James’s Park even—had I seen regiments better equipped or more soldierly. When they clambered ashore, they formed ranks like veterans and went swinging off to the old British barracks as if they owned Canada; and I, watching them, was filled with pride and confidence.

Over two hundred bateaux were packed along the banks of the Richelieu when this beautiful new brigade was all ashore; and not only were there thousands of men, gay in their regimentals, but the waterfront was ablaze with sentry fires; and between the fires were piles of stores under guard—cannon, ammunition, provisions: everything that had hitherto been lacking for the success and well-being of our people in Canada.

There was only one unpleasant aspect to the business: I found myself wishing that Nathaniel could be with me to see these fine regiments; and it dawned on me that I would never have had such a wish unless, deep in my heart, there still remained dark doubts about him. I told myself that he was safe, since a task had been set for him by Arnold, and he had gone uncomplainingly off on it with Verrieul; and then, remembering how Nason had told Arnold that we were all right, I still felt doubts, and kicked myself for feeling them.

… The six York troopers came back to work when the new regiments had landed, though I had expected never to lay eyes on them again; and they were excited over what they had seen.

“By gravy,” the ringleader announced, “if we’d had equipment like that, we’d ’a’ tooken Quebec to pieces and throwed it in the river!”

“That’s what these men ought to do,” I said. “I don’t believe you’d find better troops than these anywhere, not even in England.”