Despite non-stop wind, bone-chilling cold, and scant food, our entire First Division began to advance up the Dead River shortly after dawn on Thursday, October 19th.

That night the low-hanging clouds opened on us and, thankfully, Colonel Morgan held us in place waiting to see what the Dead River would do with all the “new water.”

Shortly after noon on Friday, October 20th, a messenger from Lt. Col. Greene’s Second Division caught up with our slow-moving column inquiring if we had any food to spare. We don’t.

All the edible food we have left are nine barrels of properly prepared, packed, and sealed flour, salted beef and pork we brought with us from Virginia. At half-rations, this was deemed to be enough to feed our one hundred Virginia Riflemen and the two Pennsylvania Rifle Companies for just five days.

Unfortunately, there is no longer any wild game to be seen around us and it appears the recent floods have flushed all the fish downstream. Though Greene’s messenger tells us they have been reduced to boiling the leather tongues of their shoes in order to subsist, Captain Morgan tells the messenger, “Please inform Lieutenant Colonel Greene, I regret we have no food to spare.”

At dawn, Sunday, October 22nd, we awakened to find the supposedly placid Dead River rising so fast we have to scramble to higher ground for safety.

On Monday, October 23rd, as we were getting underway, we discovered water rushing down the Dead River has already inundated the land on both sides of the river and the surrounding countryside. A half dozen of our First Division batteaux were lost in the maelstrom this morning, including the boat being poled and rowed by 1st Lieutenant William Humphrey. He nearly drowned when his vessel capsized and all their gear was lost.

The near tragedies prompted Colonel Arnold to summon his nearest officers for a “Council of War” at noon the same day. Captain Morgan, 1st Lt. Humphrey, Corporal Sullivan, and I paddled our canoe less than four miles downstream on the Dead River where Colonel Arnold has co-located his headquarters with Lieutenant Colonel Greene’s Second Division.

There, we were joined by Major Return Meigs, commanding officer of the Third Division, Captain Reuben Colburn heading the “Batteaux Repair Unit,” Doctor Isaac Senter, our Expedition Medical Officer, our chaplain, Rev. Samuel Spring, and Lieutenants Steele and Church, leaders of our Scouting Parties.

Colonel Arnold began by asking, “Who here believes we should abandon all hope of liberating Quebec?”

No one did.

By the end of the meeting it was decided:

1. A small scouting party led by Lieutenants Steele and Church will proceed immediately to reconnoiter the fastest route to Lake Mégantic which the three Rifle Companies will follow to secure a rendezvous site for the Expedition on the shores of Lake Mégantic.