We learned the next day, our arrival the night before went undetected and the St. John’s Gate was open all night and manned by the one casual soldier Lt. Heth observed. Though I could tell this enraged Capt. Morgan, he spoke not a word about it.

Colonel Arnold decided to post nearly fifty Musket Company men as pickets where they can observe the walls and gates. He ordered our Riflemen to serve as the vanguard for moving the balance of the 512 rough men who made it across the river from Pointe Lévis to a place Mr. Halsted chose about a mile west of Quebec City.

The site he picked is the palatial estate of Major Henry Caldwell—commander of the British Militia—and owner of the gristmill on the other side of the river. We approached ready for the action we’d been craving only to find a few sleepy guards who meekly surrendered. Colonel Arnold made the Caldwell mansion his headquarters. The Rifle and Musket companies took up lodging in a perimeter of empty homes nearby.

West Wall of Quebec City, Canada

Tuesday, November 14th, 1775

By sunup, the British garrison was alerted to our presence and were prepared to engage an assault.

Awakened while still in Major Caldwell’s feather bed, Colonel Arnold was informed one of our advance sentries was captured by a small band of the enemy and taken into the city.

Our sentry’s capture convinced Col. Arnold the British were ready to engage in full battle Adjutant so we marched on the walls in a show of force we hoped would at least rally support from the civilian occupants. Beyond a few cheers and jeers from some gathered on the walls, nothing of consequence transpired. That is until young “gentleman volunteer” Matthais Ogden and a drummer were sent under a white flag to read the terms of the garrison’s surrender to Lt. Governor Cramahé.

Standing next to Cramahé, the garrison’s commander, Col. Allan Maclean responded with a wave of his hand which loosed a cannonball that landed close enough to Ogden to spray him and his drummer with frozen soil. Maclean was a seasoned and disciplined soldier with extensive experience in training and leading hardened troops. His experience played a significant role in what was to come for our mission. Having arrived back at Quebec after making a failed attempt to reinforce Carleton in Montreal just hours before Arnold’s force crossed the St. Lawrence, he quickly reset the city’s defense both militarily and by bringing the civilians in line.

West Wall of Quebec City, Canada

Wednesday, November 15th, 1775

To compound our troubles, an inventory of our arms and ammunition was bleak, yielding barely five rounds per man and a number of us without a musket and others not in firing condition. Captain Morgan is near the boiling point by now and takes his concerns to Col. Arnold. As is his practice, his main complaint is on our behalf. The bread we received before leaving Pointe Lévis is long gone and Colonel Arnold has again put everyone on restricted rations.