Battle of the Cedars

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This article is about the American Revolutionary War battle. For the American Civil War battle,
see Third Battle of Murfreesboro.

Battle of the Cedars

Part of the American Revolutionary War

A 1764 map showing part of the island of Montreal (L'Isle de Mont Real)

with the town (Ville Marie) in the upper right. The Cedars (Les Cèdres)

is in the map's lower left corner.

Date May 18–27, 1776

Location Les Cèdres, Quebec, southwest of Montreal
Coordinates: 45.3099°N 74.0353°W
Result Tactical British victory
Strategically indecisive

Belligerents

Great Britain United

Province of Quebec Colonies

Iroquois Canadian

sympathizers

Commanders and leaders

George Forster Isaac

Butterfield (POW)

Henry
Sherburne (POW)
 Benedict Arnold

Strength

40 British regulars Cedars: 400

11 Canadian militia regulars and

204 Iroquois[1] militia[2]

Quinze-Chênes:

100 regulars and

militia[2]

Casualties and losses

Cedars: none[3] Cedars: all

Quinze-Chênes: 1 killed, 4–5 wounded[4] captured[2][3]

Quinze-Chênes:

5–6 casualties,

rest captured[5]

National Historic Site of Canada

Official name Battle of the

Cedars National

Historic Site of
Canada

Designated 1928

[show]

 v

 t

 e
Canadian campaign

The Battle of the Cedars (French: Bataille des Cèdres) was a series of military confrontations
early in the American Revolutionary War during the Continental Army's invasion of Canada that
had begun in September 1775. The skirmishes, which involved limited combat, occurred in May
1776 at and around the Cedars, 45 km (28 mi) west of Montreal, British North America.
Continental Army units were opposed by a small force of British troops leading a larger force
of Indians (primarily Iroquois) and militia.
 Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, commanding the American military garrison at Montreal, had
placed a detachment of his troops at the Cedars in April 1776, after hearing of rumors of British
and Indian military preparations to the west of Montreal. The garrison surrendered on May 19
after a confrontation with a combined force of British and Indian troops led by Captain George
Forster. American reinforcements on their way to the Cedars were also captured after a brief
skirmish on May 20. All of the captives were eventually released after negotiations between
Forster and Arnold, who was bringing a sizable force into the area. The terms of the agreement
required the Americans to release an equal number of British prisoners, but the deal was
repudiated by Congress, and no British prisoners were freed.
Colonel Timothy Bedel and Lieutenant Isaac Butterfield, leaders of the American force at the
Cedars, were court-martialed and cashiered from the Continental Army for their roles in the affair.
After distinguishing himself as a volunteer, Bedel was given a new commission in 1777. News of
the affair included greatly inflated reports of casualties, and often included graphic but false
accounts of atrocities committed by the Iroquois, who made up the majority of the British forces.

Contents
[hide]

 1Background
o 1.1Montreal
o 1.2British call to arms
 2Prelude
 3Battle
o 3.1The Cedars
o 3.2Quinze-Chênes
o 3.3Arnold's relief
 4Aftermath
 5See also
 6Notes
 7References

Background[edit]
Main article: Invasion of Canada (1775)
The Cedars is on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) from
the center of modern Montreal, to the southwest of the western tip of the island of Montreal, from
which it is separated by the Ottawa River. The nearby rapids in the Saint Lawrence
required portage, making the Cedars a strategic landing point for anyone navigating the river to or
from Montreal.[6] Crossing of the Ottawa River was made between Fort Anne and Quinze-
Chênes,[7] now Vaudreuil.[8]
Montreal[edit]
In September 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War, a Continental Army under the
direction first of Major General Philip Schuyler, and later of Brigadier General Richard
Montgomery, invaded the British Province of Quebec. Montreal was taken without a fight on
November 13, following the Siege of Fort St. Jean. Montgomery left a garrison of troops under the
command of Major General David Wooster in control of Montreal before leading the rest of the
army to Quebec City. The occupation of Montreal was poorly managed, and relations between
the Americans and the population, including those supportive of the Americans, deteriorated for a
variety of reasons. One major factor that contributed to the poor relations was the American
interdiction of trade with the Indian populations on the upper St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes,
since the trade goods might be used to support British garrisons in those areas. The fur trade was
economically important to the city, and its absence affected both supporters and opponents of the
American cause.[9]
Major General David Wooster

Following the American losses at the battle of Quebec at the end of 1775, Wooster eventually led
reinforcements to Quebec. He arrived early in April 1776, and the military administration of
Montreal passed temporarily to Colonel Moses Hazen before going to Brigadier General Benedict
Arnold, who had been in command at Quebec. The American forces occupying the city numbered
about 500, with additional forces at posts outside the city. Wooster had reported to General
Schuyler as early as March 5 of rumored scheming between British troops and Indians to the
west of the city.[10] In response to these alarming reports, as well as the unauthorized departures
of two fur traders and Claude de Lorimier, a British Indian agent from Montreal, Hazen had sent
400 troops commanded by Colonel Timothy Bedel of Bedel's Regiment to occupy a strategic
position at the Cedars in early April.[11] Lieutenant Isaac Butterfield led an advance force that
arrived at the Cedars on April 26 and began construction of a wooden stockade fort, fortifying it
with two 4-pound cannons. Bedel and the rest of the detachment arrived on May 6.[12]
British call to arms[edit]
The Indian agent Lorimier traveled west to Oswegatchie, where a company of the 8th Regiment
of Foot under the command of George Forster had occupied Fort de La Présentation.[13] Lorimier
proposed recruiting a force of Indians to launch an attack on Continental forces at Montreal from
the west. When Forster agreed, Lorimier went to Saint Regis, where he recruited 100 Mohawk
men from Akwesasne.[14] Word of these activities led the American rebels to fortify the Cedars.[15]
At Fort Niagara in early May the Loyalist captain, John Butler, held a conference with several
hundred tribesmen, primarily from the Six Nations of the Iroquois, in which his goal was to break
pledges of neutrality some of them had made in 1775. Butler, an experienced Indian agent, plied
the natives with liquor and tales of combat; he convinced more than 50 Seneca, Cayuga,
and Onondaga warriors to join the British cause, as well as some warriors from further
west.[16] Historians are uncertain whether any of these recruits participated in the action at the
Cedars, but it appears unlikely. Stanley (1973) is of the opinion that Indian participation was
limited to those recruited by Lorimier, who went as far as Gananoque to recruit.[17] Lanctot
(1967) and Smith do not identify any specific tribes participating in the action.[2][18][19]
James Stanley Goddard, one of the fur traders who left with Lorimier, traveled further west in an
ultimately unsuccessful effort to raise an Indian force to oppose the Americans occupying
Quebec. He reached Fort Michilimackinac in June, where the British commander, Captain Arent
DePeyster, sent him recruiting among the Menominee and Winnebagotribes near Green Bay.
DePeyster also sent out Joseph Ainsse, a local Indian interpreter, to recruit from tribes closer to
the fort. None of the Indians recruited by these men reached Montreal until well after the
Americans had left the city.[20]
Prelude[edit]
Once forces began assembling at Oswegatchie, Lorimier made arrangements with a sympathetic
priest near the Cedars for the provisioning of supplies for the troops. With the assistance of some
men of the 8th Foot, he strategically hid several shallow-draft boats, known as bateaux, near a
point where the Saint Lawrence River could be crossed.[14]
Forster left Oswegatchie on May 12 with about 40 regular troops, 10 British and French-
speaking Canadien militia, and 160 Iroquois. On May 14, they picked up 44 more Iroquois at
Saint Francis, and camped at the western end of Saint Francis Lake on May 16.[21] On May 17,
Forster received scouting reports about the troop strength at the Cedars. The Indians were
concerned about the number of troops, but news that the Americans were in retreat from Quebec
emboldened them to act.[22]
On May 15, Bedel left the Cedars, leaving Butterfield in charge of the fort. Bedel later claimed that
the reason for his departure was to meet with the friendly Caughnawaga Indians. In his court
martial, the judges concluded this claim was suspect.[23] He returned to Montreal and reported that
a force of 150 British troops of the 8th Foot and about 500 Iroquois commanded by Forster was
approaching. On this news, Colonel John Paterson sent Major Henry Sherburne with 140 men
from his regiment toward the Cedars.[24] Arnold, who was meeting with the retreating Continental
Army command at Sorel, returned to Montreal when the news reached him and set about
organizing a larger relief force.[25]

Battle[edit]
The Cedars[edit]

Map showing military movements. British movements are in red; American movements are in blue.

Forster's force landed near the American-occupied fort on May 18, and sent in a demand for
surrender. Butterfield countered with a request to withdraw under arms, which Forster refused.
The parties exchanged fire. During the course of the exchange, Forster received word that
Sherburne had crossed the Ottawa River from the island of Montreal to Quinze-Chênes, but,
believing the Cedars to have fallen already, had retreated back across the river. This news
caused the besiegers to redouble their efforts the next day. Additional help arrived for the British
in the form of about 40 Canadiens under Jean-Baptiste Testard de Montigny; Forster sent them to
harass Sherburne. Word then came to Forster that Sherburne had resumed his advance;
Butterfield, unaware of this, surrendered the fort.[22][26] The terms of capitulation included a
guarantee of the personal safety of the captured men. The Iroquois plundered the fort's stores,
and denied some of the captives small pouches of sometimes valuable personal items.[27]
Quinze-Chênes[edit]
Sherburne reached Fort Anne, across the Ottawa River from Quinze-Chênes, on May 17. A scout
he sent across the river the next day was captured by Lorimier. The scout was allowed to notify
Sherburne of his capture; in his message he included a claim that 500 Indians had surrounded
the fort at the Cedars. Consequently, Sherburne decided to delay crossing the river, and sent
word back to Montreal requesting further assistance.[8]
Sherburne decided to advance on May 20. Some of his men were apparently suffering from the
aftereffects of smallpox, so these were left behind. Sherburne landed about 100 of his men at
Quinze-Chênes, about 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Cedars. When word of this crossing
reached Forster, he ordered Lorimier to take 100 Indians and stop Sherburne. Lorimier was at
first only able to raise 40 warriors, but was joined on the way by another 40. Sherburne, not
realizing that Butterfield had already surrendered, marched his troops right at Lorimier's
advancing force. They fought for about 40 minutes before Sherburne, believing he was being
attacked by a much larger force, surrendered.[27] The Iroquois claimed these captives as war
spoils, since they were not part of the fort's garrison, and prepared to kill some of them in
retaliation for their own losses. Only the intervention of Forster, who paid a ransom, prevented
this; it did not prevent the Iroquois from stripping the prisoners of all but their clothes.[4]
Arnold's relief[edit]

Brigadier General Benedict Arnold

Following his successes, Forster moved his forces, including all of the prisoners, down to Quinze-
Chênes, where more Loyalist militia had assembled. Leaving some of the prisoners there, he
advanced on May 23 to Fort Senneville, a fortified works on the southwest tip of Montreal island
that was owned by Montigny.[4] In the meantime, Arnold gathered most of the few remaining
forces in Montreal, and sent requests to the outposts around the city for additional troops. By May
24, he was entrenched at Lachine, south of the city, and his force had reached 450 men. Forster
began to advance on Lachine, but decided to retreat back to Quinze-Chênes when his scouts
notified him of Arnold's position. He also received intelligence from Montreal that Arnold's force
was going to be massively reinforced—the reported number of reinforcements was 1,500 to
2,000 men, more than Arnold had available in the area.[28][29]
Once his scouts reported Forster's retreat, Arnold gave chase. He reached Fort Senneville (which
he burned) on May 26, just as Forster's men were landing on the far shore at Quinze-
Chênes.[30][31] Arnold decided to send a group of Caughnawagas, who were friendly to the
Americans, with a demand that Forster release his prisoners and a threat that he would destroy
area Indian villages if any of the prisoners were harmed. Forster countered that he would permit
his Indians to kill the prisoners if Arnold attacked.[31] Arnold attempted to cross the Ottawa River
with some of his men in bateaux, but Forster used the four-pounders captured at the Cedars to
drive them back.[31]

Movements after the battle:

· A,B: British move to Fort Senneville, May 20–23
· C: British retreat, May 24–25
· D,E: American advance to Ottawa River crossing, May 26

Arnold called a war council so the Americans could consider their options. He wanted to mount a
surprise attack the next morning; Hazen, who had acquired significant experience fighting Indians
in the French and Indian War, argued against the idea. The disagreement between the two men
was severe enough that it nearly provoked Arnold to file charges of insubordination against
Hazen. The council decided not to act, voting Arnold's proposed attack down.[32] Early in the
morning of May 27, a boat crossed the river carrying Sherburne and Forster's deputy, Lieutenant
Parke. Forster, whose forces were somewhat reduced as some of the Indians had returned to
their homes, had negotiated a prisoner exchange with Sherburne and Butterfield. After further
negotiations, both Arnold and Forster agreed to terms. The American prisoners were returned to
Arnold at Fort Anne on May 30, after being delayed for two days by high winds on the river.[33][34]

Aftermath[edit]
The Americans never held up their side of the prisoner exchange. Formally repudiating the
agreement over the protests of George Washington, Congress accused Forster of mistreating
American prisoners by turning them over to the Indians. In a breach of etiquette, the letter
containing the repudiation was delivered to Lieutenant General John Burgoyne, instead of the
British commander-in-chief and governor of the province, Guy Carleton.[33] The Congressional
action may have been tainted by overly lurid accounts of the action—Charles Carroll, part of a
Congressional delegation that was in Montreal at the time, reported that "a hundred or more
[American troops] were barbarously murdered by savages."[35] Arnold's report of the incident
included otherwise unsubstantiated allegations that two prisoners were killed by Forster's
Indians.[32] Some histories of the action (for example, the 1882 history by Jones) include accounts
of significant atrocities committed by the Indians, but little supporting evidence has been found.
The Congressional repudiation complicated an attempted prisoner exchange in 1781 involving
Burgoyne and Henry Laurens, a congressman from South Carolina whom the British were
holding in the Tower of London; Laurens was eventually freed in exchange for a promise to help
negotiate Lord Cornwallis's release.[36][37]
Arnold initially blamed Bedel for the defeat. He removed both Bedel and Butterfield from
command and sent them to Sorel for court-martial. Due to the army's retreat, the two men were
not tried until August 1, 1776, at Fort Ticonderoga. Both were convicted and cashiered from the
army.[38] Bedel continued to volunteer his services, and following Burgoyne's surrender at
Saratoga in October 1777, he was given a new commission by Congress.[39][40]
The site of some of the skirmishes was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in
1928.[41][42]
See also[edit]
 List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Quebec

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ The conventional record of this battle, based mostly on American reports, is 500
Indians and 100 non-Indians (sometimes all characterized as British troops). Kingsford (1893), p.
59, lists these numbers, and, on preceding pages, describes in detail how they are justified.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Lanctot (1967), p. 141
3. ^ Jump up to:a b None of the principal sources describing this action (Smith, Stanley, Kingsford,
Lanctot) give any indication that anyone was killed or wounded in the action at The Cedars.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c Kingsford (1893), p. 51
5. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 373
6. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 365
7. Jump up^ Quinze-Chênes ("Fifteen oaks" in English) was the name of the place at the time. The
place was later also known as Quinze Chiens ("fifteen dogs") or Vaudreuil.
8. ^ Jump up to:a b Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 372
9. Jump up^ These events are recounted in great detail in e.g. Smith (1907), Vol 1, Lanctot (1967),
and Stanley (1973).
10. Jump up^ Wooster (1885), pp. 122–123
11. Jump up^ Lanctot (1967), p. 141, establishes the date, but incorrectly assumes Arnold issued the
order. Arnold was still at Quebec City (as was Wooster) on April 2. Arnold confirmed the order
when he arrived in Montreal later in April (Smith Vol 2, p. 365).
12. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 366
13. Jump up^ Leighton (2000)
14. ^ Jump up to:a b Kingsford (1893), pp. 63–64
15. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 363
16. Jump up^ Glatthaar (2007), pp. 112–113
17. Jump up^ Stanley (1973), p. 119
18. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 367
19. Jump up^ Early histories of this action—e.g. Stone (1838) (p. 153) and Beers (1883) (p. 93)—
claim that Joseph Brant was among the Indian leaders participating in this action. This assertion is
largely based on the behavior of one of the warriors and Arnold's memoirs; Smith (Vol 2, p. 596)
documents that Brant went to England in November 1775, and did not return to New York until
June 1776. Barbara Graymont's recent biography of Brant (Graymont (2000)) does not mention
the event at all.
20. Jump up^ Barnett (2003), p. 27
21. Jump up^ Kingsford (1893), p. 46
22. ^ Jump up to:a b Kingsford (1893), pp. 47–48
23. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 593
24. Jump up^ Jones (1882), p. 55
25. Jump up^ Martin (1997), p. 210
26. Jump up^ Angus (1955), p. 195
27. ^ Jump up to:a b Kingsford (1893), pp. 49–50
28. Jump up^ Martin (1997), p. 211
29. Jump up^ Kingsford (1893), p. 52
30. Jump up^ Kingsford (1893), p. 54
31. ^ Jump up to:a b c Martin (1997), p. 212
32. ^ Jump up to:a b Kingsford (1893), p. 55
33. ^ Jump up to:a b Kingsford (1893), p. 56
34. Jump up^ Martin (1997), p. 214
35. Jump up^ Kingsford (1893), p. 60
36. Jump up^ Cobbett (1814), pp. 860–862
37. Jump up^ Brant (2007), pp. 182–185
38. Jump up^ Jones (1882), pp. 56–57
39. Jump up^ Smith (1907), Vol 2, p. 471
 40. Jump up^ Metcalf (1915), p. 499
41. Jump up^ Battle of the Cedars National Historic Site of Canada. Directory of Federal Heritage
Designations. Parks Canada.
42. Jump up^ Battle of the Cedars National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic
Places.

References[edit]
 Angus, Alexander David (1955). Old Quebec, in the days before our day (2nd ed.). Montreal: Louis
Carrier. OCLC 1296490.
 Barnett, LeRoy; Rosentreter, Roger (2003). Michigan's Early Military Forces: A Roster and History of
Troops Activated Prior to the American Civil War. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-
8143-3081-4. OCLC 50899172.
 Beers, J.H. (1883). The History of the County of Brant, Ontario. Toronto: Warner, Beers, &
Co. OCLC 35790361.
 Brant, Irving (2007). James Madison the Nationalist 1780–1787. Indianapolis: Read Books. ISBN 978-
1-4067-2221-5. OCLC 3390344.
 Cobbett, William; Wright, John; Hansard, Thomas Curson (1814). The Parliamentary History of
England, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1803. Volume 22 (1781–1782). London: Longman, Hurst,
Rees, Orme & Brown. OCLC 28837253.
 Glatthaar, Joseph T.; Martin, James Kirby Martin (2007). Forgotten Allies: The Oneida Indians and the
American Revolution. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-8090-4600-3. OCLC 144227352.
 Graymont, Barbara (1983). "Thayendanegea". In Halpenny, Francess G. Dictionary of Canadian
Biography. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
 Jones, Charles Henry (1882). History of the Campaign for the Conquest of Canada in 1776: From the
Death of Montgomery to the Retreat of the British Army Under Sir Guy Carleton. Philadelphia: Porter &
Coates. OCLC 2110167.
 Kingsford, William (1893). The History of Canada, Volume 6. Toronto: Roswell &
Hutchinson. OCLC 3676642. Of the sources included here, Kingsford provides a lengthy and
somewhat detailed account of the British view of the action.
 Lanctot, Gustave (1967). Canada and the American Revolution 1774–1783. Cameron, Margaret M.
[translator]. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. OCLC 2468989.
 Leighton, Douglas (2000). "Biography of Claude-Nicolas-Guillaume de Lorimier". Dictionary of
Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
 Martin, James Kirby (1997). Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary War Hero. New York: New York University
Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-5646-1. OCLC 48841329.
 Metcalf, Henry Harrison; et al. (1915). The Granite State Monthly. Volume 47. Manchester, NH: Granite
Monthly Co. OCLC 2447262.
 Smith, Justin H (1907). Our Struggle for the Fourteenth Colony. Volumes 1 and 2. New York: G.P.
Putnam's Sons. OCLC 259236.
 Stanley, George (1973). Canada Invaded 1775–1776. Toronto: Hakkert. ISBN 978-0-88866-578-
2. OCLC 4807930.
 Stone, William Leete (1838). Life of Joseph Brant-Thayendanegea. New York: Alexander V.
Blake. OCLC 3182176.
 Wooster, David; Osborn, Elbert (1885). Genealogy of the Woosters in America. San Francisco: M.
Weiss. OCLC 666535. (contains transcripts of General Wooster's letters while in command at Montreal)