Pictorial History of America from the Earliest Times to the Close of the Mexican War Volume 2; Embracing the Most Remarkable Events Which Have Transpired Since the Discovery (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: QUXBia INVASION OF CANADA. OLONEL ARNOLD having begun his military career with a series of successes, was urged by his native impetuosity to project more extensive operations. He wrote a letter to Congress, strongly urging an expedition into Canada, and offering with two thousand men to reduce the whole province. In his ardent zeal to oppose Great Britain, he had advised the adoption of offensive war, even before Congress had organized an army or rpointed a single military officer. His importunity was at last successful, a shall hereafter be related, but not till two months had elapsed subsequent .' s first proposition of conducting an expedition against Canada. Such a the increasing fervour of the public mind in 1775, that what, in theearly part of the year, was deemed violent and dangerous, was in its progress pronounced both moderate and expedient. Sir Guy Carleton, the king's governor in Canada, no sooner heard that the Americans had surprised Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and obtained the command of Lake Champlain, than he planned a scheme for their recovery. Having only a few regular troops under his command, he endeavoured to induce the Canadians and Indians to co-operate with him, but they both declined. He established martial law that he might compel the inhabitants to take arms. They declared themselves ready to defend the province, but refused to march out of it, or to commence hostilities on their neighbours. Colonel Johnston had, on the same occasion, repeated conferences with the Indians, and endeavoured to influence them to take up the hatchet, but they steadily refused. In order to gain their co-operation, he invited them to feast on a Bostonian, and to drink his blood. This, in the Indian style, meant no more than to partake of a roasted ox and a pipe...