"pedient to kindle up a small fire at Albany, where we may hear cach other's voice, and disclose our minds fully to one another." The other remarkable transactions of this Congress, were the ultimate refusal of the conciliatory proposal made by lord North, of which such sanguine expectations had been formed by the English ministry; and the appointment of a generalissimo to command their armies which were now tha very numerous. The person chosen for this purpose was, • George Washington, a man universally beloved; he was raised to the high station of Commander in Chief, by the unanimous voice of Congress, in 1775: and his subsequent conduct shewed him every way worthy of it. Horatio Gates, and Charles Lee, two English officers of consideraoftir ble reputation, were also chosen, the former adjutant-general, the latter major-general. Artemas Ward, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Putnam, were likewise nominated major-generals. Seth Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, mere David Wooster, William Heath, John Thomas, John Sulenter livan, and Nathaniel Green, were chosen brigadier-generals er, at the same time, About this period Georgia sent deputies to congress exstrony pressing their desire to join the confederacy. The reasons hand they gave for their renouncing their allegiance to Britain e their was, that the conduct of parliament towards the other coake felonies had been oppressive; and though the obnoxious acts Thich we had not been extended to them, they could view this only ses, and as an omission because of the seeming little consequence ing out of their colony; and therefore looked upon it rather as a go tot slight than a favour. At the same time, they framed a Licular petition to the king, similar to that sent by the other colo, e of om nies, and which met a similar reception. tup ou th you; The success which had hitherto attended the Americans now emboldened them to act offensively against Great Britain. The conquest of Canada appeared to be practica Weder ble, and which would be attended with many advantages; vith you and as Crown Point and Ticonderoga were already in their till the hands, the invasion that way might be easily effected, and toties supposed that Quebec might be reducedasily disegreter, before the fleets and armies, which they were well as Congress therefore ordered three thousan the command of generals Montgomery and proceed to Lake Champlain, from whence th conveyed in flat-bottomed boats to the mout Sorel, a branch of the river St. Lawrence, is situated a fort of the same name with the r other hand they were opposed by general C ernor of Canada, a man of great activity and war; who with a small number of troops, b to keep in awe the disaffected people in Car standing all the representations of the coloni now augmented his army with a number of promised, even in his present situation, to ma dable resistance. When General Montgomery arrived at he received information that several armed stationed at St. Johns, a strong fort on the view to prevent his crossing the lake: on w possession of an island which commands t the Sorel, and by which he could prevent the tering the lake. In conjunction with Gene he next proceeded to St. Johns; but findir too strong, it was agreed in a council of warIsle aux Noix, where general Schuyler bei Montgomery was left to command alone. H was to gain over the Indians, whom General employed, and this he in part accomplished; on receiving the full number of troops appo expedition, he determined to lay siege to S this he was the more encouraged by the Chamblee, a small fort in the neighbourhoo found a large supply of powder. An attem by General Carleton to relieve the place; fo pose, he collected about one thousand Car colonel Maclean proposed to raise a regiment landers, who had emigrated from their ow America. But while General Carleton was on his these new levies, he was attacked by the pro defeated; which being made known to Mace they abandoned him without striking a blow obliged to retreat to Quebec The defeat Carleton was considered as a sufficient recompense for that of colonel Ethan Allen, which had happened a short time previous to this. The success of colonel Allen against Crown point and Ticonderoga had emboldened him to make a similar attempt on Montreal; but the militia of the place supported by a detachment of regulars, entirely defeated him, and he was taken prisoner. The garrison of St. Johns being informed of the defeat Et of general Carleton, and seeing no hope of relief, surrendered themselves prisoners of war. They were in numich ber five hundred regulars snd two hundred Canadians, among whom were many of the French nobility, who had been very active in promoting the cause of Britain, among seb their countrymen. General Montgomery next took measures to prevent the British shipping from passing down hed the river from Montreal to Quebec. This he accomplishmed so effectually, that the whole were taken. The town from surrendered at discretion; and it was with the utmost diffiSculty that general Carleton escaped in an open beat, fathat voured by a dark night. No obstacle now remained to im) Ita pede their progress to the capital, except what arose from take the nature of the country; and these indeed were very con siderable. Arleta But it seems that nothing could damp the ardour of the fter provincials. Although it was the middle of November, ited and the depth of winter at hand, colonel Arnold formed Johto the design of penetrating through the woods, and morasses, educts from New England to Canada, by a nearer route, than 1, wile that which Montgomery had chosen; and this he accomt was plished in spite of every difficulty, to the astonishment of whid all who saw or heard of the attempt. A third part of his adians men, under another colonel, had been obliged to leave of the be him by the way, for want of provisions; the total want of artillery, rendered his presence insignificant before a place so strongly fortified; and the smallness of his army, 1 COLLUT marede rendered it doubtful whether he could take the town by surovincials prize. donald's The Canadians were amazed at the exploit; but none w, and of them as yet took up arms in behalf of Americbut none lance of the inhabitants to prevent any surpi appearance of common danger, united all before the arrival of Arnold, were violently c one another. He was, therefore, obliged to self with blocking up the avenues of the tov of distressing the inhabitants for want of pr even this he was not able effectually t with such a small number of men. The arrival of general Montgomery, alth the spirits of the party, yet the small for him, when joined to that of Arnold, was t duce a place so strongly fortified; they hav mortars and field pieces, which were not t upon, The siege having continued through the cember, general Montgomery, still finding accomplish his end any other way than by s ved to make the attempt on the last day of th He advanced by break of day, in the mic fall of snow, which covered his men from th enemy. Two real attacks were made by hi lonel Arnold; at the same time two feigned made in other places, hoping thereby to dist son, and divide their forces. One of the re made by the New York troops, and the oth New England under Arnold. By a mistake for the attack being given too soon, their hop ing the town were defeated. General Montgomery himself had the m place, being obliged to pass between the ri high rocks on which the upper town stand made all the haste he could to close with the fate was soon decided. Having forced the violent discharge of musquetry and grape second, killed him, the principal officers an the party he commanded: those who remai ately retreated. Colonel Arnold, in the mea a desperate attack on the lower town, and the barriers, after an obstinate resistance fo but in the action he was himself wounded, him to withdraw. The attack, however, v by the efficers whom he had left, and anothe forced: but the garrison, now perceiving that nothing was to be feared but from that quarter, collected their whole force against it; and after a desperate engagement for three hours, overpowered the provincials and obliged them to surrender. Such a terrible disaster left no hope remaining of the accomplishment of their purpose; as general Arnold could not muster more than eight hundred men under his command. He did not, however, abandon the province, but regth moved about three miles from Quebec, where he found he means to annoy the garrison by intercepting their provi wear go be d sions. -The Canadians still continued friendly, notwithstanding the bad success of the American arms; which enabled him to sustain the hardships of a winter encampment in that monthe most severe climate. be arprizt eyer ist of a Congress, far from passing any censure on his conduct, created him a brigadier-general. While hostilities were thus carried on in the north, the flame of contention was gradually extending itself to the south. Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, was inthe sig volved int disputes similar to those which had taken place imself in the other colonies.. He dissolved the assembly, which d attack stract the eal attir her br ke in the in this province was attended with a consequence unknown to the rest. The slaves in Virginia were numerous, it was necessary that a militia should be kept constantly in readiness to keep them in awe. During the dissolution of the assembly, the militia laws expired, and the people, opes of after complaining of the danger they were in from the ands; so negroes, formed a convention, which enacted, that each most da county shoald raise a quota for the defence of the province. river are Dunmore, upon this, removed the powder from Williamsburgh; which created such discontents, that an immediate The distar quarrel would have ensued, had not the merchants of the pe shot frown undertaken to obtain satisfaction for the supposed the Pand thers Jury done to the community. enemy This tranquillity was soon interrupted: the people were alarmed by a report, that an armed party were on their ned caride way from the mained, in mean time man of war, to where the powder had been deposited, they assembled in arms, determined to oppose |