the night of November 22, the Richelieu River at Sorel froze over. Just the evening before, the ferry had been operating, but wagons and carts were crossing on the ice by the next day. Two weeks later, the St. Lawrence froze over and shortly after, Surgeon Julius Wasmus recorded that snowdrifts were fifteen to eighteen feet high and on the flat, it was four feet deep, which was the precursor of one of the worst winters in Canadian memory. With wry humour, the doctor referred to Canada as the American Siberia.
With the rivers frozen, access for friend and foe alike to the posts in Riedesel’s district was easy, although arduous, and to keep his troops alert, the baron made regular sleighing tours with his adjutant, a servant, and a very competent Canadien driver who travelled so swiftly that they were able to cover great distances each day.50
2 INVASION FEARS AROUSED Oh God! It is All Over
In another “Most Secret” dispatch of November 23 to Germain, Haldimand opened with reminders of his previous warnings of the Canadiens’ reaction to the rebels’ alliance with France, in particular the clergy, which before the pact had been staunch supporters of the Crown:
The Successes, tho’ fluctuating, which we have had, joined to the vigilant Attention which I have had to their Conduct, have hitherto kept them, if not within the limits of their Duty, at least within those of Decency, but the News of the Superiority of the French Fleets & a report which is whispered of Lord Cornwallis’s Surrender, it is with great grief that I see their Attachment to France concealed under a Zeal for the Preservation of their Religion & will on the first favourable Occasion engage them in the interest of the Rebels, and it is with still greater Regret that I see many of His Majesty’s antient [British] Subjects declaring their Attachment to the Cause of the Rebels as openly as their own Safety will permit and their Expectation that the Independence of America must soon be acknowledged. — Your Lordship may be assured that if ever the Rebels shall invade the Frontiers of this Province, accompanied by a few hundred French Soldiers, a great number of Canadians will take up arms in their Favor, and that by far the greatest part of them will serve them as Guides & furnish them with Provisions and every other assistance in their Power. My observations have so confirmed me in this Belief that so far from wishing to Arm them in defence of the Province, I am apprehensive that the Attempt might in my weak state be attended with dangerous Consequences, but I must Act in this when necessary, as Circumstances shall require. Their backwardness to serve is manifested in their Seamen, some of whom from Necessity I am obliged to employ on the Upper Lakes, where notwithstanding they Receive very high Wages, they serve with utmost Reluctance and will on no account remain above two years. On the other the Rebels have been lately supplied with some Money and a great Quantity of Ammunition & other Warlike Stores. They have already established Magazines in different Places on the Frontiers, inconsiderable as yet, but which from being contiguous to Districts or Townships may be easily augmented. The Inhabitants on the Frontiers of Canada have from their Infancy been accustomed to Live in the Woods, & if the Situation of Affairs to the Southward is as bad as it is represented, it will not be difficult for the Congress to engage them, partly from Enthusiasm, Resentment of Recent Injuries, and Love of Plunder to join a Kind of a Crusade in order to subdue this Country.
The people of Vermont, notwithstanding the inclinations which many amongst them have to Shake off the Tyranny of the Congress, may find themselves under the necessity to make great and Zealous exertions against us in order to wipe off the Suspicions which from many circumstances cannot but be entertained against them. The Rebels have every intelligence which they can wish for, and have received assurances that the Canada Indians will at least remain neuter, if not join them. Every method will be put in Force to shake the approved Fidelity of the Five Nations, by convincing them that, as we are not able to give them protection, the only means to save themselves is to lose no time in embracing the Party of the Americans … This Province is very extensive & is accessible in many Places. The best of the Troops under my Command are necessarily and indispensably employed in guarding the upper posts. The greater number of those I have here are Germans and consist mostly of Invalids whom General Burgoyne left behind him or of Recruits Totally Ignorant of Military Discipline. In case of an Invasion[,] after leaving the necessary Garrisons in the Posts which I cannot abandon, I cannot assemble more the 2,500 men capable of keeping the field two months, and I have every reason to fear that many of them would take that Opportunity to desert to the Rebels. This state of things is in no Respect exaggerated, it points out the necessity of a large Reinforcement early in the Spring & of our having the Command of the Gulph of St. Lawrence, as otherwise a French Squadron may deprive this country of every Resource.
The Provisions arrived too late this year to render it possible for me to take possession of Oswego, it would have required more time and workmen that I had to employ to Build a Fort at that Place capable to resist the Force which an enterprising Enemy sensible of Incursions and Devastations which their Country would suffer from it, would not have failed to Employ against it. From many Observations which I have made and many steps which the Enemy have taken during this Summer there is Reason to apprehend that the Plan of Attack found amongst Laurence’s [Lauren’s] Papers will be renewed and prosecuted early next Spring. The great Distance and Difficulty of communication between our different Posts will create obstacles to our resisting the Attack in every Point and as the Posts are, notwithstanding all my Efforts[,] only victualled until Spring, in case a Supply of Provisions cannot be forwarded before any Invasion of the Lower Country takes place, it will be almost impossible to do it.
I have for many Months observed in the Canadian Gentlemen an Expectation of a Revolution which was to take place in the Country, and am the more confirmed in this from a letter, dated Paris the 6th of last March (which has fallen into my hands from a Mr Lotbinière, who after having Received the King’s Bounty, in London went over to the Rebels in Philadelphia) where He tells his son that He expects to see him in 14 or 15 Months from the date of the Letter and in a situation to settle His Affairs to their mutual satisfaction…. Many Letters are in the same stile and are plain indications of some design against this Province in which France cannot, now that the Provinces of Virginia & Carolina are recovered, refuse to give assistance to Congress.1
Two days later, the governor officially accepted the three companies of the 2nd battalion, King’s Rangers (KR) into the Canadian Department, placing them on full support. Whether Sir Henry Clinton had given his blessing is unclear; however, the governor’s need was great and he may simply have chosen to gamble that the small battalion would not be “recalled” south.2
On November 26, Haldimand sent a “most Private” dispatch to Germain enclosing duplicates of his recent messages about “the Critical Turn Affairs may take here in Consequence of Lord Cornwallis’s Misfortune.” Captain Justus Sherwood of the Secret Service had reported there was “not a Shadow of Hope remaining that any terms from Government will be Received by the [Vermont] People, who are now rioting in the Excesses of Licentious exultation.” Even more alarming, “He Says that a Diversion from this Province has been long Expected, and that Measures had been taken under the Veil of Being Alarmed by its approach, to have Cutt off the Retreat of our Detachment had it ventured to penetrate any Length into the Country.” This implied that the Allen faction was not in control and their opponents had sufficient sway to put a major force into action. Further, the rebels were “to make an Early [movement] against Canada next Spring — that in the course of the Winter every Preparation would be made for a General attack & that they would endeavour to get Possession of our advanced Posts upon Lake Champlain & the other Frontiers to facilitate their
