Transcriber’s Note
The punctuation and spelling from the original text have been faithfully preserved. Only obvioustypographical errors have been corrected.
AN
INTERESTING
JOURNAL
OF
ABNER STOCKING
OF
CHATHAM, CONNECTICUT
DETAILING THE DISTRESSING EVENTS OF THE EXPEDITION AGAINST
QUEBEC, UNDER THE COMMAND OF COL. ARNOLD IN THE YEAR 1775
Published by the relatives of Abner Stocking, nowdeceased
CATSKILL, N.Y.
Eagle Office
1810
Tarrytown, N.Y.
REPRINTED
WILLIAM ABBATT
1921
Being Extra Number 75 of the Magazine of History with Notes and Queries
We have already reprinted three journals of members of Arnold's famousexpedition to Quebec, (Dr. Senter's, Captain Topham's and PrivateMorison's) and now present a fourth, written by Private Abner Stocking,which has not before been printed since its original appearance in 1810.Mr. Codman in his most valuable book on the Expedition, justly says ofthese and similar journals: "They constitute an invariably interestingbody of historical material, which preserves unimpaired the quaintindividuality of their widely-diverse authors, and the unmistakablecolor and atmosphere of a period which must always be of particularimportance to the students of American history."
The reader cannot enter on the succeeding journal to advantage withoutfirst being acquainted with the object of the expedition, thecircumstances under which it was undertaken, and the route marked outfor the army to pursue.
In the month of June 1775 Gen. Schuyler was commissioned by Congress toinvade Canada through the lakes—to take possession of Ticonderoga andCrown Point; and if practicable to proceed to St. Johns and besiege thatfortress. Should he succeed in getting possession of these posts on thelakes, the way would be open to proceed on to Montreal and from thenceto Quebec, the capital of Canada.
General Washington calculating on the success of General Schuyler, andforeseeing that the whole force of Canada would be concentrated aboutMontreal, projected an expedition against Quebec, by a detachment fromhis camp before Boston, which was to march by the way of the Kennebeckriver, and passing through the dreary wilderness lying between thesettled parts of Maine and the St. Lawrence, and crossing the ruggedmountains and deep morasses which abound in that country, to penetrateinto Canada about ninety miles below Montreal.
The object proposed by this hardy enterprise was to take possession ofQuebec, which all his accounts assured him was absolutely unable to holdout against any considerable force, and would probably surrender withoutfiring a gun.
This arduous enterprise was committed to Col. Arnold. About a thousandmen consisting of New-England infantry, some volunteers,[1] and acompany of artillery under Captain Lamb, and three companies of riflemenwere selected for the service.
Notwithstanding the utmost exertions that could possibly be made, thedetachment could not commence their march until about the middle ofSeptember 1775.
Mr. S