Today in 1775, on the outskirts of Quebec, Canada

Patriot forces under generals Benedict Arnold and Richard Montgomery are defeated by the British defenders of the city of Quebec in Canada during the American Revolution.

Attacking a fortified Canadian city in the middle of winter was not the best plan

On December 2, Arnold and Montgomery met on the outskirts of Quebec and demanded the surrender of the city. Governor Sir Guy Carleton rejected their demand, and on December 9 the Patriots commenced a bombardment of Quebec, which was met by a counterbattery by the British defenders that disabled several of the Patriots’ guns.

Soldiers battled the elements as well as one another

At approximately 4 a.m. on December 31, the Patriot forces advanced on the city under the cover of a blizzard. The British defenders were ready, however, and when Montgomery’s forces came within 50 yards of the fortified city they opened fire with a barrage of artillery and musket fire. Montgomery was killed in the first assault, and, after several more attempts at penetrating Quebec’s defenses, his men were forced into retreat. Meanwhile, Arnold’s division suffered a similar fate during their attack of the northern wall of the city. A two-gun battery opened fire on the advancing Americans, killing a number of Americans and wounding Benedict Arnold in the leg. Patriot Daniel Morgan assumed command, made progress against the defenders, but halted at the second wall of fortifications to wait for reinforcements.

By the time the rest of Arnold’s army finally arrived, the British had reorganized and the attack was called off. Of the 900 Americans who participated in the siege, 60 were killed and wounded and more than 400 were captured. The remaining Patriot forces then retreated from the invasion of Canada. As the Americans crossed the St. Lawrence River to safety, Benedict Arnold remained in Canadian territory until the last of his soldiers had escaped. With the pursuing British forces almost in firing range, Arnold checked one last time to make sure all his men had escaped. He then shot his horse and fled down the St. Lawrence in a canoe.

American General Benedict Arnold

Less than five years later, Benedict Arnold, as commander of West Point, famously became a traitor when he agreed to surrender the important Hudson River fort to the British for a bribe of ý20,000. The plot was uncovered after British spy John Andrý was captured with incriminating papers, forcing Arnold to flee to British protection and join in their fight against the country that he once so valiantly served.

[December 31, 1775]

Today in 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey,

The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. 

After crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey in cold, blustery weather, General George Washington led a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries in the streets of Trenton that caught most of the 1,200 Hessian soldiers in the city sleeping after a day of Christmas celebration.   Washington’s army numbered nearly 2,400 soldiers and was commanded by Major Generals John Sullivan and Nathanael Greene. The Hessian army led by Colonel Johann Rall, included three regiments of Hessian troops totaling around 1,400 troops with a small British unit called the 16th Dragoons.

Gen. Washington and the American Army march to Trenton

Attacking from both the north and the south side of town, tThe American army took total control of the battle. All three Hessian regiments were isolated and were not able to coordinate. American soldiers took cover in houses and from there, fired freely. During the battle, Colonel Rall was fatally wounded. The Hessian troops were completely surrounded and were forced to surrender. Hessians suffered significant losses with 22 dead, 83 wounded, and nearly 1,100 troops captured along with 6 cannons. Americans only suffered 2 dead and 5 wounded.

Hessian forces were caught completely off guard

Despite the success, Washington dropped the plan to advance further to Princeton and New Brunswick. After the battle, Washington and his troops moved back to Pennsylvania by crossing Delaware, taking back prisoners and captured supplies. This battle, despite its small scale, did wonders to the confidence level of Continental Army. They believed that they could defeat the European army, even after Hessians instilled fear in them during the battle of Long Island. It led to increased enlistment into the army.

British General Howe was surprised by the ease with which Americans won against Hessian troops. With the increased confidence of the Americans, the colonial effort was enthused and the morale advantage of British army was neutralized.

[December 26, 1776]