Battle of Trois-Rivieres installed at Babcock

Positioned so senior citizens living at Babcock and can view the barn quilt.

Steven Sittler transfers details to the barn quilt

Tom McCallum and Ross Snider install the Battle of Trois Rivieres.

Steven Sittler transfers details to the barn quilt

The Story

In the early 1770s, as the British parliament was drafting the Quebec Act, which would supersede the Royal Proclamation as the constitution of Quebec, revolution was breaking out in the American colonies.

Early in May of 1775, a small force of men from Vermont captured the British forts in Ticonderoga and Crown Point. With these successes, the Americans decided to invade Canada. Two army columns, one under Richard Montgomery, made for Montreal, the other under Benedict Arnold headed for Quebec City.

Montgomery’s troops overcame light British resistance at Chambly and St. John’s on their advance on Montreal and entered the city on November 13th. Montgomery then joined Benedict Arnold and together their forces marched on Quebec City. The British repelled them when they attacked on December 31st.

Montgomery was killed and Arnold was wounded. The Americans then laid siege to the city and maintained a blockade until the following May (1776), when a British fleet brought fresh troops from England. The Americans retreated up to Three Rivers ahead of these troops, one of whom was George Ward.

The heavy fighting that took place at Three Rivers was Ward’s first battle on North American soil, but not his last. The Americans were driven up the Richelieu River, up Lake Champlain and into Crown Point. It being October, the British commander, Guy Carleton, decided that the season for fighting was drawing to a close and retired to Quebec for the winter. These engagements effectively ended what was called, “the struggle for the fourteenth colony.”