The War Drags On

(Battle of Long Island)

The March on CanadaThe Americans hoped to convince

French Canadians to join the war as an American ally. In the winter of 1775 two armies set forth travelling north from Fort Ticonderoga (captured by Ethan Allen). Richard Montgomery went towards Montreal and then planned to move on towards Quebec. Benedict Arnold led the other army through the woods to Maine and planned to meet up with Montgomery near Quebec.

Things did not go as planned...

Arnold: His men travelled through the woods in winter. Freezing rain and supply shortages created terrible conditions. The men had to resort to eating boiled shoe leather and tree bark because there was no food. Many began raiding farms and stealing food from the farmers. It is no surprise that when Arnold and his men finally reached Quebec, the French Canadians did not join the Americans.

Montgomery: His army gained control of Montreal in November 1775. They then moved on to meet Arnold at Quebec. The combined armies attempted to capture Quebec on December 31, 1775. They fought in the middle of a snowstorm. Montgomery was killed and Arnold was wounded during the battle. They tried to siege the city and waited outside until May 1776 when British reinforcements arrived. They had no choice but to retreat defeated.

Things did not go as planned...

Battle of Long IslandWashington and his men left Boston and the army moved west to New York City. However, General Howe had over 34,000 troops and a large navy of 10,000 sailors. In the summer of 1776 he moved his forces to New York City. Washington had no navy and less than 20,000 poorly trained soldiers. When Howe landed on Long Island, Washington knew he had to retreat to Manhattan. Throughout the entire fall season, Washington continued to retreat chased by Howe. Finally, when winter arrived Washington managed to cross the Delaware river into Pennsylvania.

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SPIESWashington needed information about British plans, so he used many spies in New York to keep an eye on them.

Nathan Hale: an officer from Connecticut, he slipped behind British lines to bring back information about their numbers, supplies, and cannons. He was captured and hanged. Supposedly, his famous last words were:My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country.

Benjamin Tallmadge: He was Washington's chief intelligence officer during the war after Nathan Hale's death. He organized a secret spy ring of Patriots in New York City called the Culper Gang. Their identities were so secret during the war that even George Washington did not know who they were.

After the loss of Nathan Hale, they were much more careful. They used secret codes, invisible ink, dead drops, and aliases.

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