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Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775

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Arnold's march to Quebec is a subject that an historian can research almost completely with little effort. Kenneth Roberts did us all a favor with his 1938 "March To Quebec" while writing Arundel, a fictional account of the campaign, which included almost all of the known and important journals by members of Arnold's expedition. Desjardin could almost have written his book from this single source, and in fact his end notes reference Roberts extensively. The journals contained in Roberts and an additional two dozen references cover 99+ percent of the known information concerning the march and the battle for Quebec with Roberts accounting for probably 80%.

In short, this book is a weaving of those journals into a narrative, complete with the inaccuracies and exaggerations in those journals. Most of the references listed are peripheral to the journals, even the primary sources, and the chapter on "America'a Hannibal" is superfluous in that it deals with Arnold in other campaigns. The reader is cautioned that this light read lacks the depth of analysis and discussion normally expected in a historical work. One could read the journals contained in Roberts's book and perhaps come away with a better appreciation of the travails and experiences of this campaign.

The march itself was probably best handled in an unreferenced work of 1903 by Justin Smith, "Arnold's March From Cambridge To Quebec." John Codman's 1901 work, "Arnold's Expedition to Quebec" also covers the ground well, although it contains information that has been impossible to verify from other sources or critical analysis. The battle is covered relatively poorly in primary sources, with the usual contradictory accounts, especially with respect to Arnold's attack on the lower town. Morgan's actions at the barricades fall more properly into the realm of myth-making, although clearly the riflemen fought as well as they could. The saga of the captured Americans, (of which my Great-great-great-grandfather James Dougherty of Smith's Lancaster Riflemen and who then violated his parole and fought in Washington's army until 1783 was one), is covered at any length only in Henry's journal, a page of two in others including several British sources, and a few letters and other documents such as those by James Dougherty. That Quebec would never have become the 14th colony to rebel and the capture of Quebec would have cost the patriots more than they would gain is also a fairly common opinion among historians.

In short, I recommend other works concerning Arnold's expedition for the casual historian of the Revolutionary period such as Roberts for the journals, Smith for a critical analysis of the march, and Arthur Lefkowitz's "Benedict Arnold's Army" for the overall invasion. But Desjardin's book is what it is, a composite of the stories as recorded by the participants.

Having thouroughly enjoyed Desjardin's Stand Firm Ye Boys From Maine, I eagerly anticipated reading this book. I was a little disappointed..

The Quebec invasion was actually an expedition and then a battle, and while Desjardin's handling of the battle is well written, his account of the expedition is sometimes dull and tedious and tends to bog down like the quagmire that he is describing.

Having read books about Franklin's, Scott's and Amundsen's expeditions, I was somewhat bored by Desjardin's treatment of the Quebec expedition. Yes they were different types of expeditions, but they all involved courage, suffering and sacrifice. One possible reason for Dejardin's being less exciting is that there are more accounts of Arnold's expedition then of Franklin's (everyone died) and Scott's, which means that Desjardin had less room to speculate or to 'novel-ize' in his book. The book is very well researched, so much so that at some points it seems as if Desjardin wrote the story around the quotes, rather then using the quotes to back up his story.

There are a few parts in the book that left me scratching my head. On page 112 after writing about the quagmire that the men had walked through with mud up to their knees, Desjardin writes 'In ten hours, they had covered just 20 miles'. This is actually an incredible pace. 20 miles is a good day on a backpacking trip, so to cover that much in 10 hours through a quagmire is unbelievable.

Another low point for the book was the end. The book ends at the bottom of a page, and I literally turned the page expecting there to be more.. There wasn't.. It was almost as if Dejardin had nothing left to say, so he just stopped writing.

On the positive side, the description of the battle is good, but what really saves the book is Dejardin's theory that the failure to seize Quebec actually helped to win the war. Desjardin's arguments backing this theory are very compelling.

So while the 'Invasion of Quebec' is an important part of US History, involving great courage and sacrifice, I would hope that there is a better book out there by which to learn about it.

This is a small but fact-filled work which is an easy read and brings its subject to life. Mr. Desjardin's position as Historic Site Specialist for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands shows through with his very detailed descriptions of the personalities and terrain involved in the expedition.

I would suggest that a reader have some familiarity with the history before picking up this work, since the author concentrates completely on his subject. I read this just after "George Washington and Benedict Arnold" by Palmer and "Benedict Arnold's Navy" by Nelson, and enjoyed the book's detail because I already knew the context.

As with any "trek" story, the march to Canada can be tedious for some readers. Take heart! The writing is easy to read and the story flows.

Thomas A. Desjardin has filled a large gap in the historiography of the American Revolution with his book _Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec, 1775_. This expediton has long needed a detailed tactical treatment, and, faced with a real challenge, Desjardin was again risen to the occasion with an excellent study of a doomed campaign.

The book is short--256 pages--but it is without doubt the most thorough treatment of its subject yet written. It is a complete and thorough treatment of the march of Benedict Arnold's troops to Quebec. The ordeal those men faced is almost indescribable, but Desjardin does an outstanding job of documenting it. It's no surprise at all that Arnold's command suffered extreme attrition along the way--men starved to death, died of exposure, and did desperate things just to stay alive.

When they finally got to Quebec, the command's size had been sufficiently reduced by attrition that only a few hundred were left. Arnold's little army was nowhere near large enough to take the walled fortress town, but the intrepid Arnold elected to assault it anyway once he received reinforcements from Montgomery's army in Montreal. Montgomery was killed by a blast of grapeshot, Arnold was badly wounded in the leg, and virtually all of Arnold's little army was captured and taken prisoner. The military expedition failed miserably. All of the suffering was rendered fruitless as a result.

At the same time, however, Desjardin points out that even though the expedition failed, it nevertheless directly led to the great American victory at Saratoga, which was largely attributed to Arnold's courage and heroism. It brought Arnold to the forefront, and set him up to play a huge role in the events of 1776. Arnold is, of course, reviled for his decision to cast his lot with the British. Because of that, it is easy to forget just how talented a natural soldier he was and just how large of a role he played in the ultimate success of the American Revolution. Ultimately, Arnold felt that he had been unfairly treated and that the time was not right to break with the Crown, and he has been cast as one of the great villains of American history as a consequence. Arnold's role in bringing about the ultimate American victory in the Revolution is only now being given the focus and credit that he deserves.

Tom Desjardin is an excellent historian. Tom has done tremendous research in piecing together the narrative of the expedition, and he tells the story well, if a bit graphically at times. The book features excellent maps, and is a good read. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the northern campaigns of the American Revolution.

Being an expatriot 'Mainer'I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had read Kenneth Robert's ARUNDEL too many years ago to remember, and found this a refreshing reminder of one of the great (if devestating) marches in United States History. It might have been intersting to follow up a bit more on where soldiers who returned settled. In know that in Diane and Jack Barnes's book IMAGES OF AMERICA, LAKE REGION (Bridgton, Harrison, Otisfield, Waterford, and Bridgton and Saco River Railroad (Arcadia Publishing, 1998) there is a statement to the effect that some of these towns were orginally settled by people returning from Arnold's March. Incidently, people were still discovering parts of old flintlocks, buttons and other artifacts of the March along its route back in the 1950's and '60's. I highly recommend the book to any interested in revolutionary history, hikers (who would like to 're-do' the route or parts of it) and anyone who likes fascinating true stories.

This compact, highly readable book does a tremendous job recapturing the incredible journey of Arnold's little army through the Maine Wilderness. It is a page turner. This reader felt exhausted just reading about the trek - Arnold and his men must have had incredible stamina and fortitude.

I especially like the graceful nod to one of our great novelists-cum-historian, Kenneth Roberts. Desjardin follows Roberts in documenting with considerable sympathy the tremendous leadership skills of Arnold.

The fate of Enis, one of Arnold's division commanders (well with 250 men, company commander is more accurate), is very important and well described by Desjardin. Despite deserting Arnold, endangering the entire mission and causing the death of men through starvation, Enis received an acquittal when he was courtmartialed. This says a lot about the politics surrounding the Army and must have stuck with Arnold years later when contemplating going over to the British.

As other reviewers have commented, Desjardin makes a strong case that by seriously threatening Quebec without taking it, the Americans forced the British to divide their forces which ultimately led to Burgoyne's defeat by, that's right, Arnold at Saratoga.

Perhaps Desjardin can turn his talents to that battle and the rest of Arnold's turbulent career.

As I had an ancestor on this march, I was most interested in reading this book. Even though my ancestor, Timothy Conner was not mentioned, it was a good book.

Although this is a good book, the author keeps a distance from his subject and it never comes alive. General Arnold's march up the Kennebec River was an American epic of courage and folly, and the final doomed assault on Quebec City was important for what it could have led to. The author reports the facts without seeing or feeling their sweep, or trying to enter the minds of those involved or even sensing the urgency of attacking a stronghold in winter before enlistments expired. The march had supposed that many French Canadians would support the revolution, but it may have turned more against the American cause.

The book arrived in a very timely manner and in great condition. The only negative thing I have to say about is..." I read it cover to cover in a very short time ". Oh, if only the story were longer.
It was wonderful doing business with you and hope to do more in the near future. Keep up the excellent service... Thank you.

Through a Howling Wilderness s is a straightforward account of the invasion of Canada conducted by the forces of the American Revolution. This was a multi-front assault on the city of Quebec and this book details Benedicts Arnold assault through the wilderness of Maine. Desjardin (who is primarily a historian of all things Maine) does an admirable job of putting the reader in the place of these troops as the trekked through snow, up mountains and wadded across near frozen rivers to their miraculous arrival at the gates of Quebec. The details of the assault and the ultimate failure are outlined well and the reversal that the Americans suffered made victory almost impossible. As Desjardin points out the only way to succeed would have been an immediate assault upon the arrival of Arnold's army and given their conditions and low supplies this was unlikely. As the British had time to reinforce, they were almost certain to overcome the Americans. None of this really matters as If eel the real contribution here to revolutionary historiography is that this assault did not need to succeed and won the revolution. By drawing British forces away from the colonies it allowed time for Washington and others to organize and train the army. Also the failure ensured that America would not have to defend Canada against a renewed British assault. If Canada had been taken British public opinion would have demanded swift action meaning a larger army to come and face the United States not only in the colonies but in Quebec and Montreal. Overall it is an excellent addition to revolution scholarship and well worth the time for a quick read.