Henry Bryan Hall, Sr. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Yes that is Benedict Arnold the most notorious traitor in the history of this country. It is easy to forget that up until his fatal turn, he was among the best, if not the best general in the Continental Army.

He was bold and brash, outspoken and head strong with a sense of personal honor that caused him to go against what many would call common sense. He clashed with fellow officers and dueled with the Continental Congress. But the men that served under him did so gladly and followed him into battle. The enemy that he would one day join feared him on the field.

Two hundred forty years ago today Benedict Arnold and General Richard Montgomery led the assault against Quebec which had it succeeded may well have made Canada a part of the United States.

Though early in the war the strategic location of Canada proved a target that the colonies simply had to try to exploit, While the bulk of the nascent colonial forces were engaged with the British around Boston, two expeditions were sent to Canada. General Montgomery would go up the Hudson River to take Montreal and General Arnold would lead an expedition through the wilds of Maine (Then part of Massachusetts) to take Quebec and secure Canada.

The story of these campaigns is worth reading and studying on their own, but on New Years Eve, 1775 with Montreal subdued and Quebec under siege the combined forces of Montgomery and Arnold looked to take the city and perhaps end the war.

Of course the assault failed or history would have been different. Within moments of the battle opening Montgomery lay dead and Arnold wounded, the men that stayed and fought did so without much guidance and failed in their objectives. The city would not fall and many Americans would be killed or captured. Arnold, though recovering from his wounds would maintain the siege until the spring when British reinforcements arrived and eventually forced the Colonial troops from Canada. The last american to leave was Arnold who could only be left asking what if that fated assault on that New Years Eve had succeed. Maybe he would have still been considered a hero today?