Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1836-09-01


out OF The house attended by the housekes
per. He was conveyed down the St. Law
renee IN boat propelled with muffled
oars as far as the Three Rivers, from
whence he hurried TO Quebec, and hasti.
/ ly pat that important fortress. then the
last hope of the British, into something ike
an attitude of defence. After taking pos
session of eleven vessels which were moor
ed at the wharyes aud leaving small gar
rison TO keep possession of the city, Mont
somery urged his way down the river with
the design OF investing Quebec.
While these events had been transpi
ring Washington. from his Camp at Cam.
bridge near Boston, detached Col. Arnold
with 100 men, TO penetrate the British
territories in the vicinity OF Quebec thro'
the immense wilderness of what is now
the State OF Maine. Encounteriug hun
ger. sickness, and extreme fatigue, this
little army emerged from the bowling will
derness, eight hundred strong, and shew.
ed themselves 10 their astonished foes
from Point Levi, opposite Quebec. Such
was the CONSERVATION excited by their sud
den appearance, that had they found i'm
mediate conveyance across the river Que.
bee must have fallen; but the time neces-
sarily spent in assembling canoes, gave
Carleton, who had just then escaped from
the hands OF Montgomery, time TO arrange
his defences, and call in the aid of the
neighboring Canadians. When Arnold
crossed the St Lawrence and formed in
I battle array upon the celebrated plains of
! Abraham. he found the enemy so we'll pre-
/ pared for his reception, that an attack was
| deemed unwIse he sent a summons for
! the town 10 surrender, and repeated it
| but received none, except the eontemptu-
/ Gus one OF firing upon his messenger AT.
ter displaying himself for few days in
| this position he encamped at Point Aux
rrembles, about 90 miles below Quebec,
TO await the arrival Of Montgomery.
! The junction of the two divisions took
! place on the first Of December. Montgo.
merry with his native decision Immediately
appeared before Quebec TO earn the iau-
rels or the grave which Wolfe had earned
on the same rocky field In few days,
he opened a battery within seven hundred
yards of the citadel walls, but made no
impression on account of the lightness Of
his artillery; yet the cannonado which he
kept up served TO mask his real designs,
which were TO attempt an escaladc, On
the night OF December 3lst, the last nig ht
Of the year l775, Montgomery ordered
Majors Brown and Livingston, to make
each a feigned attack upon the upper town.
| while Arnold aud himself made two real
ones, on theopposite side of the lower one.
Montgomery attacked on the side of the
town washed by the ST. Lawrence, and
Col. Arnold with about 400 men on the
side washed by the river ST Charles
Moutgomefy's column wound their way
close under the dark recesses Of Cape
Diamond, obstructed at every step by
huge blocks of ice: but at length having
reached the palisades and gateway Of the
fertilization, it was cut through, and Mont
gomery entered the enclosure Of the guard
or block house at the head of his DIVISION.
The guard house had been deserted by the
soldiers on the first noise of the assailants !;
but a straggler returning by chance took
up match and fired piece of artillery
loaded with grape just as Montgomery en-.
tered. lie and his aids were numbered
among the dead. Through an unaccount-
able neglect of duty the surviving officer
ordered retreat
Arnold's troops on the other side Of the
town forced an entrance. took a battery,
, and the next morning wilhstood the whole
force Of the British for three hours before
they surrendered themselves as prisoners
Of war.
The following particulars are detailed
in an affidavit Of MIR. James Thomson, an
! aged inhabitant of Quebec, made at the
time the remains Of General Montgomery
were removed TO New York for intcrmcnt
| e a,.gk
zing the erection Of monument TO his
memory.
81 James Thompson, of the city Of Que
bee, do testify and declare. that | served
in the capacity of an assistant engineer,
during the siege OF this city by the Amerl-
can forces under the command OF the late
General Montgomery. In the attack made
by the troops under his immediate com
mAnd, in the night Of the 3lst of Decem-
Der IT'S, on British post at the south
ernmost extremity Of the city, near Pres
de piLe, the General received mortal
wound, and with him were killed also his
two aids de camp, Mcpherson and Chess
man, who were found on the first day Of
January I776, almost covered over with
snow. Mrs Prentice who kept hotel at
/
merry bad previously boarded, was brought
to view the body after it was placed in the
guard room, and which she recognized by
a particular mark which be had on the
side of his head, to be the Generals. The
body was then conveyed to house i'm
medately opposite the presidents resi-
dence, who provided a geneel coffin, the
! inside of which was lined with flannel, &
the outside of it with black cloth. la the
nigh, on the 4th of January, it was con,
veyed by me from sGobert's house, and
| inferred six feet in front OF the gate, with
| in a wall that surroupdeda powder Maya
zine near the ramparts bounding on Louis
Gate. The funeral service was performed
at The grave by the chaplain of the sarri
son, Ills two Aides de camp were burr.
ed in their clothes without any collin, and
no person was buried within twenty hive