Saturday 28 July 2012

Warfare and Wizards in the New World

The march towards Quebec, fall of 1775

General Arnold's march on Quebec in 1775 was fraught with adversity from the very start. His maps and boats were supplied by men loyal to the Crown, and the trek through the wild forests of Maine could not get under way until the first cold nights of autumn had set in. Of the eleven hundred men that set out to conquer the seat of British power in the Canadas, only seven hundred made it to the walls of Quebec. The woods, rivers and waterfalls claimed men and supplies, and as winter set in, savage creatures stalked the column. Had it not been for the bravery and determination of Benedict Arnold himself, and for the fierce magicks of the dark eyed sorcerer who rarely left the general's side, few doubt that the outcome would have been anything but a complete tragedy.