Battle of The Cedars
- When
- 1776
- Where
- The Cedars, west of Montreal, Quebec; En route to the Cedars; The Cedars
- Episodes
- 3
The Battle of the Cedars was a series of limited military confrontations in May 1776 at and around Les Cèdres, Quebec, during the Continental Army's invasion of Quebec. A small British detachment leading Haudenosaunee warriors and Canadian militia opposed American troops, capturing reinforcements en route on May 20.
Episodes
- Arnold Detaches Troops to the Cedars
In April 1776 Benedict Arnold, commanding at Montreal, placed a detachment at the Cedars after rumors of British and Indigenous preparations west of Montreal.
- Skirmishes at the Cedars
Limited combat occurred in May 1776 at and around the Cedars, west of Montreal, between American troops and a British-led force of Haudenosaunee warriors and Canadian militia.
- Capture of American Reinforcements
American reinforcements traveling to the Cedars were captured after a brief skirmish on May 20, 1776.
Background and detail
Background. Continental Army troops under Major General Philip Schuyler and later Brigadier General Richard Montgomery invaded the British Province of Quebec in September 1775, early in the American Revolutionary War. After American losses at the battle of Quebec at the end of 1775, Brigadier General David Wooster led reinforcements to Quebec, arriving early in April 1776.
Command and Preparations. Following Wooster's arrival, administration of Montreal passed temporarily to Colonel Moses Hazen and then to Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, previously in command at Quebec. In April 1776, after hearing rumors of British and Indigenous military preparations west of Montreal, Arnold placed a detachment of his troops at the Cedars.
Opposing Forces. The American troops at the Cedars were opposed by a small British Army detachment leading a larger force of Haudenosaunee warriors and Canadian militia. At Fort Niagara in early May, Loyalist captain John Butler held a conference with several hundred primarily Haudenosaunee Indians, seeking to break pledges of neutrality some had made in 1775.
Aftermath. Due to the army's retreat, two men connected with the affair were not tried until August 1, 1776, at Fort Ticonderoga. Bedel continued to volunteer his services and, after distinguishing himself as a volunteer, received a new commission from Congress following Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga in October 1777.
People involved
- Benedict Arnold · Brigadier General commanding the American garrison at Montreal
- Moses Hazen · Colonel, temporary military administrator of Montreal
- David Wooster · Brigadier General who led reinforcements to Quebec
- John Butler · Loyalist captain who conferred with Haudenosaunee at Fort Niagara
- Bedel · Officer surnamed Bedel, mentioned only by surname in supplied passages; he volunteered his services and received a new commission from Congress after Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga in October 1777, and was among those tried on August 1, 1776 at Fort Ticonderoga
- Philip Schuyler · Major General in the invasion of Quebec
- Richard Montgomery · Brigadier General in the invasion of Quebec
Sources
- Battle of the Cedars Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.