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Dear James,

 

When I wrote you in November last, I little expected to write you so perceivably from this the May following.  But the arrival of the Surprise frigate with part of the 29 Regiment on board the morning of the 6 ??? has restored us to our usual tranquillity.  As I believe all Britain were concerned for our fate when appearances were so much against us last Fall.  I will give you a concise relation of a siege that will astonish the world and leave you for what particulars I may omit to the accounts you will see in the publik papers.

 

On the morning on the eight of November, Benedict Arnold appeared at Pont Levis and on the 13 he crossed the St Lawrence and encamped at Sillery.   About 11 oclock on the 14th he appeared before Quebec with six hundred men and gave three cheers from the heights of Abraham then circumstanced had he marched to Town, he undoubtedly would have taken it.  But his losing that opportunity lost him the place – it is necessary here, I tell out then situation we had not a soldier in the Garrison only about 100 recruits which arrived with Colonel McLean to days before;  The French refused to take arms and the only seeming defence which the place has was a few private gentlemen who seasonably slept in;  and took up arms and the gates were then shut and we fired from the few guns which were after the appearance of the enemy and I believe they were only eight in all the extensive works – in the meantime the part of us had a meeting and demanded of the Lieutenant Governor a return of what provisions and stores he had to enable us to keep the Town and they would consider whether to deliver it up or not.  Colonel McLean met these people at the Chapel, but was not able to satisfy them – the British militia were at this same time on the Ramparts and a few of the ??? recruits went out and burnt three houses between Fort St  Lewis and the heights – The disaffected French emigrant hold of his and one who had accepted of a commission in the militia declared if another house was burnt every Englishman in Town should loose his head before 10 oclock next morning – Add to this ??? that in the absence of the Governor no steps were taken to lay in provisions or food for the Garrison, nor any effort made for its defence till the few British civil officers and merchants subscribed a large sum of money petitioned they should be formed into a body and ??? what of the poor should join us out of this subscription – this proposal they sent up by Major Cox to the Governor at Montreal some days before the Rebels crossed the river who accepted of their offer and promised to be at Quebec soon – Arnold continued before the Town five or six days in which time several Councils of War were held at the Lieutenant Governors where the members resolved to defend the Garrison with what force we had.  The men of the Lizard Frigate and Hunter sloop were ordered on shore.  An embargo ??? upon all the merchant ships and every English man in Town collected and formed into a body and the walls put in the best posture of defence possible.  An express was sent to England with this advice.  Thus were we situated when Arnold moved to Point aux Trembles 20 miles of;  there he met Mr Montgomery on the 22 coming down.  In this interval we got in two months fresh provisions and as much firewood ??? as we could.  Mr Montgomery arrived at St Joye near Quebec on the 24 after which all our communication with the country was shut up and he began the siege.  His ??? St Johns and Montreal made him dreaded by the Country people and as their disposition is like the Vicar of Breie he was master of the Country.  We left to ourselves – The circumstance of Arnold and Montgomery meeting obliged me to bring them back to Quebec before I told you of General Carleton’s ??? which were subsequent to Arnold’s removal but prior to his return.  When the Governor found he could not keep Montreal and that all the Canadians here refused taking arms he destroyed the powder and stores there and left it with eight small vessels to come to Quebec, the Rebels apprized of that built a battery at the Point of Sorrel which prevented his passing.  He was therefore obliged to take to a boat attended by his Aid de Camp and left the fleet in the night.  He proceeded down the river and reached the fell armed ship before Three Rivers and arrived at Quebec I think 22 November.  The day after he left the vessels Brigadier Prescott capitulated, by which the rebels became possessed of three armed vessels, five others loaded with stores and provisions (only the powder destroyed, ten or twelve of our best officers, 120 men of 26 Regiment, some of the artillery and perfectly masters of the river and and all the Country.  This was a severe stroke General Carleton on his arrival immediately issued a proclamation ordering all who could not carry arms out of the Town and district on peun of being treated as rebels;  this was the first step to our safety and in the end accomplished it – all the Kings friends were then left to themselves and we made the first disposition to defend the place – the half pay officers here with the officers and 60 men of the Royal Fuzeliers joined the emigrants and formed on Corps.  The seamen of the navy and merchant ships in all ten companies formed another.  The Civil officers and private gentlemen making five companies and one of artillery formed a third – and the French inhabitants of the Town making ten companys composed the last in all about 1700 men.  A Garrison that the world never produced a equal near the half never having fired a piece.  Yet all so attached to the cause and our common safety that they bore with cheerfulness a six months winters siege in an ??? country which the hardiest troops either Hannibal or Alexander ever commanded would have staggered at the appearance of Mr Montgomery after his arrival employed his time reconoitering the works to fix on a place for a battery and frequently sent Parleys to alarm us in the night till the morning of the 6 December – When losing his patience at the gates not being opened to him he wrote that extraordinary letter dated Holland House 6 December 1775 and on the 9th at night having taken possession of St Roc the first threw into Town 29 shells from a battery behind Mr Grants house not a hundred yards from the ramparts at Palace gate.  I happened to command that guard next day, and in the evening when they began to throw shells, I kept on unintermitting fire on them with two 12 pounders the whole of the night, but the houses of the village covered them to well, it was impossible to dislodge them.  This day their work at the Windmill in St. Johns first appeared, and there we kept a constant fire from several 32 pounders which we had mounted.  Yet they completed and opened their battery on the 15 in the morning within 600 yards of the Town.  From this and the bomb battery at St. Roc they played on the Town till the 30th when Mr Montgomery finding himself unable to accomplish his purpose formed the design of storming the works – of this we were informed by some deserters who came in the 23. 24 and 29 instances.  We accordingly prepared ourselves and Mr Montgomery agreeable to his promise the first dark stormy night attacked the Lower Town with two strong detachments, the one headed by himself at the Pret Ville under Cape Diamond  and the other by by Arnold at the Sault-au-Maitelot by St Roc and made two fronts on the upper Town.  This was on the 31 when we had a violent snow storm at ???  This attack was begun by a signal of sky rocket from Cape Diamond when Mr Montgomery advanced with 800 chosen men, and passed the ??? at Drummonds Warf which we had abandoned some days before, then marched a brisk pace towards the ???  Mr John Coffin happening to be sentry when the rockets were sent off prudently cautioned the guard to be alert as the morning indicated an attack and Capt Bairnfair of the Fell who commanded the guns calmly prepared every they waited till the Rebels were within 50 yards and began to run towards the Works – Cpt Bairnfair instantly fired his small cannon and all the guards their small arms which stopped the enemys Carrier till we got a second and a third fire at them, then they went off bearing many of the killed and and some of the wounded behind them – Arnold was the more successful the officer of the ???  de Malot guard was not so well prepared and his men not in the same order as at ??? Ville by which neglect Mr Arnolds men forced the two-gun battery and took the guard prisoners then they penetrated to the first barrier of the Lower Town where they were stopped by Capt Andersons party of sailors.  What of the British militia were in the Lower Town and some of the French who took to the houses and keeped gauling them so as ?? obliged the Rebels also to meantime our alarm bell rang and the drums beat to arms, on which the whole garrison appeared on the parades with the Governor and Colonel McLean at the head - Colonel Caldwell was first dispatched with 16 men to Cape Diemond – I was next sent off with 25 men to the Knell?? Ville – Capt Newin, Lts Liard, Deimbourges and several other officers with about 50 men were detached to the Soul de Maillot and Capts McDougal and Laws sallied out at ??? Gate to cut of their retreat;  the remainder stayed in the upper Town with Major Cox at the ??? – on my arrival at Pret Ville I found the enemy gone – on which I sent to colonel McLean who ordered my detachment to the Soul de Mallot where I came just about day light, Capt Neuyrn and Lt Deimbourges had by this time run up a ladder and entered a window at the end of the corner house where the enemy were posted, there they killed one and took another prisoner and my detachement in the other street having by my directions enlarged the sort of one of the guns on Lymburners warf and brought it to bear on the house where most of them were I ordered it to be fired and as it was loaded with canister and grape shell, it killed Capt Hendruk of the ???, wounded Capt Lamb of the artillery and several others in the room, all these circumstances together with Capt McDougal and Laws party in their rear obliged them to lay down their arms and surrender.  We took 32 officers and 452?? private prisoners, the killed were about 100 besides officers.  The Governor viewed the whole after day light from the ramparts over the Soul de Mallot – we lost one Capt and 4 private killed and five wounded.

 

On the first of January the body of Mr Montgomery was found, together with his Aid de Camp, and several other officers which were all brought to Town and buried He had both his thighs broke and was shot through the head by the Canister shell from Capt Bournsfair to whom the Governor publickly gave thanks the next day. – On the 7 Colonel McLean listed fo of the rebel prisoners who were mostly Irish, they continued doing duty for some days, but at length they began to desert in twos and threes which raised such a clamour in Town that on the 16 February the Governor ordered them all to be confined again – Nothing material happened in the time, but burning the suburbs of St Johns by the rebels and what of St Roc remained after 1st December when the ??? and all its environs were burnt by us at which time we also brought in all their Morters and a piece of cannon – The snow now about six feet deep and the men of the garrison of duty employed in shovelling off the platforms and ramparts; and from this day the 16, all the garrison laid down in their clothes at the volunteer ??? excepting such as were for guard the day following all the siege was raised -  The enemy made several attempts to get down by flags of truce, but there were always rejected.  In this they were were much disappointed as they expected a correspondence with their prisoners and to make them ???in reducing the Town .  The ??? of the Governor and Colonel Maclean prevented this;  the whole garrison also contributed their part in a singular manner, every attempt they make was discovered and some of them very capital and new being executed, particularly one on 31 March which the Governor coming to the knowledge of and of their signal made a sham appearance of an insurrection by the prisoners fired several guns and ??? as if they had got out and in possession of St John’s Gate.  – we had all the ramparts lined with men and every thing ready and tho the alarm fires gave them reason to think the Town was set on fire yet those without made no attempt to support them – This f??? but it shewed them we were not afraid.  On the 1st April their General Wooster arrived from Montreal and took the command of the rebel army – the 2nd he reconnected?? The Town and on the third he opened a three gun battery which he had reused on General Wolfe’s old works at Point Levy;  from this he annoyed our ships in the Cul de Seu?? Killed a boy of six years old and shot the leg of another ten years.  No more mischief done by this batteryt – we were now kept in constant alarm night and day and not a man in the garrison suffered to put his cloaths off or even lay down but with his accoutrements on, and lights were just out at every angle of the garrison – several gentlemen came from Montreal and some deserters from the enemy even a Captain all gave us some intelligence and generally favourable; at length on the 16 the New York Battallions  ??? was out and they refused taking arms again .  On the 22 the rebels opened another battery of two guns from the house at St Charles’s ferry, from this they threw a number of red hot shells into Town, but did little or no damage it even wounding a single person.  In this way they continued firing at each other from our several Batterys until the evening of the 3rd May when the enemy sent a fire ship up from Orleans to burn the shipping on the Cul de Sac and set fire to the Lower Town and while we were employed in extinguishing it they were to have stormed the ramparts at Cape Diamond – The vessel came up full sail with a four wind and would certainly have carried her point had not the men on board given a confused answer when they were hailed and this produced a cry from some person Men stand to your guns.  The enemy then fired their small arms sett fire to the ship and left her. – As soon as this ??? the vessels he??? came round to the wind by her helm being loose, her head sails burnt.  Thereafter ones full so that she clawed off without doing the least harm - When the garrison was undeceived the whole got under arms and ??? to their rendezvous where they continued until the enemy had moved and culled ??? thoughts of an attack.  This seemed to be their least effort for next morning the 4th many signals were made by fires on Orleans Point Levy and they were repeated on the 5 and on the 6 about day light and ships appeared the drums beat to arms the alarm bell rung and the whole garrison repeured to their rendezvous.   We fired two shots at her.  She instantly hove up in the wind fired three guns to leeward and hoisted our signal.  She then bore away and came up to Town.  She proved to be the Surprise Frigate Capt Lindsay and soon after the Martin Sloop arrived.  It is impossible to describe the joy in every one’s countenance.  You must judge of it from what I have related.  The detatchment of the 29 regiment and what marines were on board each ship were landed and while they were refreshing themselves.  All the emigrants sailors British and French ???, who were not on duty were ordered under arms and about noon the whole making near 1200 with two queues of cannon marked out to the Heights of Abraham with General Carleton at their head.  The Regulars composed the right.  The British ??? the left;  the French ?? and artefuers the center – In this dispersion we went to the heights and so soon as we appeared the rebels quilted their battery and run over the ??? without even discharging their pieces and in less than half an hour we were in possession of all their cannon, howitzers military stores ammunition and  they had at St Joye and even their generals diner was eat at their head quarters by Major Cox..  This barely they having rode off in the morning leaving their army to follow as they could and telling the Canadians they had just received an express from Congress ordering them to go to Montreal immediately.

 

This ended a siege perhaps the most extraordinary ever happened where a garrison of undisciplined men composed of a few recruits, some sailors, a few private gentlemen and mechanicks together with a parcel of superannuated peasants should hold out a Town, extensive and weak in its work and at an inclement season of the year, where the snow was near six feet deep on the ramparts and most of the time without putting of their cloaths fed on salt provisions and without a prospect of relief against an army of active young fellows unused to hardships and fatigue well provided with every thing and well fed, masters of all the country and headed by an enterprising your man allowed to possess ??? and flushed with ??? and this to for the span of six winter months until relieved by the arrival of ??? from England.

 

If this incorrect scrawl wrote in a great hurry can any way be entertaining to my sister and you I shall by happy – yours Thos. Ainslie  Quebec 12 May 1776

 

I omitted telling you we were busy fortifying ourselves all winter and we had before 1st  instance 150 piece of cannon mounted and the works in good repair – that of itself is a miracle for the artifuers and men worked all day making carriages and watched at the volunteer ??? all night thro the whole winter.