available manpower inadequate to the task of
maintaining order, and so he directed rein-
forcements be brought down from Canada.
Accordingly, Carleton stripped Quebec of all
but 800 regulars and shipped them south. This
left the province in a weakened condition, but
Carleton felt that the French population
would rally to England if the Americans
attempted to invade. He was sadly mistaken.
Carleton’s previous effort placated French
sympathies but scarcely endeared the French
to England; hence, relatively few militiamen
stepped forward to serve. Although not
overtly hostile, most Frenchmen were con-
tent to simply remain on the sidelines. Fur-
thermore, many officials within the Indian De-
partment, such as Guy Johnsonand John
Butler, openly advocated unloosing Native
Americans against American settlements. But
Carleton, formally trained in the art of “civi-
lized” warfare, would hear none of it. He
thereupon expressly ordered all Native Amer-
icans to be kept on a short leash—under strict
control and supervision—to prevent atroci-
ties. This was a noble gesture, firmly
grounded in the general’s altruism, but did lit-
tle to enhance Canadian security.
The consequences of French apathy and
the reluctance to employ Indians was under-
scored when the American forces under
Gens. Philip Schuyler and Richard Mont-
gomery invaded Canada in the fall of 1775.
Badly outnumbered, Carleton gave up ground
slowly and was forced to abandon Montreal
without a fight. He then fell back and en-
trenched himself at Quebec, where Mont-
gomery received timely reinforcements under
Gen. Benedict Arnold. Carleton was backed
against the wall, but he proved grimly deter-
mined to resist. On December 31, 1775, Mont-
gomery gambled on an all-out assault against
Quebec in a blinding snowstorm and very
nearly succeeded, but Carleton’s small, pro-
fessional garrison repulsed him with heavy
losses. Montgomery was killed, Arnold was
wounded, and a body of riflemen under
Daniel Morgan was captured. The Americans
then settled upon a loose siege of the city
while Carleton held fast and awaited rein-
forcements from England.
In May 1776, newly arrived British forces
under Carleton began rolling back the Ameri-
can invaders. The following month he ex-
pertly defeated 2,000 Americans under Gen.
William Thompson at Trois Rivieres, and Gen.
John Sullivan abandoned Montreal to the ad-
vancing British. Carleton then prepared to in-
vade northern New York and ordered a small
flotilla of warships constructed upon Lake
Champlain. An Americans fleet was also built
under the guidance of General Arnold. The
opposing forces clashed at Valcour Island and
Split Rock in mid-October and the Americans
were completely defeated, but not before in-
flicting heavy losses upon Carleton’s men.
Rough terrain and the impending onset of
winter convinced him to abandon his offen-
sive and return to Canada. His operations had
been criticized by some for a lack of dash, but
he permanently secured the province for the
remainder of the war. Carleton was subse-
quently knighted and promoted to lieutenant
general for his good conduct.
By the summer of 1777, the British govern-
ment had adopted an offensive strategy based
in Canada, aimed at winning the war outright.
Part of this entailed using various Native
American tribes offensively, unleashing them
across the frontier to wreak havoc and may-
hem. This was accomplished over Carleton’s
protests, for he considered such tactics to be
uncivilized. Moreover, the new army would be
led by Gen. John Burgoyne, who would re-
trace Carleton’s steps in northern New York
and capture Albany, thereby severing New
England from the rest of the colonies. The
fact that the relatively inexperienced Bur-
goyne was selected over the veteran Carleton
was the work of Lord George Germain, sec-
retary of state for the colonies, who hated
Carleton and wished to see him discredited.
Carleton, taking the hint, angrily resigned his
governorship, although he lent as much field
support to Burgoyne’s operations as possible.
Following Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga
in October 1777, Carleton was recalled to En-CARLETON, GUY