The New York Packet, And The American Advertiser

Extract of a letter from the camp at Sorel, dated June 13, 1776.

"On the 8th inst. a detachment of about sixteen hundred men, under the command of General Thomson, left the mouth of Nicolette, in order to surprise the enemy at Three Rivers. The design was to have attacked the town before day, but some unforeseen accidents retarded him, so that it was quite light before he got near the town. An advanced boat discovered the party on their march, gave the alarm, and was fired on by the riflemen, who drove her off into the stream. This happened a little before sunrise; and all prospect of succeeding by surprise was then over; the General determined to make the attack, ordered the drums to beat, to put the best face upon the matter, and intimidate the enemy. In this manner the march continued till they came within the reach of the vessels, some of which were anchored along the shore for about a mile or a mile and a half above the town, when a brisk cannonade began from them, but without effect, or occasioning the least disorder among the troops, who bore it with as good a countenance as the best veterans in the world could have done. Col. Maxwell, who led the first division, seeing, however, that in proceeding by the road he would be exposed to a very galling fire from all the vessels, seventeen in number, turned a little to the left, in order to cross what seemed to be a point of woods, and by which it seemed as if we could gain the height of the town, where the firing from the vessels would be ineffectual. This point turned out to be a very thick swamp of great extent, and which took up three hours or more to get through; every step to the knee, and very often a great deal higher. This was very unfavourable to us, for it was impossible for men to march through it without being broken, and a good deal of confusion. And as the enemy were ready for us at the farther side, there was neither time nor ground to form them properly. The consequence was, as you may judge, that we had the worst of it.

The General's original plan was to have attacked before day at four separate places; two attacks by the opposite ends of the main street; each division consisting of three hundred men. A reserve of two hundred and fifty was to remain ready for the support of any of the others. I am almost persuaded that if we had arrived in time to have put this in execution, it would have succeeded, notwithstanding the great superiority of the enemy in point of numbers; but the morning and the swamp, as I told you before, broke in upon this plan. No new one was formed, nor indeed had the General it in his power to form one, for one of the divisions was separated from the rest in passing the swamp, nor did the General know where they were till the firing began from them.

All he could then do was to order them to be supported. This was done for some time with effect, the enemy having broke and given way for some distance; but being supported in their turn, they drove our people back, who bore in a soldier-like manner, a very heavy fire from the musquetry and two pieces of field artillery, sometimes loaded with grape and sometimes with round shot. We were, however, after repeated attacks, obliged to give way, the enemy scarcely pursuing us.

Our loss is inconsiderable as to numbers. But, alas, not so as to men, General Thomson being among the prisoners. Though we had the worst of it, I hope we have made some impression on the minds of our enemies. They allow we behaved well; and it will not tell amiss that twelve hundred Americans attacked, under every disadvantage, four thousand British troops, obliged them at first to give way, and, when beat back, made a retreat of forty five miles with the loss of about one hundred and fifty men."