Battle of the Cedars
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The Battle of the Cedars (French: Les Cèdres) occurred during the American Revolutionary War, on May 15 - May 26, 1776, at Fort Cedars, located 28 miles (45 km) west of Montreal, Canada. It was a minor skirmish that resulted in the American garrison being captured without a fight.
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[edit] Prelude
During the American invasion, the Patriots briefly held Montreal which was commanded by Colonel Moses Hazen. Because of concerns about British activity to the west, Hazen sent 400 troops commanded by Colonel Timothy Bedel of Bedel's Regiment to occupy the Cedars.
On May 15, 1776, Bedel learned that a force of 150 British troops of the 8th Regiment of Foot and about 500 Iroquois commanded by Captain George Forster was approaching. He left Major Isaac Butterfield in charge and returned to Montreal to get reinforcements. When he arrived, Hazen sent 100 men under the command of Major Henry Sherburne back to the Cedars. In addition, Benedict Arnold set about organizing a larger relief force.
[edit] Battle
On May 16, the British confronted the fort, and Butterfield surrendered without a fight. The British agreed to protect the American prisoners from reprisals by the Iroquois. On May 20, Sherburne landed at Quinze Chiens about 10 miles (15 km) from the Cedars. Not realizing that Butterfield had already surrendered, he marched his troops into a British ambush. They fought for about 40 minutes before they were forced to surrender.
On May 26, the British learned that Arnold was approaching with his army and moved their force up to Quinze Chiens. Forster sent Sherburne to meet Arnold and apprise him of the surrender and the situation. Rather than let any harm befall the American prisoners, Arnold decided to return to Montreal.
[edit] Aftermath
Blame for the defeat was initially placed on Bedel by Arnold. As a result, Bedel was removed from command. However, following Arnold's change of allegiance to the British, Bedel was reinstated and eventually attained the rank of Major General, as commander of the New Hampshire Militia. Following the surrender at the Cedars some of the American prisoners were exchanged for British soldiers captured at the Battle of Fort St. Jean.
[edit] References
- Metzger (1962). Prisoners in the American Revolution. Chicago: Loyola University Press.
