Qualla: Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:18 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. The name that would later become synonymous with treason in America first made headlines at a place called the Cedars. In May 1776, Benedict Arnold was commanding the American garrison at Montreal when word arrived that a combined British and Iroquois force was approaching a strategic outpost on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, about 40 kilometers west of the city. What followed was not a grand battle but a sequence of surrenders, botched reinforcements, prisoner negotiations, and broken promises that revealed just how tenuous the Continental Army's grip on Quebec had become. The Cedars sat at a portage point where rapids forced river traffic ashore -- whoever held it controlled the western approach to Montreal.

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: A Garrison Built of Rumors https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. The American occupation of Montreal had been troubled from the start. After Richard Montgomery took the city without a fight in November 1775, relations with the local population deteriorated steadily. The Americans had interdicted the British fur trade on the upper St. Lawrence ...

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--a-garrison-built-of-rumors.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: Lorimier's Recruitment Drive https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. Lorimier, the agent who had triggered the alarm by leaving Montreal, traveled to Oswegatchie where Captain George Forster of the 8th Regiment of Foot had occupied Fort de La Presentation. Lorimier proposed recruiting Iroquois warriors for a westward strike against Montreal. Forst...

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--lorimiers-recruitment-drive.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: Surrender Without a Fight https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. Forster's force landed near the stockade on May 18 and demanded surrender. Butterfield asked to withdraw under arms; Forster refused. The two sides exchanged fire. The next day, Forster received reinforcements -- about 40 Canadian militiamen under Jean-Baptiste Testard de Montign...

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--surrender-without-a-fight.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: Arnold Gives Chase https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. Arnold rushed back from Sorel and organized a relief force. He reached Fort Senneville on Montreal Island's southwest tip on May 26, burning it, just as Forster's men were landing on the far shore at Quinze-Chenes. Arnold wanted a surprise dawn attack, but Colonel Hazen, a vetera...

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--arnold-gives-chase.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of the Cedars: Benedict Arnold's Humiliation on the St. Lawrence: Courts-Martial and a National Historic Site https://qualla.com/battle-of-the-cedars/ Photo credit Public domain. Arnold blamed Bedel for the disaster. Both Bedel and Butterfield were removed from command and sent for court-martial, though the army's retreat from Quebec delayed the proceedings until August 1, 1776, at Fort Ticonderoga. Both were convicted and cashiered. Bedel continued volun...

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]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/f/2/5/3/battle-of-the-cedars-wp/f253-battle-of-the-cedars-benedict-arnolds-humiliation--courts-martial-and-a-national-historic-site.mp3 0:06 6 full