John Joseph Henry

A Rifleman With Morgan: the Personal Adventures of a Young American Soldier on the 'Arnold Expedition' to Quebec, 1775 John Joseph Henry

Buckskin, moccasins and long rifle-a rifleman's war

Later in life 'Johnny' Henry decided to put his adventures in writing for the benefit of his children, and in so doing has left posterity an invaluable first hand record of a little reported episode of the American Revolutionary War. In 1775 Congress endorsed a plan to invade Canada at Quebec. Command was given to Benedict Arnold and notable among his troops were three companies of men well accustomed to the wilderness of the Eastern Woodlands-the renowned riflemen under Captain Daniel Morgan, the famous pioneer and frontiersman. One of their number was the author of this riveting account. Henry, with five companions, under Lieutenant Steele were specially selected to scout ahead and break the trail for the following army. The small party set off in birch-bark canoes and what followed makes for a classic account of soldiering through a hostile land, ever in fear of ambush by hostile Indians and struggling to overcome and to subsist in the harsh terrain. Henry barely survived the ordeal and yet these events were merely the beginnings of his experiences. Readers who are fascinated by the adventures of early colonial backwoodsmen will find much to interest them in this book. The attack on Quebec was a ragged affair with both Arnold and Morgan wounded in street fighting. Local militia decided the issue and the assault was ultimately a failure with over half the American army forced to surrender. Previously published as 'The Campaign Against Quebec,' this Leonaur edition has been re-titled so that modern readers will readily understand its content; it is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.