THROUGH A HOWLING WILDERNESS

Maine’s Historic Site Specialist describes the epic 1775 march through that state’s wilderness by American troops commanded by Colonel Benedict Arnold.

Five years before he turned traitor to the Revolutionary cause, Arnold led his men on what would prove to be one of the most critical treks in the war for independence. Slogging through Maine in an attempt to assault the British at Fort Quebec, the soldiers faced freak blizzards and raging rapids. Starvation forced them to eat whatever they could find, including such delicacies as dog meat and boiled leather straps. Displaying uncommon stamina and a steely will to survive, an army weakened by illness, hunger and death arrived at Fort Quebec only to realize that it lacked the necessary numbers and equipment to effectively besiege the stronghold. Though the fort’s defenders were ill-prepared, Arnold was forced to wait for General Richard Montgomery to arrive with more men. The reinforced troops stormed the gates with little success; Montgomery was killed and Arnold wounded in the initial raid. Unable to take the fort, Arnold settled for harrying the British by sea. He could not defeat their superior navy, but he stalled it long enough to prevent the ships from sailing south to reinforce the British armies in the colonies until the following season, a delay that contributed greatly to the American victory at Saratoga in 1777. Desjardin (Stand Firm Ye Boys from Maine, 1996, not reviewed) recounts the march in descriptive, detailed prose studded with visceral imagery, but Arnold comes across as a frequently incompetent commander throughout the Maine march, making it difficult to credit the decisive impact his actions had. An epilogue asserting his overall importance to the war effort comes too late to counteract the book’s main thrust.

A vivid narrative of a vital American event, but history buffs may not be convinced that Arnold was “America’s Hannibal.”