Battle of The Cedars

Battle of The Cedars
Part of the American Revolutionary War
A 1764 map showing part of the island of Montreal (L'Isle de Mont Real) with the town (Ville Marie) in the upper right. The Cedars (Les Cèdres) is in the map's lower left corner.
Date May 18–27, 1776 Location Les Cèdres, Quebec, southwest of Montreal Coordinates: 45°18′36″N 74°02′07″W / 45.309930°N 74.035336°W / 45.309930; -74.035336 Result Tactical British victory Strategically indecisive
Belligerents
Great Britain Province of Quebec Iroquois	United Colonies Canadian sympathizers
Commanders and leaders
George Forster	Isaac Butterfield (POW) Henry Sherburne (POW) Benedict Arnold
Strength
40 British regulars 11 Canadian militia 204 Iroquois	Cedars: 400 regulars and militia Quinze-Chênes: 100 regulars and militia
Casualties and losses
Cedars: none Quinze-Chênes: 1 killed, 4–5 wounded	Cedars: all captured Quinze-Chênes: 5–6 casualties, rest captured
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Battle of the Cedars National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1928

The Battle of The Cedars (French: Les Cèdres) was a series of military confrontations early in the American Revolutionary War during the Continental Army's invasion of Quebec that had begun in September 1775. The skirmishes, which involved limited combat, occurred in May 1776 at and around The Cedars, 45 km (28 mi) west of Montreal, Quebec. Continental Army units were opposed by a small number of British troops leading a larger force of Indians (primarily Iroquois), and militia.

Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, commanding the American military garrison at Montreal, had placed a detachment of his troops at The Cedars in April 1776, after receiving rumors of British and Indian military preparations to the west of Montreal. The garrison surrendered on May 19 after a confrontation with a combined force of British and Indian troops led by Captain George Forster. American reinforcements on their way to The Cedars were also captured after a brief skirmish on May 20. All of the captives were eventually released after negotiations between Forster and Arnold, who was bringing a sizable force into the area. The terms of the agreement required the Americans to release an equal number of British prisoners. However, the deal was repudiated by Congress, and no British prisoners were freed.

Colonel Timothy Bedel and Lieutenant Isaac Butterfield, leaders of the American force at The Cedars, were court-martialed and cashiered from the Continental Army for their roles in the affair. After distinguishing himself as a volunteer, Bedel was given a new commission in 1777. News of the affair included greatly inflated reports of casualties, and often included graphic but false accounts of atrocities committed by the Iroquois, who made up the majority of the British forces.

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