received your positive orders to repair to Sorel; the guard was ordered to return, and the goods to be delivered Colonel Hazen, to be stored. He refused receiving or taking any care of them; by which means, and Major Scott’s being ordered away, the goods have been opened and plundered, I believe to a large amount. It is impossible for me to distinguish each man’s goods, or ever settle with the proprietors. The goods are delivered to Mr. McCarthy. This is not the first or last order Colonel Hazen has disobeyed. I think him a man of too much consequence for the post he is in. I have given him orders to send directly to St. Johns all the heavy cannon, shot, powder, and batteaus, valuable stores, and the sick. I go to Montreal immediately, and beg to have your orders as soon as possible for my future conduct.

I am, with respect and esteem, dear General, your most obedient, humble servant,

B. ARNOLD.

P. S. If you should think proper to retire to St. Johns, will it not be best to order a number of carts to be ready from all the neighbouring parishes, and to enforce your order by sending a number of armed men to secure them?

Chambly, June 13, 1776.

DEAR SIR: Enclosed you have a copy of a letter which I have received from General Arnold. It contains, as I conceive, an undeserved reflection, as I am very conscious of having done my duty in every respect; but if otherwise, I am equally unworthy the honour which the Congress conferred on me, as unfit for the service of my country. I must, therefore, beg you will order, as soon as the service will admit, a Court of Inquiry, or a Court-Martial, as you may think fit, to determine this matter.

Enclosed you have also the copy of an order of yesterday, which I have put into execution. The officers in general think it cruel, and the soldiers murmur greatly. There has been, within these few days, a considerable desertion from St. Johns, Chambly, and, I believe, some from your camp; they go off, as I am told, through the woods, on each side of the Lake; and it is not possible for us to prevent those who choose to undertake so fatiguing a journey.

I am sorry to see the disagreeable situation we are now in; a safe retreat to the other side of Lake Champlain is the only point to be attended to, in my opinion, as we have irrecoverably lost the only chance we had of maintaining our ground in Canada, and that by our neglect, viz: fortifying the pass at Deschambault in the proper time, which would have secured to us the navigation of the river St. Lawrence down to that place; an advantage—added to the protection we should have given, and, in consequence, the assistance we might have had from at least seven-eighths of Canada —which would have enabled us to withstand any force the British Ministry might have sent against us. Sorel is calculated by nature as a proper place, in our situation, for the encampment of your main body, in order to watch the motions of our enemy only. Art will scarcely make any difference in the place; for if you fortify, the enemy will know it, and, in that case, leave you in your fortification, go past your post, and proceed directly to Chambly and St. Johns. You must not consider them as being in an enemy’s country; but, on the contrary, suppose it to be our own case. Do not rely on any real assistance from the Canadians whom you are collecting together—I know them well; be assured that, in our present situation, they will leave us in the hour of difficulty. Look into your own distressed, dissatisfied, and undisciplined Army. The Congress has promised them what is out of your power to perform. What are we to expect from a handful of such men, against the well-known best troops in the world? I dread the consequence of their delay: you will find it is not without a plan, which they will by and by attempt to execute; if they succeed, your Army will be cut to pieces. For God’s sake order the necessary precaution to be immediately taken to secure your retreat. There is no time to lose, as this is not to be done in a moment. I was yesterday at St. Johns; not a batteau at that place—only half a dozen fit for service here. St. Johns is almost naked of artillery; we have at last got some pieces here fit for service; shall they be sent on to you, or back to St. Johns? Please to order.

I beg you will pardon the freedom which I have taken on this occasion in transmitting to you my opinion in the present critical situation of publick affairs in Canada, which I should not have ventured had I not first obtained your leave for that purpose.

I am, dear sir, your most obedient humble servant,

M. HAZEN.

To General Sullivan.

Chambly, June 13, 1776.

WORTHY SIR: You have doubtless ere this received a line from General Arnold, acquainting you of his having sent me on a tour to Chambly, (this place,) to endeavour to collect a proper return of the troops at each post. I have done my utmost, but have not yet finished, owing to the scattered situation of our men, for twenty miles in length; as soon as done, I shall wait upon you. There are about fifteen hundred at St. Johns, and upwards of twelve hundred here; very few indeed fit for duty.

The loss of Deschambault, I am clear, has lost us the Province. A prudent retreat, I presume, under our present situation, is our only plan. If they should get possession of our boats, of which I am apprehensive, I think they may be at Crown Point before us. This, General, is a bold observation—excuse my freedom. I have lived ten years in the country of their operations, and have seen their manœuvres: depend upon it they don’t retard their operations for nothing; they are meditating a plan they will soon attempt to put into execution. Secure our water-carriage on Lake Champlain, and we turn the tables upon them, and I think we can meet them there upon advantageous terms. I once more beg your excuse, in a hurry. Accept my simple opinion; if it serves you I am happy; if not, throw them by; yet still believe me, with respect, your most obedient, humble servant,

E. ANTTLL.

To General Sullivan.

Albany, June 20, 1776—10 o’clock P. M.

DEAR GENERAL: Your despatches arrived at a quarter past eleven this morning.

I very seriously deplore the disagreeable situation of you and our Army in Canada; and although I applaud your magnanimous spirit, yet I cannot by any means approve that you should think only of a glorious death or a victory obtained against superior numbers. These sentiments should take place when every other resource is cut off, and when a defeat may not be attended with decisive consequences against us. The evacuation of Canada will certainly be attended with many disagreeable ones; but will not the total destruction of our Army, and a consequent loss of the country, be attended with those infinitely more fatal? Surely it will. I only mention that the enemy will, in that case, be able to penetrate into the Colonies by the way of the Lakes: not so if our Army retreat in safety. Every effort of theirs to accomplish it, at least for this campaign, will prove ineffectual; but should they even be able to advance to the most southern extreme of the Lake, our Army, with reinforcements from the Militia, will there stop their progress. I am, therefore, of opinion, if it should be still in your power when you receive this, that you ought not to remain any longer at Sorel than you have a prospect of retreating with safety; and that the better to secure your retreat, every batteau, as I have formerly observed, which you can possibly spare, ought to be sent without the least delay to St. Johns. I think I am fully authorized to give this opinion, from what you say of the strength of the enemy in your letter to his Excellency General Washington and me, and I have informed his Excellency that I would give you the above advice.

Colonel Dayton is in Tryon County; we shall, I believe have our hands full in that quarter. I am preparing everything to take post at Fort Stanwix, and to repel the threatened invasion of the Mohawk River.

No part of Colonel Wayne’s is as yet arrived here, nor any of the Militia ordered by the resolutions of Congress which I transmitted you on the 12th instant.

I have ordered Colonel Wynkoop to send all the batteaus he can to St. Johns, agreeable to General Arnold’s and Colonel Poor’s request, signified in their letters of the 13th instant; this will deprive me from forwarding the Militia; but if you should not want the batteaus, I entreat you to order them back to Ticonderoga, under the command of an active officer, and as many others as you can spare, that the Militia may be sent without delay.