Schenectady County Historical Society

🇺🇸 On this day, June 8, 1776: the Battle of Trois-Rivières is fought and lost by the Continental Army in Quebec.

The American forces had invaded Canada in August 1775 in order to drive the British Army from their northern neighbor. By June 1776, this venture had been mostly unsuccessful. At this point, an American general named William Thompson attempted a surprise attack on Trois- Rivières, a strategic spot between Montreal and Quebec City. A local farmer named Antoine Gautier led them into a swamp, a likely purposeful action that delayed the Continental Army by hours and allowed British soldiers time to muster in town. Forced to act from the unsteady swampland, the Americans were easily defeated and driven into a retreat. This process was also slowed by the terrain, giving British soldiers time to cut off many escape routes and capture a significant number of soldiers, including General Thompson himself.

This battle was the last one that took place on Quebec soil during the war. It spelled the end of the United States’ pursuit of Canada, and the dominoes would fall after this point to lead to the loss of Fort Ticonderoga.

[Image description: a map from our collection featuring the route of an invasion of Canada during the French and Indian War. The town Trois-Rivières can be seen in the upper right-hand corner.]