Battle of the Cedars

Battle of the Cedars
Part of the American Revolutionary War
1764 map showing western part of the island of Montreal (Isle de Mont Real), with the growing town centred on Fort Ville Marie in the upper right and the Cedars (overlooking Rapide du coteau des Cedres) in the map's lower left corner.
Date May 18–27, 1776 Location Les Cèdres, Quebec, southwest of Montreal 45°18′36″N 74°02′07″W / 45.3099°N 74.0353°W / 45.3099; -74.0353 Result British and Iroquois victory
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[1]	Cedars: 400 regulars and militia[2] Quinze-Chênes: 100 regulars and militia[2]
Casualties and losses
Cedars: none[3] Quinze-Chênes: 1 killed, 4–5 wounded[4]	Cedars: all captured[2][3] Quinze-Chênes: 5–6 casualties, rest captured[5]
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Battle of the Cedars National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1928

The Battle of the Cedars (French: Bataille des Cèdres) was a series of military confrontations early in the American Revolutionary War during the Continental Army's invasion of Canada 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, British America. Continental Army units were opposed by a small force of British troops leading a larger force of First Nations warriors (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 hearing of 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, but 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.