The skirmish at Longue-Pointe near Montreal in September 1775 was a minor engagement in the American invasion of Canada. Richard Montgomery was advancing his forces toward Montreal, encountering minimal resistance as British Governor Carleton had insufficient forces to defend the…
The skirmish at Longue-Pointe near Montreal in September 1775 was a minor engagement in the American invasion of Canada. Richard Montgomery was advancing his forces toward Montreal, encountering minimal resistance as British Governor Carleton had insufficient forces to defend the entire St. Lawrence Valley. A small British and Loyalist force attempted to contest the American advance at Longue-Pointe.
Montgomery's superior numbers and the demoralization of British forces in the region quickly overcame the opposition. The British and Loyalist defenders were scattered. The engagement cleared the path to Montreal, which Montgomery occupied shortly after when Carleton abandoned it to concentrate at Quebec City.
The fall of Montreal was a significant American success that briefly made the conquest of Canada seem possible. Montgomery combined his forces with Benedict Arnold's column marching from Maine, and together they mounted the ill-fated assault on Quebec City on New Year's Eve 1775 that ended the American invasion.
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