Battle of Trois-Rivieres

The Battle of Trois-Rivieres on June 8, 1776 was the final major action of the American invasion of Canada and a severe defeat that accelerated the American retreat back to Lake Champlain. American General William Thompson commanded about 2,000 men who were attempting to strike a British force at Trois-Rivieres while still maintaining a presence in Canada.

Thompson's attack was based on faulty intelligence. Rather than finding a small British detachment, his force ran into the advance guard of a substantial British army under Burgoyne, Fraser, and von Riedesel — nearly 8,000 men who had just arrived as reinforcements. The Americans were outnumbered four to one.

Despite desperate fighting, the American force was routed. Thompson himself was captured, along with about 200 of his men. The rest fled back through the swamps and wilderness toward Montreal. The defeat ended any hope of maintaining a Canadian foothold. The American forces retreated south as rapidly as possible, eventually reaching Crown Point on Lake Champlain. The failed Canadian campaign had cost the Americans nearly 5,000 men — mostly to disease — and had achieved none of its strategic objectives.