On this day 250 years ago, the Continental Army companies commanded by Captains Daniel Morgan, Matthew Smith, William Hendricks, Henry Dearborn, Oliver Hanchett, William Goodrich, Samuel Ward, Simeon Thayer, and John Topham entered Canada from Maine. Several companies that had taken the wrong route and stragglers would catch up with them over the next few days while an entire division had turned back. Col. Benedict Arnold wrote to General Washington from his advanced camp on Chaudier Pond:

the excessive heavy Rains & bad Weather have much retarded our March. I have this minute arrived here with seventy Men, and met a person, on his return, whom I sent down some Time since to the French Inhabitants —he informs me they appear very friendly, and by the best Information he could get will very gladly receive us: He says they informed him . . . that there were few or none of the King’s troops at Quebec, and no advice of our coming. . . . as our Provissions were short by reason of loosing a Number of loaded Batteaus at the Falls & rapid Waters, I ordered all the Sick & feeble to return, . . . as the Roads prove much worse than I expected, and the Season may possibly be severe in a few Days. I am determined to set out immediately with four Batteaus & about fifteen Men, for Sartigan [the first town in Canada on the Chaudier River], which I expect to reach in three or four Days, in order to procure a Supply of Provissions, and forward back to the Detachment the whole of which I dont expect will reach there in less than eight or ten Days. If I find the Enemy are not apprised of our coming, and there is any Prospect of surprising the City, I shall attempt it as soon as I have a proper Number of Men up. If I should be disappointed in my prospect that Way, I shall wait the Arrival of the whole, and endeavour to cut off their Communication with Govr Carleton, who I am told is at Montreal.

Our March has been attended with an amazing Deal of Fatigue, which the Officers & Men have borne with Chearfulness. I have been much deceived in every Account of our Rout, which is longer, and has been attended with a Thousand Difficulties I never apprehended

Sources: “Colonel Benedict Arnold to George Washington, 27–28 October 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-02-02-0224. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 2, 16 September 1775 – 31 December 1775, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1987, pp. 244–246.]; https://ia801306.us.archive.org/2/items/journalisaacsenter00sentrich/journalisaacsenter00sentrich.pdf; https://www.americanrevolution.org/arnolds-expedition-across-the-terrible-carry/