On this day 250 years ago in Canada, Maj. Gen. John Thomas took over command of the siege of Quebec [note some sources say this occurred on May 1]. Among the reinforcements who had also recently joined Continental Army encamped outside Quebec were four companies of the regiment of Col. Elisha Porter. On this day Porter recorded in his diary that “The 4 Companies which came with me were ordered off to Cape Saute to have the smallpox.” The inoculation for smallpox required three to four weeks of quarantine, but unfortunately for these men, they would not have that much time.

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