Notes

British light troops began an attack on the American position the following day, but were driven back. American attempts to cross the field were also quashed, as infantry were overpowered by volleys from the well-trained and practised muskets of the British 49th and 89th Regiments of Foot, which made up the bulk of Morrison’s army.

Morrison had tactical advantage during the skirmish. The Americans were forced to trudge through two large ravines to reach the field, which was itself inconveniently decorated with split-rail fences and wedged between a pine forest marsh and the St. Lawrence. On the river, a small flotilla of gunboats under Captain William Mulcaster backed the British position. Meanwhile, Boyd’s contradictory and inconsistent leadership exacerbated the confusion and lack of discipline among the American infantry. By the time American artillery and cavalry arrived, most of the soldiers had begun to retreat, their ammunition spent. While the American artillery did have a devastating effect, they were unable to overcome the well-coordinated efforts of British artillery and musketry, or their bayonets. Boyd eventually called a retreat, an order Wilkinson later denied issuing, and the American troops moved to French Mills for the winter, ending the year’s campaign on a sour note.