5. The Great Carrying Place nearly destroyed the expedition
The Great Carrying Place was a 12-mile passage which allowed Arnold’s men to bypass a section of a stream known as the Dead River. It consisted of several marshes and small ponds, with sections of swamps between them. The ground was so wet that the men spent the nights sleeping, or trying to sleep, in the branches of trees. Morgan’s riflemen attempted to keep the expedition in-game for sustenance, the supplies of food by then nearly exhausted. The abundance of water was stagnant, and men who drank it were severely sickened. Many turned back, to die in the wilderness. Others died as they continued to move forward.
By October 16, Arnold’s men, or what was left of them, reached the navigable section of the Dead River. Contrary to its name, the river was flowing swiftly, and the leaky Bateaux had to be poled against the current by mostly ill, weakened men. By the time the river was reached, the expedition was officially on half-rations, though in reality there was very little to eat. Several Bateaux overturned, ruining what little remained of the food. Arnold decided the expedition would continue. A handpicked party of men was dispatched ahead of the main body to the French-Canadian settlements on the Chaudiere, in the hope food could be obtained. The aftermost units of Arnold’s column turned back.