You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today episode 95 the Battle of Trauervier, or Three Rivers.

We last left Canada back in episode 90,

with the arrival of the first British reinforcements

arriving in Quebec in May 1776.

Even before the main force arrived, the Continental's, then under the command of General John Thomas,

began the retreat up the St. Lawrence River towards Sorrell.

There the St. Lawrence River meets with the Richelieu River providing a water route back to Lake Champlain and New York. General Thomas had arrived in Canada himself,

bringing reinforcements just a short time before. Thomas and most of his reinforcements,

though, quickly contracted smallpox.

By mid-May, Thomas himself was incapacitated and blinded by the disease.

General David Worcester resumed command of Continental Forces.

As the Continental's retreated, the British Relief Force continued to arrive in Quebec.

London had sent General Johnny Burgoyne, the General will be met back in Boston when he served as

fourth in command behind Generals Gage, Howe, and Clinton.

Burgoyne had returned to London in late 1775 because Boston was

pretty miserable, he had nothing to do there, and he wanted to take care of his sick

wife in London. A while in London, Berghoy briefed all top officials in the

North Ministry about the situation in America and what they needed to do to fix everything.

Although the main British force would be headed to New York,

London also sent a large relief force to retake Canada. The ministry put Burgoyne at the head of this

force of about 8,000 soldiers, roughly 5,000 regulars and 3,000 German mercenaries, mostly from Brunswick.

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