Carry On Up The St Lawrence - Chapter 5 - Groundhog Day For Henry Higgins

Major Thomas Magnum was quite pleased with his progress down the St Lawrence thus far. He had successfully outmanoeuvred the small force sent to oppose him previously and he was pretty sure that he had managed to do the same again. Swinging off the main road he advanced parallel to it with all the speed that only American forces without any actual opposition in front of them can achieve. Having now reached the twin landmarks of Cheery Welcome's tavern and Ford's farm, he swung back towards the road in order to cut off the enemy forces.

Captain Jim Rockford deployed his flankers speedily from the orchards to the rear of the tavern, heartened by the thought of not only outsmarting the Canadians, but also replenishing supplies. He might even be allowed to burn the place to the ground too, that would be fun. But as Magnum's men were deploying to his left and rear, much to his consternation shots rang out from the fields to his right. "Oh dear, what is happening?", were not exactly the first words that came to his mind.

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Mr James Pendrick was not a man who was troubled by setbacks. In fact Captain Murdoch had come to know him as a man to whom retribution and revenge came as naturally as thinking Canada belonged to America did to American presidents. He had been hurt in the previous skirmish and had barely escaped the field accompianied by only half the men he had taken into action. It was now time to do what he did best - be sneaky and devious.

Whilst Brackenreid and Murdoch had taken the militia and fencibles straight back down the Montreal road, Pendrick had patched himself up and followed the bluecoats across the countryside. Seeing the Americans turn back towards the road, he had hidden  his scouts in a field on the american flank, and when they cleared Cheery Welcome's orchards, he opened fire.

Back down the road Brackenreid and Murdoch heard the crack of musketry as the scouts opened fire. "Bloody hell Murdoch, the buggers have done it again!", he exclaimed. "Indeed I fear they have", replied Murdoch in a tone that suggested he was not entirely surprised.

"Higgins, get a shift on and take some lads down to the fence by the tavern and hold on until we get there. Murdoch, get the Voltigeurs up there with them and chivvy the militia along. I'll follow as fast as I can with the rest of the fencibles", ordered Brackenreid.

Henry Higgins sighed to himself and thought that if ever a day came when you were able to copy what people said to some sort of device and that device got stuck, it would probably sound just like Major Brackenreid. He then became very concerned as he realised that was exactly the bizarre sort of thing that his friend sergeant Crabtree would come up with. "I've been hanging around with that daft Newfie for too long", he thought to himself.

Captain Murdoch moved his men speedily down the road, and soon after Higgins had positioned himself at the fence, the Voltigeurs Canadiens opened up a destructive fire from the upper floor of the tavern. Rockford's flankers were now caught in a crossfire  between Pendrick's scouts and Murdoch's voltigeurs. Blue coats began to litter the field.

To be continued................

Pendrick's scouts open up on the flank of the advancing american skirmishers.

Magnum's men advance from the orchards

Men of the 6th battalion of the Lower Canada Embodied Milita rush to the sound of gunfire.

 

The Voltigeurs Canadiens open fire from the tavern.

Note: "Cheery Welcome's tavern is based on a real tavern near Oshawa owned by a Mr Acheus Moody Farewell and his wife. Details can be found here and here.