Revolutionary War: Boston to Quebec

• The Boston Massacre in 1770 fanned the flames of Revolution
• Old South Meeting House, the starting point for the 1773 Boston Tea Party
• Faneuil Hall, dubbed the “Cradle of Liberty”
• The printing office of Edes & Gill
• Paul Revere’s House in the North End, preserved as the city grew and changed around it
• Old North Church, where Revere arranged for the hanging of signal lanterns, “one if by land, two if by sea” on the fateful night of April 18, 1775
• Copps Hill Burying Ground, famous both for who is buried there and for being the site of British artillery in the Battle of Bunker Hill

Today, the group proceeds to Lexington and Concord to explore the earthshaking events of April 19, 1775. In Lexington, you will visit the tavern where the militia gathered the night before the battle, the town common where the early morning battle erupted, and the cemetery where the dead were laid. Then it’s on to Concord where the Americans scored their first victory at Old North Bridge.

The Colonists pummeled the Redcoats as they retreated back to Boston, and you’ll explore a restored portion of the road.

The fighting reached a crescendo as the British column, led now by Lord Percy, passed through Menotomy (modern-day Arlington). Stopping there, you will learn the extraordinary story of the oldest man who fought that day – and why he is now the Massachusetts State Hero.

Dinner will be on your own in Boston.

In March 1776, General George Washington placed artillery atop Dorchester Heights and bluffed the British into evacuating Boston. You’ll visit a little known monument to that event on the heights overlooking Boston.

The next stop is the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Dating back to the Revolution, it was a center for American military arms manufacturing for 200 years. Today, it houses the finest collection of American arms in the world. You will be treated to a special curator’s presentation on colonial weaponry.

After lunch you will head north to visit the site of the Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1977. It is not in Bennington, Vermont, at all, but in Hoosick Falls, New York. You’ll discover why this tiny precursor to the Battle of Saratoga has such outsized importance. Then it is on to Saratoga Springs.

Tonight there will be a group dinner at the hotel.

At the Battles of Saratoga, in 1777, an American Army under Horatio “Granny” Gates won a decisive victory over “Gentleman” Johnny Burgoyne that proved to be a turning point in the American Revolution. The site is rich in gripping stories, stirring heroics and extraordinary characters. One of the most colorful is the hot-tempered general who had his finest hour here, and will be a major figure for the rest of the trip: Benedict Arnold. The monument commemorating his service at Saratoga is one of the most unusual you will ever see.

After a tour of the battlefield, you will visit the Marshall House, a British battle-day field hospital. You’ll hear the fascinating tale of Baroness Frederika Charlotte Riedesel, spirited and courageous wife of German General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel. Amidst the wounded, she and her children sheltered themselves from withering American artillery fire. It is a harrowing tale of six days of bravery and terror.

Finally, you will visit the site of Burgoyne’s surrender to General Gates.

Dinner will be on your own.

As Gen. Burgoyne bore down on Saratoga, another wing of the British Army led by Gen. Barry St. Leger advanced into the Mohawk Valley. Here the Revolution became a civil war, pitting neighbor against neighbor. You’ll meet two prominent families forever impacted by the war, the Johnsons of Johnson Hall and the Herkimers of German Flatts.

Among the places you’ll visit is the Oriskany Battlefield, one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war, where only Americans fought—Patriots and allied Oneidas vs. Loyalists and other Native tribes.

Your journey then continues at the beautifully restored Fort Stanwyx, “the fort that never surrendered.” You’ll learn how Benedict Arnold used a crafty ruse to help break the British siege here.

Then, it is back to Saratoga for a group dinner at an inn whose history predates the Revolution.

Fort Ticonderoga, the impressive citadel on Lake Champlain, was the site of battles in both the French & Indian War and the American Revolution. In 1758, the British hurled the famed “Black Watch” 42nd Regiment against the French-held fort, a legendary and bloody encounter.

During the Revolution, Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys (with the help of Benedict Arnold) took Fort Ti in 1775. General Henry Knox transported cannons from the fort to Boston to aid George Washington in raising the siege of Boston. The British then retook the fort in 1777 on their march to Saratoga. Fort Ti is the centerpiece of your touring today.

You will begin the day at the site of the Battle of Hubbardton, the only Revolutionary War battle fought in Vermont, and one of the best-preserved battlefields of the Revolution.

At Fort Ticonderoga, you will learn about the fort’s two centuries of military history, visit the archeological remains not accessible to the general public, and see some of the most important pieces in the Fort’s massive collection of artifacts.

After exploring the completely restored Fort Ticonderoga, and nearby battlefield, you will cruise on Lake Champlain to view the impressive terrain from the water. You will finish the day with an elegant group dinner at Fort Ticonderoga boathouse.

In 1776 and 1777, the King’s Troops envisioned using Lake Champlain as a highway to push south from Quebec and drive a wedge between New England the rest of the colonies. As we move northward, you will learn how Gen. Benedict Arnold built and commanded a Navy that played a crucial role in impeding that advance at the Battle of Valcour Island.

Stops include the ruins of a British fort at Crown Point, a replica of Benedict Arnold’s flagship Philadelphia at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, and the site of the naval battle in a narrow channel of Lake Champlain.

This evening, there will be a group dinner in Quebec.

Quebec was the site of a major British victory in the French & Indian War as well as an early American defeat in the American Revolution. In 1759, British Major General James Wolfe triumphed over French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon on the Plains of Abraham. Both generals were mortally wounded in the fighting that secured Canada for England. On New Year’s Eve, 1775, American forces under General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold, were foiled in an attempt to storm the heavily fortified city during a snowstorm. Montgomery was killed and Arnold wounded – Quebec once again proving to be a dangerous place for generals.

At the Plains of Abraham Museum, you will get the big picture on the 1759 battle. Then you will walk the battlefield on the Plains of Abraham, overlooking the St. Lawrence River, to envision how that attack unfolded.

After lunch in the quaint Petit Champlain, the city’s historic quarter, the focus will be on the bold 1775 assault on Quebec by Arnold and Montgomery. You will learn how it might have succeeded but for bad luck and rotten weather.

You will end the day with a visit to the Citadelle of Quebec, the oldest military building in Canada, dating back to 1693. It is still an active military installation. During the 1943 Quebec Conference, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt were photographed on its ramparts – and you can grab a photo in the same spot!

This evening, you will enjoy farewell cocktails and dinner in the celebrated Rose Room, site of the American and British Combined Chiefs Meeting at the September 1943 Quebec Conference. It is a fitting spot to end your journey – a place that commemorates where the combatants in the American Revolution joined as Allies 150 years later. A truly Grand Finale.

The tour ends with a morning transfer to Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB), to catch your flight home.