Darley, Stephen. Voices Waiting to Be Heard: Nineteen Eyewitness Accounts of Arnold’s 1775 March to Quebec. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2021.

An expert on Benedict Arnold’s northern military career, Stephen Darley’s new book presents to the public for the first time thirteen newly discovered diaries and journals written by members of Arnold’s arduous 1775 march to Quebec. The addition of thirteen diaries and journals brings the total known diaries and journals to thirty-eight. Darley’s prior work, Voices from a Wilderness Expedition, documents the previously interpreted twenty-five diaries.[1]

Darley’s new scholarship is an outstanding example of unique, valuable Revolutionary War primary sources that continue to be discovered and change previously held interpretations. This treasure trove of new data sheds additional light on the trials and tribulations of the fall trek through the Maine wilderness to Quebec City.  Surprisingly, enlisted soldiers penned more than one-half of the new documents, a rarity among the surviving diaries and journals.

Darley’s new book should be the first stop for readers and scholars interested in studying Benedict Arnolds Quebec campaign. In addition to the thirteen new diaries, there are valuable editorial notes, participant bios, and a comprehensive bibliography. Lastly, he points out other journals by members of the expedition while in British captivity that provide future avenues of research.

I highly recommend Voices Waiting to be Heard to both readers fascinated by Benedict Arnold and those interested in what it was like to be a Revolutionary War soldier on campaign. One area of omission is why the Maine to Quebec march generated the most significant number of surviving journals of any Revolutionary War campaign. Another question is how different were the experiences of the soldiers who continued to Quebec and those that turned around and retreated with Col. Roger Enos. Perhaps, Darley will answer these questions in future volumes.

Benedict Arnold Monument At Saratoga

[1] Darley, Stephen. Voices from a Wilderness Expedition: The Journals and Men of Benedict Arnold’s Expedition to Quebec in 1775. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2011.