Colborne and additional troops. In early December, Gore returned to Sorel with his new troops aboard the steamship John Bull and embarked the troops that he had there. Gore attempted to sail down to Saint-Denis, but the river was blocked with ice, and Gore was forced to march. Eight companies of infantry and four guns accompanied Gore on the march. At the site where he had left his cannon (which was still there, frozen in the mud) he was met by a group of villagers bearing a white flag. They claimed that there were no longer Patriotes in the town. Scouts returned to Gore reporting that new barricades and earthworks had been erected, but were incomplete and no defenders were found. Nelson had attempted to fortify Saint-Denis, but after the Patriote rout at the Battle of Saint-Charles, he lost hope and fled to the United States. The British column entered the town and began to search houses. The property of every rebel was to be destroyed. The coach house was blown up with gunpowder and set afire, as was Nelson's house and distillery. In the end, over 50 buildings were burned over two days. On December 4, Gore took five companies and two guns and moved on to Saint-Charles and then on to Saint-Hyacinthe, searching for Papineau. He found that Papineau had fled ahead of the British advance. The following day, Gore returned to Saint-Denis via Saint-Charles, leaving garrisons in both towns. On December 6, Gore departed for Montreal, arriving the following day. The Patriotes suffered a second major defeat at Saint-Eustache which ended the uprising in December 1837. The government troops summarily executed some Patriotes captured at the battles; others that were captured were imprisoned awaiting their fate. Government troops burned several houses and set one entire village on fire following the battles. Some Patriotes which had managed to escape the defeats fled to the United States where they re-mustered under new leadership. They returned better armed the following year and the rebellion erupted again in November 1838. Government troops returned to defeat the Patriotes in a series of battles, and again burned entire areas, along with pillaging and raping. Of the prisoners captured in the rebellion, 25 were hanged and 58 were deported to penal colonies in Australia. Citations References Conflicts in 1837 Saint-Denis, Battle of Saint-Denis 1837 in Lower Canada November 1837 events