a militia unit. The other force would be commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel George Wetherall of the Royal Regiment, leading three companies of the Royal Regiment, one company of the 66th Regiment and twenty Royal Montreal Cavalry and a Royal Artillery detachment and two guns. Gore was to attack the rebels from the north via Sorel, while Wetherall would attack from the south via Fort Chambly. Battle March south On November 22, Gore arrived at Sorel at 18:00. He ordered one company of the 32nd Regiment, four companies of the 24th regiment, an artillery detachment with one 24-pounder gun and a troop of Montreal cavalry to depart. At 22:00, the force of 300 departed Sorel in the freezing rain. Saint-Denis was south of Sorel and the roads were surrounded by woods. The weather changed to rain mixed with snow, turning the roads into mud knee-deep with frozen potholes. At 23:00, a caleche departed Sorel containing an officer of the 32nd regiment carrying orders for Lieutenant-Colonel Gore, which ordered him to await Wetherall's advance. However, roughly down the road, the caleche took a wrong turn and the officer ended up a prisoner of the Patriotes. Taken to Saint-Denis, the officer was later killed trying to escape during the battle. As Gore approached Saint-Denis, skirmishers fired upon the column from the woods before retreating towards town. The British approach was heralded by church bells along the river. Upon arrival at Saint-Denis, Gore had the gun unlimbered and fired one roundshot at the coach house, doing no damage. A strong east wind had taken hold and it had begun snowing. Gore then arranged his forces and moved forward until halting at a coulee. From there he surveyed the town. Assault Gore ordered one company to cross the fields, accompanied by the gun, and set up a position at a barn on the right that would keep the gun in range of the coach house while providing some shelter. The company drove the barn's defenders off after a bayonet charge. As the gun was made ready, the position came under fire from the coach house and three gunners were wounded before the cannon could fire its first round. The cannon's first shot went through the second-storey window, killing three Patriotes. The second, third and fourth shots rebounded harmlessly off the walls. The fire coming from the coach house forced the artillerymen to move the cannon to