I've been reading a lot of stuff on Benedict Arnold's march to Canada and the subsequent battles that took place such as Quebec, the various engagments around Montreal, then up through the action down Lake Champlain. In Desjardin's Through A Howling Wilderness, he brings up a very interesting point. In the conclusion to the book, he argues that had the invading colonists been successful in capturing Quebec, that it very likely could have resulted in the United States of American not becoming its own nation. His argument is that if the Americans capture Quebec, then the British would realize that their chances of military success are seriously weakened and that it would be in their interest to reach some kind of compromise with the colonists.
I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on this point. It's a very interesting thing to consider, because it seems that had the colonists caught a break as simple as someone continuing the attack with Montgomery's forces after the general was killed, that Quebec still might have been taken. What is so intriguing for me is the idea that possibly losing such a huge opportunity like the taking of Quebec may ultimately have helped in the course of independence.
So what would you say? If the colonists take Quebec and control both that city and Montreal in late 1775/early 1776, do the English then come to the bargaining table... or do things still follow a similar course toward independence?