In the late summer of 1775, as revolutionary fervor swept through the thirteen colonies, American military leaders conceived an audacious plan that would shape the early course of the Revolutionary War. The invasion of Quebec, often called America's first foreign military expedition, began in earnest when Continental forces established their forward operating base at Île aux Noix on September 4, 1775. This strategic move up the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River corridor represented both the promise and peril of the revolutionary cause.