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... his fortress to fight or, scale the cliffs to get up o him. Wolfe gave orders to raid the farms to the south of Quebec. Light infantry, Highlanders and Rangers were sent out to both sides of the St. Lawrence, burning houses and barns. Although he ordered the churches to be spared, s few of them were reduced to ash as well.
Montcalm refused to let the British's unethical tactics to draw them out. He dispatched a few parties, but nothing that would diminish his guard over Quebec. On July 20 th Wolfe had eight hundred grenadiers, men who specialized in throwing grenades, row over to the Beauport shore to attack the French batteries. Submerged rocks caused them to have to wade ashore under fire form the French troops.
Those who made it ashore became temporarily insane. Out if fear and desperation they charged the French Batteries with their bayonets fixed. The artillerymen who failed to run were stabbed. Drummers tapped out the charge for the second wave of British troops.
They became enraged with what they saw happen to their fellow soldiers. They rushed up and began scaling the cliffs. The French began firing down upon them. When the rain started to fall, the cliff side turned into a mass mudslide. At last the same drummers who sounded out the attack, sounded the retreat. As the English got in their boats to go back across the river, the Indians came down to scalp the dead and wounded.
This defeat devastated Wolfe to the extreme. He lay sick in bed with a high fever. Several weeks of lack of sleep, worry and nervous strain was the cause. He called a meeting, on his tenth day in bed, of his senior officers. He rose because he didnt think he had much more time to conquer before his health completely failed him. Wolf evacuated the camp on Montmerncy River and concentrated his army at Point Levis.
Every night a few ships would go up river, past the batteries at Quebec until there was a squadron west of the city. They would slowly drift down river with the tide as if looking for a place to land. This forced Bouganvilles men to follow the British ships from the top of the cliffs. This was to tire the French out and get them used to seeing British that never attacked.
Wolfe had made a surprising discovery. There was an overgrown path leading up to the top of the cliffs in an islet just a few miles west of Quebec. It was guarded at the top by a small troop of Canadian Militia under Captain Duchambon de Vendor. It was the soft underbelly of the French's defenses that the English had been looking for all this time. During the night of September 13, 1779, Wolfe led his troops up the secret path to attack. Montcalm's officers saw the red coats coming towards them, but didnt do anything.
They wouldnt move with out written orders form the General himself. By the time word got to Montcalm, the British were bringing more men up. Open space was need for battle. Between the British army and Quebec there was room for deployment.
It was part of the Heights, or Plains of Abraham. There were danger zones on either side; the woods could conceal the quickness of the Indians. Montcalm had less than two thousand nine hundred regulars available. He also had Canadian comrades-in-arms and Indians on his side. (With Wolfe to Quebec 165) At 10 am Montcalm gave the command for the French to attack.
He was shocked to see that the British were not in the trenches, but lying down on the field. Only the Officers stood up. This was so Wolfe's men wouldnt be a target, only his officers who wouldnt do much to fight in the battle anyway. By this stage in the battle, Wolfe had been already hit in the wrist.
Moments later he was hit again in the stomach, but he ignored the pain. (Sieges of Quebec 66) The British waited for the French to be close before the opened fire upon them. When they did so it was in an orderly fashion. There were 3 lines, on would stand up, shoot, drop reloading their muskets while the other two took their turns firing. The French were running a shooting randomly. There was no sense of order. Most of the fifty-eight British who died and six hundred wounded were done do by the Canadians and the Indians. (Sieges Of Quebec 69) Wolfe was struck by one of these Canadian bullets in the chest.
A surgeon was called for immediately, but it was too late. He lay on the field surrounded by his men. Now, God be praised, I will die in peace General James Wolfe (Sieges of Quebec 69) British soldiers wandered around aimlessly. They looted the dead, looking for souvenirs and helping the wounded. The battle had only lasted thirty minutes.
A British cannon had hit Montcalm. He was taken to a house in the Upper Town. The French had lost six hundred men, but 13 000 still remained. (Sieges of Quebec 70) The French officers didnt know what to do. They went to their leader on his deathbed to seek advice. He told them that they could attack, retreat of surrender. Montcalm died on the morning of September 14 th.
By that time the French had abandoned their guns, baggage, even the food reserves. The fall of Quebec insured British domination of North America. Although the French have remained a presence, they remain cloistered in certain geographic areas like Quebec, New Brunswick, Louisiana, Northern Ontario and Northern Manitoba. The strength of their differences has allowed them to retain a separate existence.
Works Cited Lloyd, Christopher. The Capture Of Quebec, The Netherlands: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd. , 1972 Morton, Desmond. Sieges of Quebec, Toronto: Grolier Limited, 1984 Warner, Oliver. With Wolfe to Quebec, London: B.
T. Batsford Limited, 1959 Encyclopedia Britannica. Quebec, Battles Of, Ready Reference and Index Volume 5; Toronto: The University Of Chicago, 1979 Encyclopedia Britannica. Canada, History Of, Knowledge and Depth Volume 3; Toronto: The University of Chicago, 1979 web >, The Battle of Quebec, 2000
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