Battle of the Plains of Abraham

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Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Part of the Seven Years' War French and Indian War
The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West. Oil on canvas, 1770.
Date September 13, 1759 Location Quebec City Result Decisive British victory
Combatants
Britain	France
Commanders
James Wolfe †	Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm †
Strength
4,800 regulars	4,000 regulars 300 militia
Casualties
658 dead or wounded	644 dead or wounded

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was a pivotal battle in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War, known in the United States as the French and Indian War. The confrontation between elements of the British Army, Royal Navy and the French Army was fought on a plateau just outside and to the west of the walls of Quebec City, the capital of New France, on the land of Abraham Martin dit L'Écossais. The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops in total between both sides, but proved to be a deciding moment in the conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New France and influence the later creation of Canada.

The culmination of a three-month siege with the Royal Navy patrolling the St. Lawrence River and French troops entrenched along the north shore of the river as well as within the fortified city of Quebec, the battle lasted less than an hour, during which time tactics devised by the British commander, General James Wolfe, proved successful in breaking the column advance of French and Canadien troops under Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm. Both generals were mortally wounded during the battle; Wolfe died on the field and Montcalm passed away the next morning.

In the wake of the battle and the loss of control over Quebec and the St. Lawrence, France's remaining military force in Canada and the rest of North America came under increasing pressure from greater British forces, and within four years French control in what would become eastern Canada was ceded to Great Britain.

[edit] The siege of Quebec

After the fall of Louisbourg (in Nova Scotia, Canada) in July of 1758, Britain directed its troops towards the St. Lawrence River and its French settlements. General Wolfe arrived in Louisbourg in May 1759 to prepare his troops for the push inland while other British forces led by General Jeffrey Amherst led an advance through Lake Champlain. Wolfe was met by a smaller force than he had expected; he expected to lead 12,000 men, but was greeted by only approximately 400 officers, 7,000 regular troops, 300 gunners and a battery of Marines.^[1] Wolfe's troops were supported by a fleet of 49 ships and 140 smaller craft led by Admiral Charles Saunders. In preparation for the fleet's approach to Quebec, James Cook, master of the HMS Pembroke and later known for his explorations in the Pacific Ocean, surveyed a large portion of the river, including a dangerous channel known as The Traverse east and south of the Île d'Orléans. Cook's ship also was one of the first ships up the river, sounding the channel and guiding the fleet as it moved up, eventually landing Wolfe and his men on Île d'Orléans June 28.^[2] The French attempted to attack the fleet by sending a number of fire ships downriver to disrupt the landing, but the ships were fired too early and British sailors in longboats were able to pull the flaming craft clear of the fleet.^[3] The following day, Wolfe landed troops on the south bank of the river at Point Levis, nearly directly across the river from Quebec; an artillery battery was established there in early July that was able to fire into the lower town, which was nearly leveled by the bombardment.^[4]

The French and Canadien defenders had focused preparations for the British attacks on the Beauport shore, north and east of Quebec along the northern banks of the St. Lawrence. Montcalm had distributed some 12,000 troops in a nine-kilometre long collection of fortified redoubts and batteries from the Saint-Charles River to the Montmorency Falls, along the shallows of the river in areas that had previously been targeted by British attempts to land.^[5] On July 31, the first serious attempt at a landing on the northern shore by Wolfe's troops led to the Battle of Beauport, also known as the Battle of Montmorency. Approximately 4,000 British troops supported by a heavy bombardment attempted to land, but were caught in the river shallows under fire. Members of the Louisbourg Grenadiers who reached the beach attempted a generally undisciplined charge on the French positions, but came under heavy fire; a thunderstorm ended the fight and allowed Wolfe to pull his troops back after taking some 450 casualties to Montcalm's 60.^[6]

Some French officers felt the Montmorency defeat would be the last British attack; the Marquis de Vaudreuil, Governor of New France, wrote afterwards that he had "no more anxiety about Quebec," while others felt the campaign was over.^[7] Wolfe's focus changed through the remainder of the summer; his troops focused on attacking and burning farms, forts, and supply depots in attempts to reduce the supplies for the French while also hoping to force Montcalm into an attack.^[8] The British did not take control of the entire river, however, and left French supply routes open. There were very little supplies to be had, however, as the British navy was successfully blockading the ports in France and controlled the entrance to the St. Lawrence.

[edit] Preparations for Battle

A portrait of Wolfe printed circa 1776.

After considering and rejecting a number of plans for landings on the north shore, a decision was made in late August by Wolfe and his brigadiers to land upriver of the city. Initial suggestions for landing sites ranged as much as 32 kilometres up the St. Lawrence, which would have given the French troops one or two days to prepare for the attack.^[9] In the wake of the Montmorency debacle, Montcalm had shifted some of his troops, sending Colonel Louis-Antoine de Bougainville and a column of approximately 1,500 regular troops, 200 cavalry and a group of Canadian militia - some 3,000 men in all - upriver to Cap-Rouge to keep watch on British ships in the area. The withdrawal, in early September, of British troops from a camp at Montmorency was seen as a feint by Montcalm, who redeployed other troops to the Beauport shore, despite warnings from commanders of potential dangers upriver.^[10]

On September 12, Wolfe made a final decision on the British landing site, selecting Anse-aux-Foulons as a landing spot. Anse-aux-Foulons is a cove situated southwest of the city, three kilometres upstream. It lies at the bottom of a 53-metre high cliff leading to the plateau above on which Quebec City sits, and was protected by cannons. It was uncertain as to why Wolfe selected Foulon, as he had done most of the planning on his own and discussed it with only a few people before issuing his orders.^[11] In his final letter, dated HMS Sutherland, 8:30 p.m. September 12, Wolfe wrote: "I had the honour to inform you today that it is my duty to attack the French army. To the best of my knowledge and ability, I have fixed upon that spot where we can act with most force and are most likely to succeed. If I am mistaken I am sorry for it and must be answerable to His Majesty and the public for the consequences."^[12]

Anse-aux-Foulons was defended by French troops; Bougainville was tasked with the defense of the area, but was upstream with his troops at Cap Rouge and, the night of September 12, missed seeing numerous British ships moving downstream. A camp of approximately 100 Canadian militia led by Captain Louis de Vergor were tasked to protect top of a narrow road running up a streambank, the Coulée Saint-Denis, but on the night of September 12 and morning of September 13, however, the camp may have contained as little as 40 men after others were allowed to go off harvesting.^[13] Sentries did detect ships moving along the river that morning, but were expecting a French supply convoy to pass that night - a plan that had been changed without Vergor being notified.^[14] When the ships - loaded with the first wave of British troops - were hailed, a French-speaking officer, either a Captain Fraser or Captain Donald McDonald of the 78th Highlanders battalion, was able to answer the challenge and eliminate any suspicion.^[15]

The ships, however, had drifted slightly off course, and instead of landing at the base of the road, many of the soldiers found themselves at the base of a steep, rocky cliff. A group of volunteers with fixed bayonets were sent to clear the picket along the road, while three companies climbed the face of the cliff, a maneuver that allowed them to come up behind Vergor's camp and capture it quickly.^[16] Thus, by the time the sun rose over the Plains of Abraham, Wolfe's army had a solid foothold at the top of the cliffs.

[edit] The Plains of Abraham

Montcalm leading his troops into battle. Watercolour by Charles William Jefferys (1869 - 1951).

The appearance of thousands of red-coated British soldiers on the Plains of Abraham unsettled Montcalm, who had been expecting an attack on the Beauport Shore - an expectation increased by Saunders' movement of the British fleet off Montmorency - and was surprised by the landing at the Foulon.^[17] The general had no confidence in the fortifications that protected Quebec. He had previously written that in the case of a siege, the city would likely fall, a belief that may have swayed his decision to face the British.^[18] Describing the situation as "une affaire serieuse," he immediately marched the available troops to place his forces between the entrenching British and the city. To an artillery officer named Montbelliard, Montcalm stated, "We cannot avoid action; the enemy is entrenching, he already has two pieces of cannon. If we give him time to establish himself, we shall never be able to attack him with the troops we have."^[19]

In total, Montcalm had 13,390 troops and militia available in Quebec City and along the Beauport shore, as well as 200 cavalry, 200 artillery, 300 natives (among which were upper Great Lakes Odawa warriors following Charles de Langlade), and 140 Acadian volunteers. A significant portion of these forces were inexperienced. On the morning of September 13, as Wolfe's command formed a line first with their backs to the river, then spreading out across the Plains, it was the militia that first engaged, arriving in the trees and scrub that formed the northwest side of the fields.^[20]

The British troops, numbering approximately 3,300, formed into a shallow horseshoe formation that stretched across the width of the Plains, with the main firing line around one kilometre long. To cover the entire Plains, Wolfe was forced to array his soldiers two ranks deep, rather than the more conventional three ranks. On the left wing, regiments under Brigadier-General George Townshend exchanged fire with the militia in the scrub; eventually, the enemy fire was intense enough that Wolfe ordered his men to lie down.^[21]

As French troops arrived from Beauport, Montcalm, one of few mounted men on the field, rode out and saw the British deploying; he likely felt that without a quick response, there would be no way the attackers could be dislodged. Thus, he deployed his forces and prepared an immediate attack.^[22] Arraying his approximately 3,500 soldiers into place with the intention of attacking in column formation, at approximately 10 a.m., Montcalm, riding his dark horse and waving his sword in encouragement,^[23] ordered his troops forward at the British lines. The French soldiers used a firing method that was based on each man firing in his own time, preferring rapid movement and bayonet charges; this resulted in an ineffectual fire at long range that was complicated by the inclusion in the columns of conscripted militia members who may have dropped to the ground to reload or simply run after firing. The result was some minor disarray in the French wings.^[24]

As the French approached, the British lines held their fire. Wolfe had devised a firing method for stopping French column advances in 1755 that called for the centre - in this case, the 43rd and 47th Foot regiments - to hold fire while waiting for the advancing force to approach within 20 yards, then open fire at close range. Wolfe had ordered his soldiers to charge their muskets with two balls each in preparation for the engagement.^[25] Captain John Knox, serving with the 43rd Foot, wrote in his journal that as the French came within range, the regiments "gave them, with great calmness, as remarkable a close and heavy discharge as I ever saw."^[26] A British Army historian later described the British fire thus: "With one deafening crash, the most perfect volley ever fired on a battlefield burst forth as from a single monstrous weapon."^[27] After the first volley, the British lines marched forward a few paces towards the shocked French force and fired a second general volley that shattered the attackers and sent them into retreat.^[28]

Wolfe, charging with the 28th Foot and the Louisbourg Grenadiers, had moved to a rise to observe the battle; he had been struck in the wrist early in the fight, but had wrapped the injury and continued on. Volunteer James Henderson, with the Louisbourg Grenadiers, had been tasked with holding the hill, and reported afterwards that within moments of the command to fire, Wolfe was struck with two shots, one low in the stomach and the second, mortal wound in the chest.^[29][30] Knox wrote that one of the soldiers near Wolfe shouted "They run, see how they run; Wolfe, upon being told that the French had broken, gave several orders, then turned on his side, said "Now, God be praised, I will die in peace," and died.^[31]

With Wolfe dead and several other key officers injured, British troops fell into a disorganized pursuit of the fleeing French troops. The 78th Highlanders were ordered by Brigadier-General James Murray to pursue the French with their swords, but were met near the city by a heavy fire from a floating battery covering the bridge over the St. Charles River as well as militia that remained in the trees. The 78th took the highest number of casualties of all British units in the battle.^[32] Townshend took charge of the British forces and realized that Bougainville's column was approaching from the British rear, having taken some time to arrive from Cap Rouge. In response, he gathered his forces and turned them to face the oncoming enemy; Bougainville turned his force about without engaging, but in the process allowed the remaining French troops to escape over the St. Charles.^[33]

During the retreat, Montcalm, still mounted, was struck by either canister shot from the British artillery or repeated musket fire, suffering injuries to the lower abdomen and thigh. He was able to make it back into the city, but his wounds were mortal and he died early the next morning.^[34] He was buried in a shell crater left in the floor of the Ursuline chapel by a British shell.^[35] (His remains were recently moved to the military cemetery at the Hopital-General, near the St. Charles River, where they were placed in a mausoleum.) The battle resulted in similar numbers of casualties on both sides of the field; the French had 644 men killed or injured, while the British were left with 658 killed or wounded.^[36]

[edit] Aftermath

General Montcalm, mortally wounded on the Plains of Abraham, is taken to Quebec. Watercolour by Charles William Jeffreys (1869 - 1951)

In the wake of the battle, a state of confusion spread through the French troops. Vaudreuil, who later wrote to his government and put the full blame for the French rout on the deceased Montcalm,^[37] decided to abandon Quebec and the Beauport shore, ordering all of his forces to march west and eventually join up with Bougainville, leaving the garrison in Quebec under the command of Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Roch de Ramezay.^[38] Meanwhile, the British, first under the command of Townshend and later with Murray in charge, settled into besiege the city in conjunction with Saunders' fleet. Within days, on September 18, de Ramezay, Townshend and Saunders signed the Articles of Capitulation of Quebec and the city was turned over to British control.^[39] The remaining French forces positioned themselves on the Jacques-Cartier River east of the city.

The British Navy was forced to leave the St. Lawrence shortly after the capture of Quebec due to pack ice closing the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Murray was left in charge through the winter, while the Chevalier de Levis marshalled the remaining French forces and planned an attack on Quebec with approximately 7,000 men.^[40] His plans led to the Battle of Sainte-Foy on April 28, 1760, on nearly the same site as the previous September's confrontation. The British suffered a defeat in the battle, but were able to withdraw within the walls of Quebec, which was taken under siege. A lack of artillery and ammunition, combined with British improvements to the fortifications, meant that the French were unable to take the city before the arrival of the British fleet in mid-May.^[41]

On September 8, 1760, France surrendered to British forces in Montreal. The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 to end the war and gave possession of New France to Great Britain.

[edit] Legacy of the Plains

Picnic tables and Martello Tower in The Battlefields Park

Today, while much of the foreshore along the base of the cliffs that were scaled by Howe's men the morning of the battle has been taken over by industry, the Plains of Abraham themselves are preserved within one of Canada's National Urban Parks. The Battlefields Park was established in 1908 and combines the Plains of Abraham with Des Braves Park, within Quebec City. An interpretive centre and walking trails have been built on the site, and outdoor concerts are held within the park.

There is a monument on the site of the Battle of Sainte-Foy, and a monument has been raised to Wolfe as well. In 1790, the Surveyor-General of Canada, Major Holland, raised an astronomic meridian marker on the site where Wolfe was said to have died; in 1913, the National Battlefields Commission placed a column identical to one that had been on the site in 1849. The Plains of Abraham were also reportedly the site where one of the first performances of O Canada took place on Saint Jean-Baptiste Day in 1880, at the Quebec Skating Club. As well, there is a Cross of Sacrifice that was constructed on the Plains to commemorate soldiers who were lost in World War I; it continues to be the location of Remembrance Day ceremonies every year.^[42]

In popular culture, the site and event are referenced by name in the song "Acadian Driftwood" by the Canadian music group The Band written by Robbie Robertson and featured on their 1975 album, Northern Lights - Southern Cross.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• Historical Atlas of Canada, Volume I: From the Beginning to 1800. Edited by R. Cole Harris. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987. ISBN 0-8020-2495-5
• Rene Chartrand, Quebec 1759. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-85532-847-X
• W.J. Eccles, The Canadian Frontier, 1534-1760. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1969. ISBN 0-03-076540-4.
• W.J. Eccles, The Preemptive Conquest, 1749-1763. Readings in Canadian History: Pre-Confederation, 4th edition, R. Douglas Francis and Donald B. Smith eds. Toronto: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1994): 180.
• R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, Donald B. Smith. Origins: Canadian History to Confederation. Toronto, Harcourt Canada, 2000. ISBN 0-7747-3664-X
• R. Douglas Francis, Donald B. Smith. Readings in Canadian History, Pre-Confederation. Toronto, Harcourt-Brace Canada, 1998. ISBN 0-7747-3546-5
• Derek Hayes, Historical Atlas of Canada. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-55054-918-9
• Christopher Lloyd, The Capture of Quebec. London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd., 1959.
• Stuart Reid, Quebec 1759: The Battle That Won Canada. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85532-605-1
• C.P. Stacey, Quebec 1759: The Siege and The Battle. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Ltd., 1959.
• Mark Zuehlke, The Canadian military atlas: the Nation's battlefields from the French and Indian Wars to Kosovo. Toronto, Stoddart Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-7737-3289-6

[edit] External links

• A Soldier's Account of the Plains of Abraham
• Battle of the Plains of Abraham at the Quebec History Website
• The Plains of Abraham in Google Maps
• From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham (virtual exhibition)
• National Battlefields Commission (Plains of Abraham)

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Boroughs	La Cité (1st) · Les Rivières (2nd) · Ste-Foy—Sillery (3rd) · Charlesbourg (4th) · Beauport (5th) · Limoilou (6th) · La Haute-Saint-Charles (7th) · Laurentien (8th)
Districts	Gay Quarter · Old Quebec · Saint-Jean-Baptiste · Saint-Roch
See also	List of articles about Quebec City · History of Quebec City Municipal reorganization in Quebec