French-Canadians/Québécois

**Carignan** · 01-12-2015, 11:49 PM

In early September, the French had let their guard down somewhat. Winter was approaching and the British still had not taken the town. The future, at least in the short term, was not looking so terrible. However, provisions were needed for the winter. Some militiamen therefore returned to their fields to help with the harvest.

Added to this slight breach, another circumstance greatly contributed to the execution of Wolfe's plan: on the night of the landing, the French were expecting a convoy of provisions. On September 12, Bougainville, stationed at Cap-Rouge, received a message asking him to do everything he could to allow these supplies to sail past the British ships and reach Québec during the night. Food was greatly needed in the town and in the camp at Beauport. All posts west of the St. Charles River, including the Samos battery at Sillery, as well as the detachment of Captain Vergor on the Plains of Abraham overlooking Anse-au-Foulon, were warned not to attempt anything that could hinder this operation. Well, the operation was eventually cancelled, the problem being that neither Bougainville nor the men manning the posts under his command had received the information. This lack of communication had serious consequences because it facilitated the approach and landing of the British troops at Anse-au-Foulon.

Moreover, the news of the landing took a long time to reach Beauport. The French soldiers naturally had heard shots fired west of the town during the night, but they thought it was a face-off related to the arrival of a food convoy. Moreover, the pretence orchestrated by Saunders in front of Beauport had proved highly efficient since the soldiers had spent all night getting ready for an attack at this location.

In the morning, a Canadian from the Vergor detachment reached camp, but his account was not believed:

As we came into la Canardière courtyard, a Canadian arrived from the post of Mr de Vergor, to whom the Anse-au-Foulon post had been entrusted truly at the worst of times. This Canadian told us with the validation of undisputed fear that he was the only one who had escaped and that the enemy was on top of the hills. We well knew about the difficulty of forcing our way through this place even when it was barely defended, so that we did not believe a word of the account of a man whose head, we thought, had been turned by fear110.
It is not exactly known how and when Montcalm got the news. A note probably reached him around six in the morning informing him that there would be a landing, but without specifying the magnitude of the British operation. Vaudreuil, for his part, wrote a message to Colonel Bougainville at 6:45 a.m. that contained relevant information. In the letter, the Governor first tells him about the landing at Anse-au-Foulon. He then mentions that Montcalm left earlier with approximately one hundred men, and he promises to keep him posted on the new developments as soon as possible. There is a good chance that, three hours after the first British soldiers had landed, the Governor still had not a clear enough picture of the situation to give the Colonel the order to march with his men towards the Plains. Montcalm and his officers, including Captain Montreuil, were however better informed. From 6:45 a.m. on, the Beauport troops started marching towards the Plains. They arrived around 8:00 a.m.

**Carignan** · 01-12-2015, 11:50 PM

The Two Armies Face Each Other

The Opposing Forces

It is not easy to know with certainty how many opposing forces met on the Plains during the famous battle. In the case of the British Army, numbers vary between 3,600 and 4,828 according to source. The official assessment, that of Corporal Townshend, puts it at 4,441. Historians C.P Stacey and André Charbonneau come up with similar numbers112. On the French side, the discrepancies are even greater, the lowest estimate being 2,500 men, and the highest, 7,520. According to historians Stacey and Filteau, 4,500 is probably the correct number. André Charbonneau, for his part, suggests 4,400113. Of the soldiers Montcalm had at his disposal, approximately 2,000 were regulars while the rest were either militiamen or Amerindians. In numbers, therefore, the two armies were more or less of equal strength. It was from the standpoint of quality that the British army largely outdid its opponent, because it was exclusively made up of regular soldiers, well-trained and above all highly familiar with open terrain combat. On the contrary, the French army had to make do with a large number of militiamen and Amerindians who were often unfamiliar with European style battles. The militiamen were poorly armed, with only rifles and no bayonets114. Furthermore, when they reached the Plains, the men were tired from their long march from Beauport.

As for the artillery, the British had at their disposal two six-pound bronze cannons. The sailors had managed to transport these two pieces of artillery to the top of the cliff. As for the French, it is difficult to know to what extent they resorted to them. However, we can safely say that they had more than their opponents115. However, it doesn't seem to have made much of a difference to the outcome of the battle.

**Carignan** · 01-12-2015, 11:53 PM

The Battle

During the movements of the French troops, and while they were positioning themselves on the battlefield, several militiamen and colonial troops harassed the British on their flanks. These skirmishes caused casualties on both sides.

Meanwhile, Montcalm analyzed the situation and concluded that he should not give the enemy enough time to gain back strength, otherwise it would be impossible to dislodge the British troops. Moreover, a retreat inside city walls was not a solution, since he considered that the fortifications would not hold if there was a siege. In his mind it was clear that he must attack right then and there.

It was therefore around 10:00 a.m. that the General ordered the attack. The troops, divided into three lines, went into action: the first line was made up of regulars, the second one of militiamen recruited into the regiments, and the third was also made up of regulars. Montcalm's decision to incorporate a militia corps into each land forces regiment proved catastrophic: the line came apart very rapidly. A stone's throw from the enemy, the soldiers of the second line fired without the order to do so. The third rank then fired, followed by the first.

Faced with this confusion, the British soldiers remained impassive. Their two cannons fired grapeshot, but the soldiers did not budge. Obeying the orders of their General, they formed a line on two rows, which allowed them to cover more surface then the usual three, and they loaded their guns with two bullets to increase the destructive power of their fire. The order to fire only came when the enemy was at a distance of approximately 40 yards (a little over 35 metres).

At the proper time, the first British salvo was heard. Unlike what is often claimed in history books, not all soldiers fired that first salvo, only those belonging to the 43rd and 47th regiments – the ones in the centre of the line120. Subsequently, the other regiments opened fire. The first line of the French Army fell, and Sénezergues, Saint-Ours and Fontbonne (French officers) were shot dead. A counterattack was sounded: Monckton was pierced by a bullet and Carleton was wounded in the head121. The British soldiers advanced a few paces to emerge from the smoke and carried a second salvo, which completed the work. Montcalm's men beat a retreat. The battle had lasted less than half an hour.

And what of Bougainville and his men on September 13? Why had they not rejoined the rest of the troops and taken the British army from behind? Very few sources reveal what happened with this detachment on September 12 and 13. Some historians suggested that Bougainville could have followed a British ship as far as Pointe-aux-Trembles upstream from Cap-Rouge. However, this pretence on the part of the British Navy is not attested by any sources122. According to a letter the Colonel himself wrote to Bourlamaque five days after the battle, he apparently had only been informed of the landing at 8:00 a.m. Be that as it may, the Samos and Anse-au-Foulon posts were under his command, and he should be held responsible for his failure to counter the landing and reach the battlefield on time123.

It was only after the battle was over that Bougainville and his men came near the battlefield. To face them, Townshend, who was now in command of the British army since Wolfe's death and Monckton's injury, had the two regiments remaining on the Plains take up their positions. Although Bougainville did not attack, his presence forced Townshend to hold his position and prevented him from chasing after the French Army, which was retreating on the other side of the St. Charles River.

**Carignan** · 01-13-2015, 12:03 AM

The Outcome

The outcome of this decisive battle differs according to source. According to Officer John Knox, the British counted 61 dead and 603 wounded. The regiment most affected was the Highlanders with 18 dead and 148 wounded. The French suffered sizeable losses. Various numbers were put forward, but the likeliest assessment (that of the La Pause report) is from G. Filteau, historian: 150 dead – including 13 officers – and 370 prisoners – including 18 officers. The number of missing troops is assessed at 28. As for the number of wounded, it is high – probably several hundreds –, and 193 men died as a result of their wounds at the Hôpital Général. The losses in the ranks of the Militia have not been determined.

However, in addition to soldiers who lost their lives or were wounded in combat, it is above all the death of the two generals that has put its mark on history. First, General Wolfe was wounded at the wrist, in the groin and in the chest. It was this last injury which proved fatal. Considering the size of the projectile (1/4 inches in diameter, twice the size of that of a French rifle), everything suggests that the shot was fired from an artillery piece.

The last minutes of Wolfe's life have become an issue of choice for several writers and painters, whose works often describe a hero dead in combat with a romantic slant, but this is far from historic reality. Wolfe in fact died very quickly on the battlefield after being wounded for the last time. An hour after the start of the hostilities, that is, around 11:00 a.m., his body was transported on one of the ships. He was later repatriated to England.

Like his opponent, Montcalm was also wounded in combat: he was shot as he retreated towards the city. After painfully riding within the city walls, he was finally taken care of, but it apparently did not produce the desired effect. When learning that he would not live much longer, Montcalm allegedly replied: "So much the better, I won't see the British in Québec." The general was given the last rites and expired at dawn, around 5:00 a.m.. His body was buried in a crater-hole under the Chapelle des Ursulines.