Battle of Quebec
General James Wolfe was asked to lead the attack on Quebec with eighteen thousand British and American Troops, one hundred fifty ships, and eighteen thousand sailors from the British Navy. Some of Wolfe's ships were sent to Louisbourg to keep the French from resupplying. This blockade stopped most ships but some were still able to sneak through. One of the few ships to get by carried Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, who had a document on how the British planned to invade Canada. The French commander at Quebec, the Marquis de Montcalm looked over the document and chose to make his main focus defending Quebec. To defend Quebec Montcalm sent troops along the St. Lawrence, St. Charles and Montmorency Rivers. Montcalm knew that if he was able to hold back the British until October then they would have to leave due to winter.
As Wolfe was preparing his men for the expedition some came down with the measles. Wolfe was only able to take eighty five hundred men instead of the twelve thousand he had in his command. To make there way up the St lawrence River the British flew French Flags. On June 26 Wolfe's fleet arrived at Quebec. When Wolfe first saw the strategic positioning of the city he thought he was about to attack the strongest fortification in the world. On June 29, the British started to climb the cliff on the opposite side of the river of Quebec to make camp. This spot would be known as Point Levis. The British soon attacked the French by landing on the banks of the river, but they took heavy fire and many soldiers were killed or wounded.
Wolfe gained much frustration due to the fact he could not land any troops on the opposite shore of the river. Along with this he was starting to lose his health. Wolfe grew weaker from kidney stones, a fever, and a cough. Determined to die as a glorious general he created a new plan of attack. He was going to land troops west of Quebec at a spot called L'Anse au Foulon. This place provided access to a path leading to the top of the cliff where the Plains of Abraham were.
On the night of September 12, part of the British fleet bombed the coast east of Quebec to confuse the French and distract them, while five thousand troops sneaked to L'Anse au Foulon. These troops were able to make it to the Plains of Abraham where they formed ranks. Montcalm decided to go out of the city and fight the British with his forty five hundred troops. As soon as the French were in range of the British, the British opened fire. This first wave killed or wounded about fourteen hundred French soldiers. Montcalm was wounded and the French retreated back to the city. The British chased after them and James Wolfe was killed in the ensueing battle. Brigadier General George Townshend was then elevated to head the army. Townshend was able to get his troops organized to face the next two thousand French troops which were defeated. British put Quebec under siege, forcing their surrender on september 18. Montcalm would later die due the wounds he recieved on the Plains of Abraham.
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