Preparations for the campaign of 1758.... Admiral Boscawen
and general Amherst arrive at Halifax.... Plan of the
campaign.... Expedition against Louisbourg, Ticonderoga, and
Crown Point.... General Abercrombie repulsed under the walls
of Ticonderoga.... Fort Frontignac taken.... Expedition
against fort Du Quêsne.... Preparations for the campaign of
1759.... General Amherst succeeds general Abercrombie....
Plan of the campaign.... Ticonderoga and Crown Point
taken.... Army goes into winter quarters.... French repulsed
at Oswego.... Defeated at Niagara.... Niagara taken....
Expedition against Quebec.... Check to the English army....
Battle on the Plains of Abraham.... Death of Wolfe and
Montcalm.... Quebec capitulates.... Garrisoned by the
English under the command of general Murray.... Attempt to
recover Quebec.... Battle near Sillery.... Quebec besieged
by Monsieur Levi.... Siege raised.... Montreal
capitulates.... War with the southern Indians.... Battle
near the town of Etchoe.... Grant defeats them and burns
their towns.... Treaty with the Cherokees.... War with
Spain.... Success of the English.... Peace.
{1758}
The affairs of Great Britain in North America wore a more gloomy
aspect, at the close of the campaign of 1757, than at any former
period. By the acquisition of fort William Henry, the French had
obtained complete possession of the lakes Champlain and George. By the
destruction of Oswego, they had acquired the dominion of those lakes
which connect the St. Lawrence with the waters of the Mississippi, and
unite Canada to Louisiana. By means of fort Du Quêsne, they maintained
their ascendency over the Indians, and held undisturbed possession of
the country west of the Allegheny mountains; while the English
settlers were driven to the Blue Ridge. The great object of the war in
that quarter was gained, and France held the country for which
hostilities had been commenced. With inferior numbers, the French had
been victorious in every campaign, and had uniformly gained ground on
the English colonies. Nor were they less successful elsewhere. The
flame of war which was kindled in America, had communicated itself to
Europe and Asia. In every quarter of the world where hostilities had
been carried on, the British arms were attended with defeat and
disgrace.
But this inglorious scene was about to be succeeded by one of
unrivalled brilliancy. From the point of extreme depression to which
their affairs had sunk, the brightest era of British history was to
commence. Far from being broken by misfortune, the spirit of the
nation was high; and more of indignation than dismay was inspired by
the ill success of their arms. The public voice had, at length, made
its way to the throne, and had forced, on the unwilling monarch, a
minister who has been justly deemed one of the greatest men of the age
in which he lived.
Mr. Pitt had been long distinguished in the House of Commons, for the
boldness and the splendour of his eloquence. His parliamentary
talents, and the independent grandeur of his character, had given him
a great ascendency in that body, and had made him the idol of the
nation. In 1756, he had been introduced into the cabinet, but could
not long retain his place. The public affection followed him out of
office; and, the national disasters continuing, it was found
impracticable to conduct the complicated machine of government without
his aid. In the summer of 1757, an administration was formed, which
conciliated the great contending interests in parliament; and Mr. Pitt
was placed at its head. The controlling superiority of his character
gave him the same ascendency in the cabinet which he had obtained in
the house of commons; and he seemed to dictate the measures of the
nation. Only a short time was required to show that qualities, seldom
united in the same person, were combined in him; and his talents for
action seemed to eclipse even those he had displayed in debate. His
plans partaking of the proud elevation of his own mind, and the
exalted opinion he entertained of his countrymen, were always grand;
and the means he employed for their execution, were always adequate to
the object. Possessing the public confidence without limitation, he
commanded all the resources of the nation, and drew liberally from the
public purse; but the money was always faithfully and judiciously
applied to the public service. Too great in his spirit, too lofty in
his views, to become the instrument of faction; when placed at the
head of the nation, he regarded only the interest of the nation; and,
overlooking the country or the party, which had given birth to merit,
he searched for merit only, and employed it wherever it was found.
From the elevation of the house of Brunswick to the British throne, a
great portion of the people, under the denomination of tories, had
been degraded, persecuted, and oppressed. Superior to this narrow and
short sighted policy, Mr. Pitt sought to level these enfeebling and
irritating distinctions, and to engage every British subject in the
cause of his country. Thus commanding both the strength and the wealth
of the kingdom, with perhaps greater talents, he possessed certainly
greater means, than any of his predecessors.[156]
[Footnote 156: Fussel.]
In no part of his majesty's dominions was the new administration more
popular than in his American colonies. Deeply and peculiarly
interested in the events of the war, they looked for a change of
fortune from this change of men, and cheerfully made every exertion,
of which they were capable, for the ensuing campaign. The circular
letter of Mr. Pitt assured the several governors that, to repair the
losses and disappointments of the last inactive campaign, the cabinet
was determined to send a formidable force, to operate by sea and land,
against the French in America; and he called upon them to raise as
large bodies of men, within their respective governments, as the
number of inhabitants might allow. Arms, ammunition, tents,
provisions, and boats, would, he said, be furnished by the crown; and
he required the colonies to clothe and pay their men; assuring them,
at the same time, that it should be recommended to parliament to make
them compensation.
[Sidenote: Great preparations for the campaign.]
The legislature of Massachusetts agreed to furnish seven thousand men;
Connecticut five thousand; and New Hampshire three thousand. These
troops, great as were their numbers, when compared with the population
of the country, were in the field early in May; and the transports for
carrying those of Massachusetts to Halifax, were ready to sail in
fifteen days after they were engaged. Near one-third of the effective
men of that province, are said to have been in military service; and
the taxes were so heavy that, in the capital, they amounted to
two-thirds of the income of real estate.[157]
[Footnote 157: Minot.]
[Sidenote: Admiral Boscawen and General Amherst arrive.]
In the mother country too, the utmost activity was transfused into
every department. Her fleets blocked up in the French ports the men
and stores designed for Canada, and captured, on the seas, most of
those which had been able to make their way into the ocean. At the
same time, a powerful armament, equipped with unusual expedition,
sailed from her ports. Early in the spring, admiral Boscawen arrived
at Halifax with a formidable fleet, and twelve thousand British
troops, under the command of general Amherst.
The earl of Loudoun had returned to England, and the command of the
British and American forces in the colonies, had devolved on general
Abercrombie. That officer found himself at the head of the most
powerful army ever seen in the new world. His whole numbers,
comprehending troops of every description, have been computed by Mr.
Belsham at fifty thousand men, of whom twenty thousand were
provincials.
The objects of the campaign were no longer defeated by delays. The
preparations for action were made during the winter, and military
operations commenced in the spring.
[Sidenote: Plan of the campaign.]
Three expeditions were proposed. The first was against Louisbourg; the
second against Ticonderoga and Crown Point; and the third against fort
Du Quêsne.[158]
[Footnote 158: Minot. Belknap.]
[Sidenote: Expedition against Louisbourg.]
The army destined against Louisbourg, consisting of fourteen thousand
men, was commanded by major general Amherst; and the fleet, consisting
of twenty ships of the line and eighteen frigates, by admiral
Boscawen. On the 24th of May, the troops embarked at Halifax; and, on
the 2d of June, arrived before Louisbourg.
The use made by Great Britain of her naval superiority was felt in no
part of the possessions of his Most Christian Majesty more sensibly
than in Louisbourg. The garrison of that important place was composed
of only two thousand five hundred regulars, aided by six hundred
militia. The harbour was defended by five ships of the line; one ship
of fifty guns; and five frigates, three of which were sunk across the
mouth of the basin.
Soon after investment of the place, one of the large ships was set on
fire by a bomb from a battery on the light house point, and blown up.
The flames were communicated to two others which shared the same fate.
The English admiral then sent a detachment of six hundred seamen, in
boats, into the harbour, under captains La Forcey and Balfour, to make
an attempt on the two remaining ships of the line, which still kept
possession of the basin. This service was executed with great
gallantry. One, which was aground, was destroyed, and the other was
towed off in triumph.
The harbour being in possession of the English, and several
practicable breaches made in the works, the place was no longer deemed
defensible, and the governor was under the necessity of capitulating.
The garrison became prisoners of war, and Louisbourg, with its
artillery, provisions and military stores; and also Island Royal, St.
Johns, and their dependencies, were surrendered to the English, who
encountered no farther difficulty in taking possession of the whole
island.[159]
[Footnote 159: Minot. Belknap. Belsham. Russel.]
This important acquisition was made with the loss of between five and
six hundred men, killed and wounded. The joy it diffused throughout
the colonies, long familiarised to disaster, was in proportion to
their former disappointments.
[Sidenote: Against Ticonderoga.]
The expedition against Ticonderoga and Crown Point was conducted by
general Abercrombie in person. His army, consisting of near sixteen
thousand effectives, of whom nine thousand were provincials, was
attended by a formidable train of artillery, and possessed every
requisite to ensure success.
On the 5th of July, he embarked on lake George, and reached the
landing place early the next morning. A disembarkation being effected
without opposition, the troops were immediately formed into four
columns, the British in the centre, and the Provincials on the flanks;
in which order they marched towards the advanced guard of the French,
composed of one battalion posted in a log camp, which, on the approach
of the English, made a precipitate retreat.
Abercrombie continued his march towards Ticonderoga, with the
intention of investing that place; but, the woods being thick, and the
guides unskilful, his columns were thrown into confusion, and, in some
measure, entangled with each other. In this situation lord Howe, at
the head of the right centre column, fell in with a part of the
advance guard of the French, which, in retreating from lake George,
was likewise lost in the wood. He immediately attacked and dispersed
them; killing several, and taking one hundred and forty-eight
prisoners, among whom were five officers.
This small advantage was purchased at a dear rate. Though only two
officers, on the side of the British, were killed, one of these was
lord Howe himself, who fell on the first fire. This gallant young
nobleman had endeared himself to the whole army. The British and
provincials alike lamented his death; and the assembly of
Massachusetts passed a vote for the erection of a superb cenotaph to
his memory, in the collegiate church of Westminster, among the heroes
and patriots of Great Britain.
Without farther opposition, the English army took possession of the
post at the Saw Mills, within two miles of Ticonderoga. This fortress,
which commands the communication between the two lakes, is encompassed
on three sides by water, and secured in front by a morass. The
ordinary garrison amounting to four thousand men, was stationed under
the cannon of the place, and covered by a breast-work, the approach to
which had been rendered extremely difficult by trees felled in front,
with their branches outward, many of which were sharpened so as to
answer the purpose of chevaux-de-frize. This body of troops was
rendered still more formidable by its general than by its position. It
was commanded by the marquis de Montcalm.
Having learned from his prisoners the strength of the army under the
walls of Ticonderoga, and that a reinforcement of three thousand men
was daily expected, general Abercrombie thought it advisable to storm
the place before this reinforcement should arrive. Being informed by
an engineer directed to reconnoitre the works, that they were
unfinished, and were practicable, he resolved, without waiting for his
artillery, to storm the lines; and the dispositions for an assault
were instantly made.
The rangers, the light infantry, and the right wing of the
provincials, were ordered to form a line out of cannon shot of the
intrenchments, with their right extending to lake George, and their
left to lake Champlain. The regulars who were to storm the works, were
formed in the rear of this line. The piquets were to begin the attack,
and to be sustained by the grenadiers; and the grenadiers by the
battalions. The whole were ordered to march up briskly, to rush upon
the enemy's fire, and to reserve their own until they had passed the
breast-work.
The troops marched to the assault with great intrepidity; but their
utmost efforts could make no impression on the works. The impediments
in front of the intrenchments retarded their advance, and exposed
them, while entangled among the boughs of the trees, to a very galling
fire. The breast-work itself was eight or nine feet high, and much
stronger than had been represented; so that the assailants, who do not
appear to have been furnished with ladders, were unable to pass it.
After a contest of near four hours, and several repeated attacks,
general Abercrombie ordered a retreat.
[Sidenote: General Abercrombie repulsed under the walls of
Ticonderoga.]
The army retired to the camp from which it had marched in the morning;
and, the next day, resumed its former position on the south side of
lake George.[160]
[Footnote 160: Letter of general Abercrombie.]
In this rash attempt, the killed and wounded of the English amounted
to near two thousand men, of whom not quite four hundred were
provincials. The French were covered during the whole action, and
their loss was inconsiderable.[161]
[Footnote 161: Minot. Belknap.]
Entirely disconcerted by this unexpected and bloody repulse, General
Abercrombie relinquished his designs against Ticonderoga and Crown
Point. Searching however for the means of repairing the misfortune, if
not the disgrace, sustained by his arms, he readily acceded to a
proposition made by colonel Bradstreet, for an expedition against fort
Frontignac. This fortress stands on the north side of Ontario, at the
point where the St. Lawrence issues from that lake; and though a post
of real importance, had been left, in a great degree, undefended.
The detachment designed for this service was commanded by colonel
Bradstreet. It consisted of three thousand men, of whom two hundred
were British, and was furnished with eight pieces of cannon, and three
mortars.
[Sidenote: Fort Frontignac taken.]
Colonel Bradstreet embarked on the Ontario at Oswego, and on the 25th
of August, landed within one mile of the fort. In two days, his
batteries were opened at so short a distance that almost every shell
took effect; and the governor, finding the place absolutely untenable,
surrendered at discretion. The Indians having deserted, the prisoners
amounted only to one hundred and ten men. A great quantity of military
stores, together with nine armed vessels, mounting from eight to
eighteen guns, also fell into the hands of the English.[162]
[Footnote 162: Letter of colonel Bradstreet.]
After destroying the fort and vessels, and such stores as could not be
brought off, colonel Bradstreet returned to the army which undertook
nothing farther during the campaign.
[Sidenote: Expedition against Fort Du Quêsne.]
The demolition of fort Frontignac and of the stores which had been
collected there, contributed materially, to the success of the
expedition against fort Du Quêsne. The conduct of this enterprise had
been entrusted to general Forbes, who marched from Philadelphia, about
the beginning of July, at the head of the main body of the army,
destined for this service, in order to join colonel Bouquet at
Raystown. So much time was employed in preparing to move from this
place, that the Virginia regulars, commanded by colonel Washington,
were not ordered to join the British troops until the month of
September. It had been determined not to use the road made by
Braddock, but to cut a new one from Raystown to fort du Quêsne. About
the time this resolution was formed, and before the army was put in
motion, major Grant was detached from the advanced post at Loyal
Hannan with eight hundred men, to reconnoitre the fort and the
adjacent country. This gentleman invited an attack from the garrison,
the result of which was that upwards of three hundred of the
detachment were killed and wounded, and major Grant himself was made a
prisoner.[163]
[Footnote 163: MSS.]
[Sidenote: Fort Du Quêsne evacuated.]
Early in October general Forbes moved from Raystown; but the
obstructions to his march were so great that he did not reach fort Du
Quêsne until late in November. The garrison, being deserted by the
Indians, and too weak to maintain the place against the formidable
army which was approaching, abandoned the fort the evening before the
arrival of the British, and escaped down the Ohio in boats. The
English placed a garrison in it, and changed its name to Pittsburg, in
compliment to their popular minister. The acquisition of this post was
of great importance to Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Its
possession had given the French an absolute control over the Indians
of the Ohio, who were accustomed to assemble at that place, for the
purpose of making their destructive incursions into those colonies.
Their route was marked by fire and the scalping knife; and neither age
nor sex could afford exemption from their ferocity. The expulsion of
the French gave the English entire possession of the country, and
produced a complete revolution in the disposition of the Indians
inhabiting it. Finding the current of success to be running against
their ancient friends, they were willing to reconcile themselves to
the most powerful; and all the Indians between the lakes and the Ohio
concluded a peace with the English.
Although the events of 1758 did not equal the expectations which had
been formed from the force brought into the field, the advantages were
decisive. The whole country constituting the original cause of the
war, had changed masters, and was in possession of the English. The
acquisition of the island of Cape Breton opened the way to Quebec; and
their success in the west enabled them to direct all their force
against Canada. The colonists, encouraged by this revolution in their
affairs, and emboldened, by the conquests already made, to hope for
others still more extensive, prepared vigorously on the application of
Mr. Pitt, for the farther prosecution of the war.
[Sidenote: General Amherst succeeds General Abercrombie.]
Late in the year 1758, general Abercrombie was succeeded in the
command of the army by major general Amherst, who formed the bold plan
of conquering Canada in the course of the ensuing campaign.
{1759}
[Sidenote: Plan of the campaign.]
The decided superiority of Great Britain at sea, and the great
exertions of France in other quarters of the world, still prevented
the arrival of such reinforcements as were necessary for the
preservation of his most christian majesty's possessions in North
America. To take advantage of this weakness, the English proposed to
enter Canada by three different routes, with three powerful armies;
and to attack all the strongholds by which that country was defended.
It was determined that one division of the army, to be commanded by
brigadier general Wolfe, a young officer who had signalised himself in
the siege of Louisbourg, should ascend the St. Lawrence, and lay siege
to Quebec. A strong fleet was to escort the troops destined for this
enterprise, and to co-operate with them.
Major general Amherst was to lead the central and main army against
Ticonderoga and Crown Point. After making himself master of these
places, he was to proceed over lake Champlain, and by the way of
Richelieu, to the St. Lawrence, and down that river, so as to effect a
junction with general Wolfe before the walls of Quebec. From their
combined force, the conquest of the capital of Canada was expected.
The third army was to be commanded by general Prideaux. Its first
destination was against Niagara. After the reduction of this place,
Prideaux was to embark on lake Ontario, and proceed down the St.
Lawrence against Montreal. Should Montreal fall into his hands before
the surrender of Quebec, he was to join the grand army at that
place.[164]
[Footnote 164: Minot. Belknap. Belsham. Russel. Entic.]
It could not be expected that a plan so extensive and so complex,
should succeed in all its parts; and it was greatly to be apprehended,
that the failure of one part might defeat the whole. But it suited the
daring spirit which eminently distinguished the officers then
commanding the British forces, and was entered upon with zeal and
activity.
[Sidenote: Ticonderoga abandoned.]
As the other two expeditions, especially that against Quebec, were
supposed to depend greatly on the celerity with which the movements of
the main army should be made, general Amherst began his preparations
in the commencement of winter, for the enterprise he was to undertake.
Early in the spring, he transferred his head quarters from New York to
Albany, where his troops were assembled by the last of May.
Notwithstanding his continued exertions, the summer was far advanced
before he could cross lake George; nor did he reach Ticonderoga until
the 22d of July. The lines drawn around that place were immediately
abandoned, and the English took possession of them.
The French troops in this quarter being unequal to the defence of the
posts they held, their object seems to have been to embarrass and
delay the invading army; but not to hazard any considerable diminution
of strength, by persevering in the defence of places until the retreat
of the garrison should become impracticable. The hope was entertained,
that by retreating from post to post, and making a show of intending
to defend each, the advance of the English might be retarded, until
the season for action on the lakes should pass away; while the French
would be gradually strengthened by concentration, and thus enabled to
maintain some point, which would arrest the progress of Amherst down
the St. Lawrence.
In pursuance of this plan, as soon as the English had completed their
arrangements for taking possession of lake Champlain, the garrison of
Ticonderoga retreated to Crown Point.
[Sidenote: and Crown Point.]
Early in the month of August, Amherst advanced to Crown Point, which
was abandoned on his approach; and the garrison retired to isle Aux
Noix, at the northern extremity of lake Champlain. The French had
collected between three and four thousand men at this place, in an
entrenched camp, defended by artillery, and protected by several armed
vessels on the lake. After making great exertions to obtain a naval
superiority, General Amherst embarked his army on lake Champlain; but,
a succession of storms compelling him to abandon the farther
prosecution of the enterprise, he returned to Crown Point, where the
troops were put into winter quarters.[165]
[Footnote 165: Minot. Belknap. Belsham. Russel. New York
Gazette.]
In the beginning of July, general Prideaux, embarked on lake Ontario
with the army destined against Niagara. Immediately after his
departure from Oswego, that place, which was defended by twelve
hundred men under the command of colonel Haldiman, was vigorously
attacked by a body of French and Indians, who were repulsed with some
loss.
In the mean time, Prideaux proceeded towards Niagara, and landed
without opposition, about three miles from the fort. The place was
invested in form, and the siege was carried on by regular approaches.
In its progress, General Prideaux was killed by the bursting of a
cohorn, and the command devolved on general Johnson. Great efforts
were made to relieve this important place. A considerable body of
troops drawn from the neighbouring garrisons, aided by some Indian
auxiliaries, advanced on the English army, with the determination to
risk a battle, in order to raise the siege. Early in the morning of
the 24th, the approach of this party was announced, and a strong
detachment marched out to meet it. The action, which immediately
commenced, was not of long duration. The French were forsaken by their
savage allies, and victory soon declared in favour of the English.
[Sidenote: Niagara capitulates.]
This battle decided the fate of Niagara. The works of the besiegers
had been pushed within one hundred yards of the walls, and a farther
attempt to defend the place being hopeless, a capitulation was signed,
by which the garrison, amounting to rather more than six hundred men,
became prisoners of war.
Although important advantages were gained by the British arms in Upper
Canada, yet, as neither division of the army, in that quarter,
succeeded so completely as to co-operate with general Wolfe, serious
fears were entertained for the fate of that officer. The enterprise
conducted by him being of the greatest hazard and of the deepest
interest, its success was to decide, whether the whole campaign would
terminate in a manner favourable to the future conquest of Canada.
[Sidenote: Expedition against Quebec.]
As soon as the waters were sufficiently freed from ice to be
navigable, Wolfe embarked eight thousand men with a formidable train
of artillery, at Louisbourg, under convoy of admirals Saunders and
Holmes. Late in June, he anchored about half way up the island of
Orleans, on which he landed, without opposition.
From this position, he could take a near and accurate view of the
obstacles to be surmounted, before he could hope for success in his
enterprise. These were so great, that even his bold and sanguine
temper perceived more to fear than to hope; and, in a celebrated
letter written to Mr. Pitt, and afterwards published, he declared that
he could not flatter himself with being able to reduce the place.[166]
[Footnote 166: Belsham.]
Quebec stands on the north side of the St. Lawrence, and on the west
of the St. Charles, which rivers unite immediately below the town. It
consists of an upper and a lower town; the latter is built upon the
strand, which stretches along the base of the lofty rock, on which the
former is situated. This rock continues, with a bold and steep front,
far to the westward, parallel to, and near the river St. Lawrence. On
this side, therefore, the city might well be deemed inaccessible. On
the other, it was protected by the river St. Charles, in which were
several armed vessels, and floating batteries, deriving additional
security from a strong boom drawn across its mouth. The channel of
this river is rough and broken, and its borders intersected with
ravines. On its left, or eastern bank, was encamped a French army,
strongly entrenched, and amounting, according to the English accounts,
to ten thousand men.[167] The encampment extended from St. Charles,
eastward, to the Montmorency, and its rear was covered by an almost
impenetrable wood. To render this army still more formidable, it was
commanded by a general, who had given signal proofs of active courage,
and consummate prudence. The marquis de Montcalm, who, when strong
enough to act offensively, had so rapidly carried Oswego, and fort
William Henry, and who, when reduced to the defensive, had driven
Abercrombie with such slaughter from the walls of Ticonderoga, was now
at the head of the army which covered Quebec, and was an antagonist,
in all respects, worthy of Wolfe.
[Footnote 167: These accounts must be exaggerated. According
to the letter of general Townshend, the force engaged on the
Plains of Abraham amounted to three thousand five hundred
men; and not more than fifteen hundred are stated to have
been detached under Bougainville.]
The British general perceived these difficulties in their full extent,
but, his ardent mind glowing with military enthusiasm, sought only how
to subdue them.
He took possession of Point Levi, on the southern side of the St.
Lawrence, where he erected several heavy batteries, which opened on
the town, but were at too great a distance to make any considerable
impression on the works. Nor could his ships be employed in this
service. The elevation of the principal fortifications placed them
beyond the reach of the guns of the fleet; and the river was so
commanded by the batteries on shore, as to render a station near the
town ineligible.
The English general, sensible of the impracticability of reducing
Quebec, unless he should be enabled to erect his batteries on the
north side of the St. Lawrence, determined to use his utmost
endeavours to bring Montcalm to an engagement. After several
unavailing attempts to draw that able officer from his advantageous
position, Wolfe resolved to pass the Montmorency, and to attack him in
his entrenchments.
In consequence of this resolution, thirteen companies of British
grenadiers, and part of the second battalion of royal Americans, were
landed near the mouth of the Montmorency, under cover of the cannon of
the ships; while two divisions, under generals Townshend and Murray,
prepared to cross that river higher up. The original plan was to make
the first attack on a detached redoubt close to the water's edge,
apparently unprotected by the fire from the entrenchments, in the hope
that Montcalm might be induced to support this work, and thereby
enable Wolfe to bring on a general engagement.[168]
[Footnote 168: Belsham.]
On the approach of the British troops, this redoubt was evacuated.
Observing some confusion in the French camp, Wolfe determined to avail
himself of the supposed impression of the moment, and to storm the
lines. With this view, he directed the grenadiers and royal Americans
to form on the beach, where they were to wait until the whole army
could be arranged to sustain them. Orders were at the same time
dispatched to Townshend and Murray to be in readiness for fording the
river.
[Sidenote: The English army repulsed.]
The grenadiers and royal Americans, disregarding their orders, rushed
forward, with impetuous valour on the entrenchments of the enemy. They
were received with so steady and well supported a fire, that they were
thrown into confusion, and compelled to retreat. The general advancing
in person with the remaining brigades, the fugitives formed again in
the rear of the army; but the plan of the attack was effectually
disconcerted, and the English commander gave orders for re-passing the
river, and returning to the island of Orleans.
Convinced by this disaster of the impracticability of approaching
Quebec on the side of the Montmorency, Wolfe again turned his whole
attention to the St. Lawrence. To destroy some ships of war lying in
the river, and at the same time to distract the attention of Montcalm
by descents at different places, twelve hundred men were embarked in
transports under the command of general Murray, who made two vigorous,
but unsuccessful attempts, to land on the northern shore. In the third
he was more fortunate. In a sudden descent on Chambaud, he burnt a
valuable magazine filled with military stores, but was still unable to
accomplish the main object of the expedition. The ships were secured
in such a manner as not to be approached by the fleet or army. Murray
was recalled; and on his return brought with him the intelligence that
Niagara was taken, that Ticonderoga and Crown Point had been
abandoned, and that general Amherst was making preparations to attack
the isle Aux Noix.[169]
[Footnote 169: Belsham. Russel.]
This intelligence, though joyfully received, promised no immediate
assistance; and the season for action was rapidly wasting away.[170]
Nor was it easy for Wolfe to avoid contrasting the success of the
British arms under other auspices, with the ill fortune attending his
own.
[Footnote 170: Belsham.]
A council of war having determined that all their future efforts
should be directed towards effecting a landing above the town, the
troops were withdrawn from the island of Orleans, and embarked on
board the fleet. Some of them were landed at Point Levi, and the
residue carried higher up the river.[171]
[Footnote 171: Belsham.]
Montcalm could not view this movement without alarm. That part of
Quebec, which faces the country, had not been well fortified; and he
was apprehensive that a landing might be effected high up the river,
and the town approached on its weak side. At the same time, he could
not safely relinquish his position, because the facility of
transportation which the command of the water gave the English, would
enable them to seize the ground he then occupied, should his army be
moved above the town.
Thus embarrassed, he detached Monsieur de Bougainville with fifteen
hundred men, to watch the motions of the English, and to prevent their
landing.
In this state of things Wolfe formed the bold and hazardous plan of
landing in the night, a small distance above the city, on the northern
bank of the river; and, by scaling a precipice, accessible only by a
narrow path, and therefore but weakly guarded, to gain the heights in
the rear of the town.
This resolution being taken, the admiral moved up the river, several
leagues above the place where the landing was to be attempted, and
made demonstrations of an intention to disembark a body of troops at
different places. During the night, a strong detachment, in flat
bottomed boats, fell silently down with the tide to the place fixed on
for the descent. This was made an hour before day-break, about a mile
above cape Diamond, Wolfe being the first man who leaped on shore. The
Highlanders and light infantry, who composed the van, under the
particular command of colonel Howe, had been directed to secure a four
gun battery defending an entrenched path by which the heights were to
be ascended, and to cover the landing of the remaining troops. The
violence of the current forced them rather below the point of
disembarkation; a circumstance which increased their difficulties.
However, scrambling up the precipice, they gained the heights, and
quickly dispersed the guard. The whole army followed up this narrow
pass; and, having encountered only a scattering fire from some
Canadians and Indians, gained the summit by the break of day, when the
several corps were formed under their respective leaders.[172]
[Footnote 172: Belsham. Russel.]
The intelligence that the English had gained the heights of Abraham
was soon conveyed to Montcalm, who comprehended at once the full force
of the advantage obtained by his adversary, and prepared for the
engagement which could no longer be avoided. Leaving his camp at
Montmorency, he crossed the St. Charles, for the purpose of attacking
the English army.[173]
[Footnote 173: Townshend's letter.]
This movement was made in the view of Wolfe, who immediately formed
his order of battle. His right wing was commanded by general Monckton,
and his left by general Murray. The right flank was covered by the
Louisbourg grenadiers, and the rear and left by the light infantry of
Howe. The reserve consisted of Webb's regiment, drawn up in eight
subdivisions, with large intervals between them.
Montcalm had formed his two wings of European and colonial troops in
nearly equal numbers. A column of Europeans composed his centre; and
two small field pieces were brought up to play on the English line. In
this order he marched to the attack, advancing in his front about
fifteen hundred militia and Indians, who kept up an irregular and
galling fire under cover of the bushes.
The movements of the French indicating an intention to flank his left,
general Wolfe ordered the battalion of Amherst, and the two battalions
of royal Americans, to that part of his line; where they were formed
_en potence_ under general Townshend, presenting a double front.
Disregarding the fire of the militia and Indians, he ordered his
troops to reserve themselves for the column advancing in the rear of
these irregulars.
[Sidenote: Battle on the plains of Abraham.]
[Sidenote: Death of Wolfe,]
[Sidenote: and of Montcalm.]
Montcalm had taken post on the left of the French army, and Wolfe on
the right of the British; so that the two generals met each other, at
the head of their respective troops; and there the battle was most
severe. The French advanced briskly to the charge, and commenced the
action with great animation. The English reserved their fire until the
enemy were within forty yards of them, when they gave it with immense
effect. The action was kept up for some time with great spirit. Wolfe,
advancing at the head of his grenadiers with charged bayonets,
received a mortal wound and soon afterwards expired. Undismayed by the
loss of their general, the English continued their exertions under
Monckton, on whom the command devolved. He also received a ball
through his body, and general Townshend took command of the British
army. About the same time Montcalm received a mortal wound, and
general Senezergus, the second in command, also fell. The left wing
and centre of the French began to give way; and, being pressed close
by the British, were driven from the field.
On the left and rear of the English, the action was less severe. The
light infantry had been placed in houses; and colonel Howe, the better
to support them, had taken post still farther to the left, behind a
copse. As the right of the French attacked the English left, he
sallied from this position, upon their flanks, and threw them into
disorder. In this critical moment, Townshend advanced several platoons
against their front, and completely frustrated the attempt to turn the
left flank.
[Sidenote: Victory of the English.]
In this state of the action, Townshend was informed that the command
had devolved on him. Proceeding instantly to the centre, he found that
part of the army thrown into some disorder by the ardour of pursuit;
and his immediate efforts were employed in restoring the line.
Scarcely was this effected, when Monsieur de Bougainville, who had
been detached as high as cape Rouge to prevent a landing above, and
who, on hearing that the English had gained the plains of Abraham,
hastened to the assistance of Montcalm, appeared in the rear at the
head of fifteen hundred men. Fortunately for the English, the right
wing of the French, as well as their left and centre, had been
entirely broken, and driven off the field. Two battalions and two
pieces of artillery being advanced towards Bougainville, he retired;
and Townshend did not think it advisable to risk the important
advantages already gained, by pursuing this fresh body of troops
through a difficult country.[174]
[Footnote 174: Townshend's letter. Belsham. Russel.
Gazette.]
In this decisive battle, nearly equal numbers appear to have been
engaged. The English however possessed this immense advantage:--they
were all veterans; while not more than half the French were of the
same description. This circumstance would lead to an opinion that some
motive, not well explained, must have induced Montcalm to hazard an
action before he was assured of being joined by Bougainville.
The French regulars were almost entirely cut to pieces. The loss of
the English was not so considerable as the fierceness of the action
would indicate. The killed and wounded were less than six hundred men;
but among the former, was the commander in chief. This gallant
officer, whose rare merit, and lamented fate, have presented a rich
theme for panegyric to both the poet and historian, received a ball in
his wrist in the commencement of the action; but, wrapping a
handkerchief around his arm, he continued to encourage his troops.
Soon afterwards he received a shot in the groin, which he also
concealed; and was advancing at the head of the grenadiers, when a
third bullet pierced his breast. Though expiring, it was with
reluctance he permitted himself to be carried into the rear, where he
displayed, in the agonies of death, the most anxious solicitude
concerning the fate of the day. Being told that the enemy was visibly
broken, he reclined his head, from extreme faintness, on the arm of an
officer standing near him; but was soon roused with the distant cry of
"they fly, they fly." "Who fly?" exclaimed the dying hero. On being
answered "the French." "Then," said he, "I depart content;" and,
almost immediately expired. "A death more glorious," adds Mr. Belsham,
"and attended with circumstances more picturesque and interesting, is
no where to be found in the annals of history."
The less fortunate, but not less gallant Montcalm expired on the same
day. The same love of glory, and the same fearlessness of death, which
so remarkably distinguished the British hero, were equally conspicuous
in his competitor for victory and for fame. He expressed the highest
satisfaction on hearing that his wound was mortal; and when told that
he could survive only a few hours, quickly replied, "so much the
better, I shall not then live to see the surrender of Quebec."[175]
[Footnote 175: Russel.]
[Sidenote: Quebec capitulates.]
The first days after the action were employed by general Townshend in
making preparations for the siege of Quebec. But before his batteries
were opened, the town capitulated; on condition that the inhabitants
should, during the war, be protected in the free exercise of their
religion, and the full enjoyment of their civil rights, leaving their
future destinies to be decided by the treaty of peace.
Quebec was garrisoned by about five thousand English, under the
command of general Murray; and the fleet sailed from the St. Lawrence.
The English minister, aware of the importance of completing the work
thus fortunately begun, was not of a temper to relax his exertions.
His letters to the governors of the several colonies contained
declarations of his intention to employ a strong military force for
the ensuing year, and exhortations to them to continue their efforts
for the annihilation of the French power in Canada. These exhortations
were accompanied with assurances that he would again apply to
parliament to reimburse their future extraordinary expenses; and were
productive of the desired effect. The several assemblies voted the
same number of troops, and amount of supplies, as had been furnished
the preceding year.
In the mean time the governor of New France, and the general of the
army, made great exertions to retrieve their affairs, and to avert the
ruin which threatened them.
The remaining European troops were collected about Montreal; where
they were reinforced with six thousand militia, and a body of Indians.
Monsieur de Levi, on whom the command had devolved, determined to
attempt the recovery of Quebec, before the opening of the St. Lawrence
should enable the English to reinforce the garrison, and to afford it
the protection of their fleet. But the out-posts being found too
strong to admit of his carrying the place by _a coup de main_, he was
under the necessity of postponing the execution of this design, until
the upper part of the St. Lawrence should open, and afford a
transportation by water, for his artillery and military stores.
{1760}
In the month of April these were embarked at Montreal, under convoy of
six frigates; which, sailing down the St. Lawrence, while the army
marched by land, reached Point au Tremble in ten days.
[Sidenote: Battle near Sillery.]
To avoid the hardships and dangers of a siege in a town too extensive
to be defended by his sickly garrison, and inhabited by persons known
to be hostile, Murray took the bold resolution of hazarding a battle.
Having formed this determination, he led out his garrison to the
heights of Abraham, and attacked the French near Sillery. He was
received with unexpected firmness; and, perceiving that his utmost
efforts could make no impression, he called off his army, and retired
into the city. In this fierce encounter, the English loss amounted to
near one thousand men; and they represent that of the French to have
been not less considerable.
[Sidenote: Quebec besieged.]
Monsieur de Levi improved his victory to the utmost. His trenches were
opened before the town, on the same evening; but such was the
difficulty of bringing up his heavy artillery, that near a fortnight
elapsed before he could mount his batteries, and bring his guns to
bear on the city. The batteries had been opened but a few days, when
the garrison was relieved from its perilous situation, by the arrival
of a British fleet.
Quebec being secure, Monsieur de Levi raised the siege, and retired to
Montreal.
During these transactions, general Amherst was taking measures for the
annihilation of the remnant of French power in Canada. He determined
to employ the immense force under his command for the accomplishment
of this object, and made arrangements, during the winter, to bring the
armies from Quebec, lake Champlain, and lake Ontario, to act against
Montreal.
The preparations being completed, the commander in chief marched at
the head of upwards of ten thousand British and provincials, from the
frontiers of New York to Oswego, where he was joined by sir William
Johnson, with one thousand Indians. He embarked his army at that
place, and proceeded down the St. Lawrence to Montreal.
Murray, who had been directed to advance up the river to the same
point, with as many men as could be spared from Quebec, appeared below
the town on the very day that Amherst approached it from above. The
two generals found no difficulty in disembarking their troops, and the
whole plan of co-operation had been so well concerted that, in a short
time, they were joined by colonel Haviland with the detachment from
Crown Point.
[Sidenote: Montreal capitulates.]
The junction of these armies presenting before Montreal a force not to
be resisted, the governor offered to capitulate. In the month of
September, Montreal, and all other places within the government of
Canada, then remaining in the possession of France, were surrendered
to his Britannic majesty. The troops were to be transported to France,
and the Canadians to be protected in their property, and the full
enjoyment of their religion.[176]
[Footnote 176: Minot. Belknap. Belsham. Russel.]
That colossal power, which France had been long erecting in America,
with vast labour and expense; which had been the motive for one of the
most extensive and desolating wars of modern times; was thus entirely
overthrown. The causes of this interesting event are to be found in
the superior wealth and population of the colonies of England, and in
her immense naval strength; an advantage, in distant war, not to be
counterbalanced by the numbers, the discipline, the courage, and the
military talents, which may be combined in the armies of an inferior
maritime power.
[Illustration: The Death of Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham
_From the painting by Benjamin West, in the Capitol at Ottawa, Canada_
_Surrounded by his devoted officers, General James Wolfe died in the
hour of victory over the French General Montcalm, in which the English
captured Quebec, September 13, 1759, and decided the destiny of North
American civilization. General Wolfe lived to hear the cry "They
run!", and expired with the words "Now God be praised, I will die in
peace."_
_In this canvas, painted in 1771, West departed from the venerated
custom of clothing pictorial characters in Greek or Roman costume. Sir
Joshua Reynolds, who had endeavored to dissuade him, later said, "I
retract my objections. I foresee that this picture will not only
become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revolution in
art."_]
The joy diffused throughout the British dominions by this splendid
conquest, was mingled with a proud sense of superiority which did not
estimate with exact justice, the relative means employed by the
belligerents. In no part of those dominions was this joy felt, in a
higher degree, or with more reason, than in America. In that region,
the wars between France and England had assumed a form, happily
unknown to other parts of the civilised world. Not confined, as in
Europe, to men in arms; women and children were its common victims. It
had been carried by the savage to the fire side of the peaceful
peasant, where the tomahawk and scalping knife were applied
indiscriminately to every age, and to either sex. The hope was now
fondly indulged that these scenes, at least in the northern and middle
colonies, were closed for ever.
The colonies of South Carolina and Georgia had been entirely exempted
from the sharp conflicts of the north. France having been unable to
draw Spain into the war, their neighbours in Florida remained quiet;
and the Indians on their immediate frontiers were in the English
interest. As the prospect of establishing peace in the north seemed to
brighten, this state of repose in the south sustained a short
interruption.
When the garrison of fort Du Quêsne retired down the Ohio into
Louisiana, the French employed their address in the management of
Indians, to draw the Cherokees from their alliance with Great Britain.
Their negotiations with these savages were favoured by the irritations
given to their warriors in Virginia, where they had been employed
against the French, and the Indians in the French interest.
Their ill humour began to show itself in 1759. Upon its first
appearance, governor Lyttleton prepared to march into their country at
the head of a respectable military force. Alarmed at these hostile
appearances, they dispatched thirty-two of their chiefs to Charleston,
for the purpose of deprecating the vengeance with which their nation
was threatened. Their pacific representations did not arrest the
expedition. The governor not only persisted in the enterprise, but,
under the pretext of securing the safe return of the Indian
messengers, took them into the train of his army, where they were, in
reality, confined as prisoners. To add to this indignity, they were,
when arrived at the place of destination, shut up together in a single
hut.
Notwithstanding the irritation excited by this conduct, a treaty was
concluded, in which it was agreed that the chiefs detained by the
governor should remain with him as hostages, until an equal number of
those who had committed murder on the frontiers, should be delivered
in exchange for them; and that, in the meantime, the Indians should
seize and deliver up every white or red man coming into their country,
who should endeavour to excite them to war against the English. After
making this accommodation, the governor returned to Charleston,
leaving his hostages prisoners in fort Prince George.
Scarcely had the army retired, when the Cherokees began to contrive
plans for the relief of their chiefs. In an attempt to execute these
plans, they killed the captain of the fort and wounded two officers.
Orders were immediately given to put the hostages in irons; an
indignity so resented by these fierce savages, that the first persons
who attempted to execute the orders were stabbed. The soldiers enraged
at this resistance, fell on the hostages and massacred them.
[Sidenote: War with the southern Indians.]
Inflamed to madness by this event, the whole nation flew to arms; and,
according to their established mode of warfare, wreaked their fury on
the inhabitants of the country in indiscriminate murder.
Mr. Bull, on whom the government of the province had devolved,
represented the distresses of South Carolina in such strong terms to
general Amherst, that colonel Montgomery was ordered into that colony
with a detachment of regular troops. He arrived in April; but, as all
the forces would be required in the north, in order to complete the
conquest of Canada, he was directed to strike a sudden blow, and to
return to New York in time for the expedition against Montreal.
[Sidenote: Battle near Etchoe.]
The utmost exertions were made by the colony in aid of colonel
Montgomery, and he entered the Cherokee country with all the forces
that could be collected. Their lower towns were destroyed; but, near
the village of Etchoe, the first of their middle settlements, in an
almost impenetrable wood, he was met by a large body of savages, and a
severe action ensued. The English claimed the victory, but without
much reason. They were so roughly handled, that colonel Montgomery
withdrew his army, and retired to fort Prince George, at which place
he prepared to embark for New York.
The consternation of the province was the greater, as serious fears
were entertained that the Creeks and Choctaws, might be induced by the
French to join the Cherokees. Colonel Montgomery was pressed in the
most earnest manner, not to leave the province; and was, with
difficulty, prevailed on to permit four companies to remain, while,
with the main body of his detachment, he returned to New York.
{1761}
Mean while, the war continued to rage. The savages surrounded fort
Loudoun; and the garrison amounting to four hundred men, was compelled
by famine to surrender, on condition of being permitted to march into
the settlements. The Indians, who regard conventions no longer than
they are useful, attacked the garrison on its march, killed a number,
and made the residue prisoners. Carolina again applied to general
Amherst for assistance, who having completed the conquest of Canada,
had leisure to attend to the southern colonies. Late in May, a strong
detachment, commanded by colonel Grant, arrived at fort Prince George;
and the colony raised a body of provincials, and of friendly Indians,
to join him.
[Sidenote: Indians defeated.]
Early in June, he marched for the Cherokee towns. Near the place where
the action had been fought the preceding year by Montgomery, the
Indians again assembled in force, and gave battle in defence of their
country. The action commenced about eight in the morning, and was
maintained with spirit until eleven, when the Cherokees began to give
way. They were pursued for two or three hours, after which Grant
marched to the adjacent village of Etchoe, which he reduced to ashes.
All the towns of the middle settlement shared the same fate. Their
houses and corn fields were destroyed, and the whole country laid
waste. Reduced to extremity, they sued sincerely for peace; and, in
the course of the summer, the war was terminated by a treaty.[177]
[Footnote 177: History of South Carolina and Georgia.]
It was not in America only that the vigour presiding in the councils
of Britain shed lustre on the British arms. Splendid conquests were
also made in Asia and Africa; and in Europe, her aids of men and money
enabled the greatest monarch of his age to surmount difficulties which
only Frederick and Mr. Pitt could have dared to encounter.
{1762}
At length, Spain, alarmed at the increase of British power in America,
and apprehensive for the safety of her own dominions, determined to
take part against Great Britain; and, early in the year 1762, the two
crowns declared war against each other. It was prosecuted, on the part
of Great Britain, with signal success; and, in the course of the year,
Martinique, Granada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and all the Caribbee
Islands were wrested from France; and the very important city of
Havanna, which in a great degree commands the gulf of Mexico, was
taken from Spain.
This course of conquest, which no force in possession of France and
Spain seemed capable of checking, while any of their distant
possessions remained to be subdued, was arrested by preliminary
articles of peace signed at Paris.
By this treaty, his Christian Majesty ceded to Britain, all the
conquests made by that power on the continent of North America,
together with the river and port of Mobile; and all the territory to
which France was entitled on the left bank of the Mississippi,
reserving only the island of New Orleans. And it was agreed that, for
the future, the confines between the dominions of the two crowns, in
that quarter of the world, should be irrevocably fixed by a line drawn
along the middle of the Mississippi, from its source as far as the
river Iberville, and thence, by a line drawn along the middle of that
river, and of the lakes Maurepas and Pont Chartrain.
The Havanna was exchanged with Spain for the Floridas. By establishing
these great natural boundaries to the British empire in North America,
all causes of future contest respecting that continent, with any
potentate of Europe, were supposed to be removed.