(1726-1759)
[Illustration: James Wolfe. [TN]]
General Edward Wolfe, an officer who distinguished himself under the
Duke of Marlborough, was the father of James Wolfe, conqueror of
Quebec. He was the eldest son of the general, and was born at
Westerham, a small town in Kent, on November 6, 1726. As liberal an
education as could be acquired before the early age of fourteen, was
given to the future hero. He then went with his father to Flanders to
study the profession of an officer amid active warfare; and, thus
engaged, seven years soon passed. During this novitiate, he was not
without opportunities of distinguishing himself; his name was on
several occasions mentioned with honor; till at length, at the battle
of Laffeldt, his courage and skilful conduct attracted the notice of
his commander, the Duke of Cumberland, who, at the close of the day,
thanked him in the presence of the army; and from that time he was
marked out "as an officer of extraordinary merit and promise."
His merit, rather than any favor, brought Wolfe the rank of
lieutenant-colonel when he was barely twenty-two. The battalion he
commanded was soon distinguished by many and striking improvements in
discipline, so that its superiority at exercise, and in the order of
its quarters, gave sure proof of ability and temper in its young
commander. "The men," it is said, "adored while they profoundly
respected him; and his officers esteemed his approbation as much as
they dreaded his displeasure."
Canada, with a portion of New Brunswick, and also the islands of St.
John and Cape Breton, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, were at this
time possessed by the French; while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
belonged to the English. The latter also claimed the tract of land
called New England, lying (as will be seen on looking at a map of
North America) to the west of New Brunswick, and south of the river
St. Lawrence. The French, however, disputed their claim to this
country; and constant quarrels arose between the rival settlers about
their right to land, of which, in reality, the poor Indians were the
proprietors. In virtue of a grant of parliament in 1750, a large body
of English took possession of this "debatable ground;" but scarcely
had they done so, when a superior force of French and Indians attacked
them, and killing some, made prisoners of others, and drove the rest
back. Many vigorous but unsuccessful efforts were made on the part of
the colonists and their neighbors, during eighteen months, to regain
their territory. A body of troops was then sent from England under
General Braddock, but this attempt also failed; and, the struggle
having now assumed some importance, an army of not less than sixteen
thousand men, under Lord Loudon, renewed the contest of 1755 against
the army under the Marquis de Montcalm, a most able and enterprising
officer. His superiority as a commander had been shown in several
instances, till, the slur which was being cast on the reputation of
our country's arms having excited attention at home, Lord Loudon was
recalled, and the army then in America was intrusted to General
Abercrombie (not the celebrated Abercromby). At the same time a fresh
force was raised at home, which put to sea in February, 1757. Wolfe
accompanied this expedition as brigadier under Major-General Amherst.
Its object was to reduce Cape Breton, the possession of which island,
commanding as it does the grand entrance of the St. Lawrence, was felt
to be of the greatest importance.
The town of Louisburg stands upon a small tongue of land, and at this
period was carefully fortified, having heavy batteries toward the sea,
and a strong defence of regular works on its land sides. Its harbor,
which is considered the most magnificent in the world, was carefully
guarded by five ships of the line extending quite across the mouth.
Goat Island formed one extremity of the entrance, and Lighthouse Point
the other; both these were surmounted by strong redoubts, having the
largest cannon and mortars used in war; while a garrison of 3,000
soldiers, with 2,500 seamen to man the intrenchments, seemed to
present an insuperable obstacle to a successful descent.
Four miles westward of the town, however, there was a little creek,
called Freshwater Cove; and, after much deliberation, it was resolved
to attempt a landing at this point. The frigates and lighter vessels
accordingly moved thither as soon as the weather moderated, and
anchored there one evening, with the wind still boisterous, and the
surf running very high. Next morning, at daybreak, the first division
of the troops entered their boats, Wolfe at their head.
The seamen had scarcely dipped their oars a second time, when a sudden
glancing of arms amid the sand-hills warned the troops to expect
opposition. The French had foreseen the probability of such an attempt
as the present, and had prepared to oppose it by throwing up
breastworks, placing field-pieces in the hollows, and stationing a
considerable force to dispute a landing.
[Illustration: General Wolfe landing at Louisburg.]
Gallantly the boats pressed onward; while the frigates, which had
approached within half-cannon shot of the shore, opening their fire,
swept the beach with a shower of round shot. The flotilla was now
within musket range, when the French all at once poured in a volley of
small-arms. Wolfe ordered his men not to fire in return; but, trusting
to the broadsides from the frigates, which, ploughing up the sand,
threw it high in the air, and thus kept the beach open, he urged his
rowers to their utmost strength, passed through a heavy surf, though
not without some loss, and made good his landing. Company by company,
as the men arrived, they quickly formed, and pushing on, after a sharp
encounter, forced the French to abandon their works, and retreat
within the walls of Louisburg.
The terrible surf proved the more formidable enemy. Above one hundred
boats, with a large number of their crews, were lost in attempting to
pass through to the shore. But officers and men were too enthusiastic
to be disheartened. In a short time all the troops were landed; guns,
stores, work-tools, ammunition, and provisions, followed quickly; and,
ere the enemy had learned that real danger at last threatened them,
the business of the siege was begun.
General Amherst invested the place without delay on the land side,
and, having opened his trenches before it, despatched Wolfe with the
light infantry and a body of Highlanders to attack the battery on
Lighthouse Point. Before dawn one morning, he reached the outposts,
drove them in, and followed with such rapidity, that, ere the enemy
could form, and almost before they had got under arms, they were
completely routed. The guns were immediately turned with terrible
accuracy upon the harbor and town. The five ships of war now found
their position very hazardous; one was soon on fire, and blew up; the
flames spread to two others, and the remaining two were attacked and
captured by boats. The breaching batteries shook the ramparts of the
town to their foundations, while the shells carried ruin and death
into the streets. On July 26th, the enemy, finding it impossible to
resist any longer, surrendered; the garrison became prisoners of war,
and the islands of Cape Breton and Prince Edward fell into the hands
of the English.
Wolfe's part in this campaign was now over, for domestic matters
summoned him to England. He had not, however, been long at home, when
he was informed from head-quarters, that his brilliant services as a
subaltern had caused the king to select him to conduct an enterprise
of still greater hazard and honor. It had been proposed in Council, as
the speediest mode of putting an end to the transatlantic war, that
the reduction of Quebec, the enemy's colonial capital, should be
effected. Competent authorities declared the attempt to be not
impracticable; it was therefore resolved on, and Wolfe was nominated
to the command of an armament to invest the town. An attack, to be
made on three other points, was determined as a commencement of the
campaign.
The armament set sail early in February, 1759. Admiral Saunders
commanded the fleet, which comprised twenty-two line-of-battle ships,
and an equal number of frigates. The whole came within sight of
Louisburg April 21st. The harbor being still choked with ice, the
vessels could not get in; and the delays which occurred prevented
Wolfe from entering the St. Lawrence till June. The ships reached the
Isle of Orleans by the end of the month; and, casting anchor,
possession was taken. The land was in a high state of cultivation,
affording abundant supplies to soldiers and sailors.
The Marquis of Montcalm, now an old but still energetic man, occupied
Quebec and the adjoining district with an army of five thousand
regular troops, and the same number of militia and Indians. He made
preparations for the defence with great judgment; the mass of his army
was in the town, which he had further protected by intrenchments
extending nearly eight miles to the west, till they reached the
Montmorency River. Montreal was also well garrisoned; and, twenty
miles above Quebec, a body of two thousand men lay encamped to attack
in flank any force which might attempt to land in that direction.
Many skirmishes took place at first between the Indians and British
troops; and one attack of more importance, on the intrenchments near
the St. Charles, was headed by Wolfe in person. It completely failed;
but it taught him the strength of the enemy's position, and clearly
showed that it would require stratagem to accomplish his design of
reducing the town itself.
A council was summoned, when it was found that disease and the petty
combats in which they had been engaged, had reduced the troops to five
thousand effective men. Insufficient as this army seemed, Wolfe
determined to remain idle no longer; and a plan of attack on the town
was agreed upon. Accordingly, the following morning (September 11th),
the ships of the line, with the exception of two or three, and all the
frigates, suddenly hoisted sail, and, exposed to a cannonade from all
the batteries, sailed up the river past Quebec. The troops had
previously been landed on the southern side of the river, and in perfect
safety they marched in the same direction. When they had proceeded about
nine miles, they found the fleet riding at anchor, already beyond the
reach or observation of the enemy. The point of attack Wolfe had chosen
lay within a mile and a half of Quebec, and consequently this march had
no other purpose in view than to mislead the enemy as to his intentions.
No sooner had the tide turned, and evening set in, than the surface of
the river suddenly swarmed with boats, which had secretly been brought
to this distant mustering-place. Then the signal for the ships to sail
was hung out, and they immediately began proudly to descend the channel,
leaving the flotilla boats behind them.
Before midnight, the fleet had reached its first anchorage, and the
troops up the river could hear the thundering of their guns, as they
cannonaded at long shot the fortifications below the St. Charles. The
cheering sound told them that the ships had repassed the town safely;
while the French naturally concluded, that from the ships a descent
was about to be attempted.
During the interval, the troops had silently and in complete order
taken their places in the boats; and, as soon as it became quite dark,
like a huge flock of waterfowl, they glided down the stream. Not a
word was spoken; the soldiers sat upright and motionless; and the
sailors scarcely dipped their oars, lest the splash should reach the
ears of the French placed along the shore at short distances. Wolfe
sat in the leading boat, surveying attentively each headland, to
prevent the hazard of shooting beyond the point at which he purposed
landing. Unobserved, he gained the little cove which has since borne
his name, and shortly before midnight all the men were landed.
The troops now stood upon a narrow beach. Above them rose a precipice,
nearly perpendicular, to the height of two hundred and fifty feet. A
winding path, broad enough to admit four men abreast, led to the
summit; and here lay one of the large plains, or table-lands, which
distinguish the heights of Abraham, on a level with the upper town of
Quebec. A battery of four guns, and a strong party of infantry,
defended this important pass. Vigilance, however, was not one of the
qualities of this guard; for the leading files of the British, under
Colonel Howe, were close upon the station of the French sentinel ere
he challenged. Replying with a hearty cheer, they sprung forward. An
irregular volley poured upon them; but the next instant they were high
on the ground, and at close bayonets with the French guard, who
immediately fled in terror, leaving Colonel Howe quietly in possession
of their redoubt and artillery.
Long before dawn, all the troops had gained this ground. Leaving two
companies in charge of the redoubt, Wolfe hastened forward with the
rest toward Quebec. He halted when within a mile of the town, and
there the men lay down with their arms in readiness for the first
alarm. A communication by small parties, called videttes, was kept up
with the companies at the redoubt.
A trooper, with his horse covered with foam, appeared in the French
camp at Beau Point, as the morning sky began to redden. He brought
Montcalm the first intelligence of the landing the English had
effected, and the unwelcome news was soon confirmed by the appearance
of some of the fugitive soldiers from the redoubt. The camp was
instantly in commotion; but the marquis gave his orders coolly, and
before an hour the entire army had crossed the river, and were in full
march for the Heights of Abraham.
About eleven in the forenoon, a large body of Indians and Canadian
riflemen were seen issuing from a wood on one side of the plain on
which the English were stationed. They were soon hidden again by a
thicket; and dexterously spreading themselves among the bushes, they
opened a smart skirmishing fire on the pickets. This was the first
warning that the long-wished-for event was at hand--a general conflict
might now be confidently expected.
Without delay, Wolfe drew up his men in two lines, placing a few light
companies in skirmishing order in front, and retaining one regiment
(the 47th) in divisions, as a reserve. The French skirmishers were
quickly engaged with the light troops, whom they compelled to fall
back on the line; while a heavy column advancing on the left, obliged
Wolfe to wheel round three battalions to strengthen that side. But ere
the column bore down, a fresh body of skirmishers appeared, and under
their cover it silently withdrew; then, suddenly appearing on the
right, it came down impetuously upon the irregular troops which Wolfe
had there stationed. These did their duty nobly; the fierce attack of
the enemy failed to break their order, or make them even flinch for a
moment. The skirmishers, meantime, continued to gall the light
infantry with their desultory fire, which acted also as a vail to
conceal the intended movements of the main body of the enemy. As the
light troops, however, hastily fell back, they caused a slight dismay
among their supporters. Wolfe instantly rode along the line, and
assured the men that these were only obeying instructions in order to
draw the French onward. "Be firm, my lads!" said he; "do not return a
shot till the enemy is within forty yards of the muzzles of your
pieces; then you may fire!"
The men replied by a shout; and, shouldering their muskets, they
remained as though on parade, while the French continued to press
nearer and nearer. At length they were within the appointed distance.
Every gun was now levelled--a crashing volley passed from left to
right--a dense smoke followed the discharge, and hid its effects for a
minute. The breeze soon carried this off, and then the huge gaps in
the enemy's line exceeded all expectation. In the rear, the ground
appeared crowded with wounded men hurrying or being borne from the
conflict; while the army, which had just advanced so confidently, now
wavered, and then stood still. Seeing the irresolution of the enemy,
Wolfe cheered his men to charge. A moment after, a musket-ball struck
his wrist. He paused only to wrap his handkerchief round the wound,
and again pressed on. He received a second ball in his body, but still
continued to issue his orders without evincing any symptom of pain,
when a third bullet pierced his breast.
Wolfe fell to the ground; he was instantly raised and borne to the
rear, where the utmost skill of the surgeons was put forth in a vain
attempt to save his life. While they were engaged in examining his
wounds, Wolfe continued to raise himself, from time to time, to watch
the progress of the battle. His eyesight beginning to fail, he leaned
backwards upon one of the grenadiers who had supported him from the
field, and his heavy breathing and an occasional groan, alone showed
that life remained.
"See how they run!" exclaimed an officer, beside the dying general.
"Who run?" cried Wolfe, instantly raising himself on his elbow, and
looking up, as if life were returning with full vigor.
"The French," answered the officer; "they are giving way in all
directions."
"Run, one of you," said the general, speaking with great firmness,
"run to Colonel Burton; tell him to march Webb's regiment down to
Charles River with all speed, so as to secure the bridge, and cut off
the enemy's retreat."
His orders were obeyed, and after a short pause, he continued, "Now,
God be praised, I shall die happy!" He fell back at these words,
turned convulsively on his side and expired.
Montcalm had also fallen in the battle; the enemy was totally routed,
and, five days after, Quebec capitulated to General Townshend.
The body of the gallant and high-minded Wolfe was conveyed home in a
ship of war. When the hero's remains arrived at Portsmouth,
minute-guns were fired, the flags half struck, and a body of troops,
with reversed arms, received the coffin on the beach, and followed the
hearse. Parliament voted Wolfe a monument in Westminster Abbey, and
in that venerable pile would have been his last resting-place; but a
mother claimed the ashes of her son, and laid them beside those of his
father, in a vault of the parish church of Greenwich.