Book II.

1760.

Designs of

CHAPTER XX.

1

State of the garrison at Quebec. Designs of Monsieur Levi. His preparations for the siege of the city. Marches with his army from Montreal. Battle of Sillery. General Murray defeated, and Quebec is besieged. Lord Colville arrives with the British fleet. The French shipping destroyed, and the siege raised. Preparations for the campaign in 1760. Plan of it. Resolutions of the General Assembly of Connecticut, respecting it. Movements of general Amherst. He goes down the river St. Lawrence. Makes a junction with generals Murray and Haviland, at Montreal. The city surrenders, and the whole country of Canada is conquered.

T had been supposed, the last year, that, by the reduction of Quebec, Canada was, in effect, conquered. But, experience soon taught the English, that more dangers awaited them, and that much more remained to be done, to complete the advantages to which the taking of the capital had given an opening, than, at that time, the most sagacious had been able to foresee. It very soon appeared that there was danger of losing that important acquisition, which had been made by such uncommon exertions of military prowess, and by such consummate generalship, in the face of so many dangers, and at the expense of so many lives.

As soon as possible after the reduction of Quebec, the English fleet retired, that they might not be damaged by the storms usual at that season, nor frozen up in the river. As in the winter the river would be frozen up, it was imagined that no shipping would be necessary for the defence of the city, and, consequently, none were left. Lord Colville, with a strong squadron, remained at Halifax, with orders to visit Quebec in the spring. General Amherst was at New-York, and had so cantoned his troops as, early in the spring, to recommence his operations, for the entire reduction of Canada. With this disposition, it was conceived, the English garrison at Quebec, and the American posts, would be safe and undisturbed.

But immediately after the departure of the English fleet, the enemy. Monsieur Levi conceived the idea of recovering Quebec. The army which he commanded was more numerous than the land force which had made the conquest. He had a number of frigates, by which he could entirely command

the river. He established advanced posts at Point au Book II. Tremble, St. Augustine and Le Calvaire; while the main body of his army quartered between Trois Rivieres and 1760. Jaques Quartier. As he had formed the design of taking Quebec in the winter, and carrying it by a coup de main, he provided snow shoes, scaling ladders, and whatever might be necessary for that purpose. He took possession of Point Levi, and there formed a magazine of provisions.

Murray,

General Murray, on his part, omitted no exertions nor Precauprecautions in his power, for the defence of the city, and tions of the annoyance of the enemy. During the winter, he re- governor paired more than five hundred houses, which had been damaged by the English shells and cannon. He built eight redoubts, raised foot banks along the ramparts, opened embrasures, and mounted cannon. He blocked up the avenues of the suburbs with a stockade, removed eleven months provisions into the highest parts of the city, and formed a magazine of four thousand fascines. He posted two hundred men at St. Foix and Lorette. A detachment marched to St. Augustine, and brought off the enemy's advanced guard, with great numbers of cattle, and disarmed the inhabitants. By these means, the motions of the enemy were constantly watched, and the avenues to the city. secured. As soon as the river froze over, he detached a party to Point Levi, drove off the enemy, and took their magazine. He disarmed the inhabitants on the river, and obliged them to take the oath of allegiance. The English government, by these means, was maintained over nearly a dozen parishes.

By these measures, the outposts were so well secured, and the avenues to the city so effectually guarded, that Monsieur Levi judged it most prudent to give up his design of attempting to take the city by surprise, and not to begin his operations till the spring should open, and he could form a regular siege. To be ready for this, no pains were spared. The French ships were rigged, gallies built, bombs and bullets cast, fascines and gabions prepared, and the militia disciplined and called to arms. From the in- Preparahabitants of the country, M. Levi raised eight complete tions of the battalions. Of the colonists, he formed forty companies enemy. into regiments.

General Murray had certain intelligence, that the French general was determined to undertake the siege of Quebec, as soon as the river should be clear of ice, so that the frigates and other vessels could act. He knew that by these he would be able entirely to command the river.

In the mean time, the garrison had suffered so much by

son.

Book II. the extreme coldness of the winter, in that northern climate, and for the want of vegetables and fresh provisions, 1760. that before the end of April, one thousand of them were State of dead, of the scurvy and other disorders. The general, the garri- notwithstanding, detached parties, who surprised the encmy's posts at St. Augustine, Maison, Brubec, and Le Calvaire. Nearly a hundred prisoners were taken. Afterwards, the light infantry were dispatched to take possession of Cape Rouge, and to fortify it, to prevent the enemy from landing at that post, and to be near at hand, to watch their motions. Besides, considering the city as only a strong cantonment, he projected a plan of defence, by extending his lines, and entrenching his troops, on the heights of Abraham, at the distance of about a hundred and sixty rods from the city. These commanded its ramparts, and, by a small force, might have been defended against a formidable enemy. Fascines, and every article necessary for the purpose, had been prepared. In April, the men began to work on the projected lines; but the ground was so frozen, that it was found impracticable to carry the design into

The enemy
advance.

execution.

No sooner was the frost abated, so as to favour the designs of the enemy, than his provisions, ammunition, and heavy baggage, fell down the river St. Lawrence, under the convoy of six frigates, of from forty-four to twenty-six guns. The river was now wholly under his command. This was a circumstance of great importance, as to the success of his enterprise. The enemy landed at such places as suited his convenience. The British, abandoning their posts, one after another, retired into the city.

On the night of the twenty-sixth of April, the main army of the enemy landed at Point au Tremble. It consisted of five thousand regular troops, six thousand Canadians, and four or five hundred Indians.* The numbers were, afterwards, considerably increased. On the intelligence of the enemy's approach, general Murray ordered all the bridges over the river Caprouge to be broken down, and secured the landing places at Sillery and Toulon. The next day, perceiving it was the design of the French general to cut off his outposts, which had not yet been called in, he marched out in person, with two field-pieces; and, taking possession of an advantageous situation, defeated the design. Having withdrawn his detachments, he retired, with little loss, into the city.

Rider's Hist. vol. xlvi. p. 168, 169, and governor Murray's letter to Mr. Secretary Pitt.

Wright's Hist. vol. ii. p. 256, and Rider's, vol. xlvi. p. 169, 170. + General Murray, in his letter to the ministry, says he was besieged by 15,000 men.

Sillery,

April 28th.

As the British troops had been in the habit of victory, Book II. and they had a fine train of artillery, general Murray determined rather to risk a general battle, than tamely to 1760. submit to the damages and hardships of a siege. Accordingly, on the twenty-eighth of April, he marched out, with a train of twenty field-pieces, and the whole number of his effective men, amounting to three thousand only. These formed on the heights in the best order. On reconnoitering the enemy, he perceived that their van was taking pos- Battle of session of a rising ground in his front, and that the main army was marching in a single column, unformed. Judging this to be the lucky moment, he advanced immediately to the attack, before they had formed their line. The English charged the van of the enemy so furiously, both on their right and left, as soon drove them from the eminences, though they were well maintained, The van of the French gave way, and fell back on the main body, which was forming to support them. This checked the pursuit of the English. The light infantry were now ordered to regain the flanks of the enemy; but they were so furiously charged in the attempt, that they were obliged to retire into the rear, in such a shattered condition, that they could not be brought up again during the action, Otway's regiment, from the body of reserve, was instantly ordered to advance and sustain the right wing, This was so well supported, that the repeated attempts of the enemy to penetrate it, were in vain, Meanwhile, the left brigade of the English dispossessed the enemy of two redoubts, and, for a long time, with prodigious resolution, sustained the whole efforts of his right. This was reinforced by the third battalion of the royal Americans, who were of the corps de reserve, and also by Kennedy's, from the centre. The enemy, however, were able, by a steady and furious fire, not only to support their centre, but to wheel round, and pour in such fresh and repeated force upon the flanks of the English, that, notwithstanding every exertion of military art and prowess, the enemy began to encompass them in a semicircle; and, pouring in upon the left a fresh regiment, (that of de Rousillon,) after they were fought down, and reduced to a handful in that quarter, they penetrated that wing of the English army, and threw it into confusion. The disorder was soon communicated to the right; and it appeared that there was the utmost danger that the army would be surrounded, and taken. As speedy a retreat as The Engpossible became necessary. In this there were such diffi- lish are deculties, as nothing but the magnanimity of the troops, and feated, the spirit and skill of their general and his officers, could

BOOK II. overcome. They finally gained Quebec. As the action continued an hour and three quarters, with great exertion 1760. and spirit on both sides, the loss was very considerable.

Quebec

by the French.

The English lost most of their artillery, and had not less than a thousand men killed and wounded, about one third of their whole number. The loss of the enemy was supposed to be more than double that number.*

General Murray's engaging with such superior numbers, in the open field, when he might have acted with greater security in a fortified city, has been censured, as savouring more of youthful impatience, and over abounding courage, than of that military discretion which ought to have distinguished a commander in his critical situation. The reasons given by Mr. Murray for his conduct, are said, by the British historian, to be incomprehensible. It is not improbable that, as he was a man of the most ardent and intrepid courage, passionately desirous of glory, and emulous of the character of the incomparable Wolfe, that he designed, by one bold stroke, so to disable the enemy, as to pave the way to the conquest of Canada, by his own force; and, by this means, to raise himself to the height of military glory. Be this as it may, it was indeed an unhappy affair. For a short time, it exceedingly elated the French, both in Europe and America. The blow was, indeed, sensibly felt by the English in both countries. It was not expected that the garrison, after such a defeat, would hold out any considerable time. The English fleet was at a great distance, and general Amherst could afford no immediate assistance. The acquisition and defence of Quebec, in less than a year, had cost the nation more than three thousand lives, besides a vast expense of money. Were this now to be retaken, it would all have been loss. The sanguine hopes that Canada would be conquered the next campaign, must all be broken and vanish.

The French, whose only hope of success depended on besieged the accomplishment of their work before the arrival of a British squadron, lost not a moment in improving their victory. The very night succeeding the victory, trenches were opened against the town. Three ships anchored at a small distance below their camp, and for several days were employed in landing their cannon, mortars and ammunition. At the same time, the enemy worked incessantly in their trenches before the town. On the 11th of May, they opened one bomb battery, and three batteries of cannon. The first day, they cannonaded the town with great vivacity.

General Murray, in his letter to Mr. Pitt, estimates it at 2500.