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BATTLE OF QUEBEC.   Term Paper ID:29314 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines causes of French defeat in the 1759 battle.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines causes of French defeat in the 1759 battle. Mistakes made by French military commander-in-chief the Marquis de Montcalm. His initial blunder in attacking the British forces. His error in judgment. Background to the battle. Establishment of New France. Attempts by the British to capture Quebec. The British Quebec campaign. Paper Introduction: MONTCALM AT QUEBEC This essay discusses whether and to what extent the military defeat of French forces during the Battle of Quebec was attributable to mistakes made by its Commander-in-Chief, General Louis-Joseph, the Marquis de Montcalm (1712-1759). Montcalm committed a critical blunder by attacking during the morning of September 13, 1759 the British forces led by Lieutenant General James Wolfe (1727-1759) on the Plains of Abraham before his forces had achieved tactical superiority; however, that colossal error in judgment was by no means the only factor which led to the French loss of Canada nor was it necessarily the most egregious mistake committed by the French during this campaign. Other significant elements leading to the French defeat were British naval superiority, a more effective Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Hibbert, 133.18. Fregault, 24 .[i]. On September 176 the French yielded their Canadian empireto Britain. Cooper Square Press, 1999ed.Jennings, Francis. Ever since Montcalm had arrived, they had grown to despise eachother. In late June and early July Wolfe secured his base on the island andseized and cleared of the enemy Pointe Levi and Pointe aux Peres on thesouth shore which were ready to besiege Quebec with artillery by mid-July.According to Fregault, Montcalm and de Vaudreuil quarreled over strategy atthis time. Lawrence Valley] to a meretrickle."[vii] Wolfe's Quebec Campaign (Summer 1759) During the winter of 1758-1759, Montcalm sent one of his commanders,Louis Bougainville, to Paris to obtain arms, men and supplies. Climax of the Battle Faced with the prospect of an early icing of the St. Norton, 1988.McNaught, Kenneth. Bled whiteby its foreign wars, the government could spare little for New France.According to Fregault, a French supply flotilla which arrived in Quebec onMay 18, 1759 brought only one third of the provisions needed.[viii] Reillysaid that "French supplies of food, arms and ammunition were inadequate andfast dwindling, and the people [of quebec] were nearing starvation."9[ix] However, Montcalm and Governor-General Marquis de Vaudreuil, who jointlywere responsible for the defense of the city, rapidly buttressed thedefenses of Quebec after learning upon Bougainville's return in May thatthe British were coming. In the175 s the French constructed a series of forts from Canada to Louisiana.Although conflict developed with the French over control of fisheries andthe fur trade, British settlers in North America primarily were interestedin settlement and in expanding westward. Henri-Raymond Casgrain, Wolfe and Montcalm (Toronto: University ofToronto Press, 1964), 89.13. Except for a briefarmistice between 1713 and 174 , the imperial rivalry of Great Britain andFrance resulted in military clashes in Europe, the Mediterranean, India,the West Indies and North America. Wolfe of Quebec. The initial landingswere successful but devastating French musket and shotgun fire down fromthe heights above the Beauport mud flats and rainy conditions doomed theBritish attempt to climb the cliffs to failure. Lawrence River Valley, the Great Lakesand other interior rivers such as the Ohio and the Mississippi. Reilly, 154.6. Montcalm's strategy, which appeared to besucceeding, "was to avoid a general battle, run no risks, and protract thedefence till the resources of the enemy were exhausted, or untilapproaching winter forced them to withdraw."[xv] During this period Wolfe,who suffered from urinary obstruction, rheumatism and tuberculosis was laidlow with a severe fever and became embroiled in quarrels with his ownbrigadiers. Vaudreuil insisted on spoiling attacks intendedto upset British plans and operations."[xiv] Even though Fregault wascritical of what he called Montcalm's 'defeatism,' the virtues of Quebec asa natural fortress, its bluffs on the north shore festooned with guns andentrenchments overlooking the British, suggested that Montcalm was astuteto avoid committing his forces until he knew where Wolfe would strike atQuebec. The gateway to Quebec and Montreal was open. Background to the 1759 Battle of Quebec After an initial period of exploration and settlement, New Francebecame a colony of metropolitan France in 1663. Robin Reilly, Wolfe of Quebec (London: Cassell, 2 1), 232.4. Reilly, 311. Lawrence River and,in coordination with an army amphibious force under the command ofLieutenant General Wolfe, and another British army under General SirJeffrey Amherst, to capture Quebec and Montreal. was amaritime and mercantile power; her strength lay not in her armies . J. Toronto: Oxford UniversityPress, 1969.Hamilton, Edward P. French andCanadian forces concentrated primarily on exercising control with theirIndian allies over the fertile St. In fact, Bougainville's forcesdid not get to the Plains of Abraham until noon. 1 Decisive Battles. The north-south rushing streams and fierce French resistance prevented the Britishfrom launching much more than supplementary artillery fire and occasionalraids through the woods in which Indian and Canadian militia proved to bemore adept than the British. Margaret M. Lawrence, Wolfespent the first part of September searching for another and more propitiouslanding zone west of Quebec. According to Reilly, in Pitt's view "Britain . Hamilton said that by1759 "Britain's naval supremacy had reduced the flow of supplies from themother country [to the French in the St. His brigadiers unanimously recommended thatthe army be placed in between Montcalm's forces and his sources of supplyin the west. The British sea-land force under the overall command of Admiral SirCharles Saunders which anchored off the Ile d'Orleans south of Quebec inlate June was quite formidable. New York: Praeger, 197 ."Quebec (1759)." In 1 Decisive Battles, ed. According to McNaught, by 1754there were only 7 , Frenchmen in North America but nearly two millionEnglish settlers.[i] Davis said that "for a time, the French maintained the upper hand inNorth America."[ii] Reilly said this was partly because the French andtheir indigenous allies "had the immeasurably advantage of defending acountry they knew on interior lines."[iii] British attempts to penetratethe interior by and large failed due to their failure to commit adequateresources, uncertain political leadership in London and tactical errorscommitted by local military commanders less adept than their foes inwilderness warfare. Christopher Hibbert, Wolfe at Quebec (Cooper Square Press, 1999 ed.),53.12. New France The Last Phase-1744-176 . Two floating fireship attacks on the British fleet which deVaudreuil insisted upon failed. "Quebec (1759)." In 1 Decisive Battles, ed. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were fatally wounded in that melee. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Fregault, Guy. Stewart commented"surely reason counselled delay."[xviii] Fregault said that "by waiting twoor three hours Montcalm would have had at his command almost 1 , menwith strong artillery support."[xix] Fregault said the charge of the French was "blind, disorderly."[xx]British grenadiers showed great discipline in withholding fire until theFrench were only 4 paces away. Ibid., 256.21. Wolfe at Quebec. Canada: The War of Conquest. Cameron(Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1969), 233.7. Edward P. On September 1 ,Wolfe, possibly with the help of French turncoats or deserters, decided tomake a landing at Anse du Foulon, "a small cover about a mile and a halfabove the town from the head of which a winding track led up a steep,winding gully to the heights above."[xvi] Under cover of darkness and withthe aid of some fortunate near misses with French sentries, these landingssucceeded and a small trailblazing force scaled the cliffs and debouchedonto the Plains of Abraham, scattering French contingents in their path.The main force, 3,6 men, quickly followed catching Montcalm's main forcescompletely by surprise. Wolfe, a red-haired Welshman who had earned a reputation in previousengagements for impetuosity as well as dash and courage, made two landingson the north shore in July which accomplished little. W. Toronto:McClelland and Stewart, 1968.-----------------------1. Endnotes BibliographyBumsted, J. Paul K. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 1964.Davis, Paul K. Fregault, 255.2 . London: Cassell, 2 1.Stanley, George F. When Montcalm learned shortly after dawn that the British had landedin force during the night, he quickly mustered forces from Beauport and thecity, about 4, men but only five regiments of French regulars, whichwere lined up ready for combat facing Wolfe's forces by nine a.m. Reilly, 294.17. Bougainville may have been delayed inreaching the area because he spent the night with his mistress.[xvii]Montcalm erroneously surmised that Wolfe intended to attack at Beauportwhere he kept a large force all that night. Lawrence estuary,first in 1745 and again in 1758 where Wolfe played a key, but subordinaterole. According to Casgrain, de Vaudreuil "was jealous of every move madeby the general."[xii] Jennings said "their personal antipathy wascompounded by precisely opposed notions concerning strategy."[xiii]Jennings said "Montcalm wanted to sit tight in his fortifications and fighta strictly defensive war. The British force survived the winter until thefleet returned. However, many other factors had weakened the Frenchposition including their own disunity and quarrels. A History of the Canadian Peoples. G. butin the fleet and her wealth from trade."[v] He, accordingly, gave firstpriority to the defeat of France overseas and to the conquest of Canada. . De Vaudreuil apparently ordered awayfrom the area a crack regiment which Montcalm intended as shock troopswhich would rush to any landing site. Reilly said "more than 2, muskets pouredtheir hail of double shot at point blank range into the advancing Frenchline."[xxi] Except for one stalwart royal unit, the French broke andretreated pell mell for the safety of the city. Hamilton, The French and Indian Wars (Garden City:Doubleday, 1962), 262.8. Montcalmwas riddled with grapeshot from one of the only two guns which the Englishhad been able to haul up from the beach below.British command discipline held firmer than did that of the French who mayhave lost opportunities to mount an effective counterattack. Twice the British captured the French fort ofLouisburg on Cape Breton Island at the mouth of the St. . Toronto: OxfordUniversity Press, 1998.Casgrain, Henri-Raymond. The main local Canadian commander, Captain Duchambon de Vergor, wasnotoriously corrupt and incompetent. Montcalm generally provided competent military direction but thiscombination of factors, including his loss of the battlefield initiative toWolfe, ultimately proved fatal to the French and Canadian cause. Garden City: Doubleday, 1962.Hibbert, Christopher. Empire of Fortune. Other significant elements leading to the French defeat wereBritish naval superiority, a more effective and more unified Britishpolitical and military leadership and command structure, and better Britishcombat training and fire discipline, as well as the vagaries of fortune inbattle. . Stanley, New France The Last Phase 1744-176 (Toronto:McClelland and Stewart, 1968), 232.19. Paul K. Attempts by the British to capture the capital, Quebec,failed in 169 , 1711 and 1746. On July 9 he landedtwo brigades northeast of Quebec near the Montmerency Cataract. Kenneth McNaught, The History of Canada (New York: Praeger, 197 ),39.2. Davis (NewYork: Oxford University Press, 1999), 245.3. The military strategy of New Franceflowed from the nature of its economy which was chiefly based on the furtrade and to a lesser extent on fishing and agriculture. Francis Jennings, Empire of Fortune (New York: W. Hamilton, 262.11. New York: W. French and Indian forces decisively defeatedBritish General Edward Braddock's attempt to capture Fort Duquesne inwestern Pennsylvania in 1755.Montcalm, who arrived to take command in the spring of 1756, "won several .. Montcalmdecided to attack even though if he had waited until Bougainville's 3, men and a few thousand more under de Vaudreuil's control arrived, he wouldhave had a crushing manpower superiority. Bumsted, A History of the Canadian Peoples (Toronto: OxfordUniversity Press, 1998), 68.5. M. On September18 Quebec surrendered. During August, the British artillery siege of Quebec and raidsdesigned to ravage the food supply of the countryside continued and helpedlower further the morale of the people of Quebec and its defenders. The British suffered 443casualties and were forced to withdraw. In 1755 they seized neighboring Acadia and deportedits French residents. Davis, 244- 248.New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Reilly, Robin. Meanwhile Saunders's fleet successfully navigated thetreacherous shoals of the St. The History of Canada. G. Wolfe's recklessassault succeeded in forcing Montcalm's hand, but the battle could easilyhave turned out differently but for the hand of fortune. Reilly, 2291 . Wolfe and Montcalm. Montcalm apparently fearedthat if he waited Wolfe's forces would entrench themselves and/or bereinforced, neither of which was realistically possible. Montcalm committed a critical blunder by attacking during the morningof September 13, 1759 the British forces led by Lieutenant General JamesWolfe (1727-1759) on the Plains of Abraham before his forces had achievedtactical superiority; however, that colossal error in judgment was by nomeans the only factor which led to the French loss of Canada nor was itnecessarily the most egregious mistake committed by the French during thiscampaign. W. The French and Indian Wars. Their pleas were answered,and the tide of battle began to swing in favor of the British, afterWilliam Pitt the Elder assumed responsibility for foreign affairs in Londonin June 1757. notable victories" [his capture of Fort Oswego and Fort William Henryin 1757 and his successful defense of Fort Ticonderoga in 1758, all in theNew York colony,] "putting the French in control of the lake route intoCanada."[iv] The British colonists in North America petitioned Parliament in themid-175 s to mount a stronger military effort. Guy Fregault, Canada: The War of Conquest, trans. Undaunted Wolfe launched a major assaultnearer to Quebec at Beauport on the night of July 31. George F. Ibid., 2 9-21 .16. MONTCALM AT QUEBEC This essay discusses whether and to what extent the military defeatof French forces during the Battle of Quebec was attributable to mistakesmade by its Commander-in-Chief, General Louis-Joseph, the Marquis deMontcalm (1712-1759). Ibid.15. . Astalemate, however, developed. Pitt's emphasis on a naval onslaught was sound because in the 18thcentury the Royal Navy had achieved naval supremacy in the North Atlantic.Fregault said France "was outclassed at sea."[vi] Under the protection ofthe Royal Navy, the British established in the 175 s a major naval base atHalifax, Nova Scotia. Inearly 1759, he ordered the creation of the largest naval armada in Britishhistory, comprising one fourth of the Royal Navy, whose tasks were totraverse the St. . Norton, 1988),216.14. It consisted of 8,6 troops, 13,5 sailors, 22 warships and 119 transport and supply vessels.[x] Montcalm hadapproximately 12, -16, soldiers, including militia, and Indians, and1 cannon at his disposal.[xi] Later that summer he sent 1, of thesemen to help counter Amherst's northward advance toward Montreal. Conclusion In the heat of battle, Montcalm made a fatal error by attacking theBritish prematurely. Lawrence upstream of Quebec. M. 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