USA > Connecticut > A complete history of Connecticut, civil and ecclesiastical, from the emigration of its first planters, from England, in the year 1630, to the year 1764; and to the close of the Indian wars > Part 42
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CHAP. XIX.
deroga. The enemy, on his approach, abandoned their Book II. lines, which had been so fatal to the English the last year, and the general broke ground just within their formidable 1759. breast work. At first, the enemy made the appearance of a bold and determined defence: But, on the 27th of Ticonde- July, they blew up their magazine, and retired with pre- roga and cipitation to Crown Point. There they made but a very Crown Point short stay. On the first of August, they suddenly evacu- evacuated, ated that post, and retired to the isle Aux Noix. The general immediately detached the light rangers to take possession. On the fourth, he arrived with his army.
Though the general was now master of these important posts, yet the enemy were formidable on lake Cham- plain. They had four large vessels mounted with cannon, and manned with the piquets of several regiments. These were commanded by Monsieur le Bras, a captain in the French navy, assisted by a number of officers. The ene- my at the isle Aux Noix, consisted of three thousand and five hundred effective men, strongly encamped, with a numerous artillery. Monsieur de Bourlemaque, the com- mander in chief, flattered himself, that he should be able to command the lake, and prevent the passage of the English army into Canada.
That general Amherst might proceed, it was necessary that he should have a superior force on the lake. Cap- tain Loring, who had superintended the building of the vessels on lake George, was therefore ordered, with all possible despatch, to build a sloop of sixteen guns, and a radeau, of eighty four feet in length; to carry six twenty- four pounders.
While these were constructing, the army were employed Expedi- in repairing the fortifications at Ticonderoga, and in laying tion the foundations of a strong and regular fort at Crown Point ; Niagara. against for the security of his majesty's dominions in that part of the country. Especially, it was designed to guard against the incursions of the scalping and burning parties, which, in former wars, had been so distressing and destructive to the frontiers of the northern colonies.
While the army under general Amherst was thus em- ployed, general Prideaux, reinforced by the Indian auxilia- ries under Sir William Johnson, advanced to Niagara with- out loss or opposition. He arrived before the fort about the middle of July, and immediately invested it on all sides. The trenches were soon opened, and the siege was prose- cuted with great vigor. But, on the twentieth, general Gen. Pri- Prideaux was killed in the trenches, by the unfortunate
deaux killed, bursting of a cohorn. This affected the army with univer- July 20th,
A 3
402
" HISTORY OF
CHAP. XIX,
Book II. sal sorrow, and threatened to check the vigor of its opera- tions. No sooner was general Amherst acquainted with 1759. this misfortune, than he dispatched brigadier general Gage to assume the command. Mean while, it devolved on Sir William Johnson. He vigorously pursued the mea- sures of the late general, and pushed on the siege with eve- ry addition which his own genius could suggest. He was popular both with the provincials and regular troops, and almost adored by the Indians. The siege was therefore pressed on with such united ardor and alacrity, that, in about four days after the fall of general Prideaux, the ap- proaches were made within an hundred yards of the covered way. The French, alarmed at the danger of this important post, determined to hazard a battle for its preservation. Collecting all the regular and provincial troops which they could draw from their several posts in the vicinity of the lakes, in conjunction with a large body of Indians, amount- ing to about seventeen hundred men, they advanced to at- tack the English and to raise the siege. General Johnson, apprised of their design, ordered his light infantry, sup- ported by a body of grenadiers and other regulars, to take post on his left, upon the road where the enemy were ap- proaching ; his flanks were covered by large bodies of his Indians. At the same time he posted a strong body of troops to secure his trenches, from the attempts of the gar- rison, during the action. At nine in the morning the ac- tion commenced, with great fury, with a wild and horrible scream of the hostile Indians. This yell is truly the most fierce which can be imagined. It threw general Brad- dock's army, and has thrown other troops into the utmost disorder. But at this time' it had no ill effect. The ene- my were so well received in front, and so galled by the gen- eral's Indians on their flanks, that in less than an hour their whole army was ruined. For five miles the pursuit was hot and bloody. Monsieur Aubry, commander in chief, was taken prisoner, with sixteen other officers .* .
Battle at Niagara.
'The cnc- my de- feated.
Niagara taken, July 25th.
As the battle was fought within hearing and sight of the fort, the hopes of the garrison were destroyed, and they im- mediately surrendered themselves prisoners of war. The garrison consisted of between six and seven hundred. The prisoners were conducted to New-York and New-England. The women and children were sent, at their desire, to Montreal.t
The services which general Johnson rendered to' his country were singular and important. In the compass of
* Gen. Johnson's letter to general Amherst.
i 'Rider's Hist. vol. xlv. p. 81, 87.
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four years, he had the honour of acting twice as command- Book II. er in chief. In both instances, he fought a general battle, and obtained a complete victory. Both victories were sig- 1759. nalized by the capture of the commander in chief of the enemy. The consequence of the latter was, the reduction of one of the most important posts of the enemy, by which he cut off all communication between Canada and Louisia- na, Through his influence, many Indians had been brought into the field, when he first had the command of the army at lake George; and this year, he led out about eleven hundred of the five nations. Through his influence, they were kept in order, and restrained from barbarity. Though he was not bred to arms, yet it was allowed that no gene- ral could have made a better disposition for the battle, or conducted the siege with more cool and determined reso- lution. The force of innate courage and natural sagacity, seem to have contributed to form him an accomplished general.
The reduction of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Ni- Expedition agara, were a defalcation of principal members ; but the against expediton against Quebec, was a blow at the heart of the Quebec. enemy. While this stood in its strength and glory, nothing decisive was accomplished. The reduction of this, was considered, not only as the greatest, but by far the most difficult to be achieved. The most active and accomplish- ed officers were, therefore, chosen for this arduous enter- prise. Under general Wolfe, that great military genius, served brigadiers Monckton, Townsend, and Murray. They were, all three, the sons of noblemen. The four generals were all in the glory and fire of youth. They were all adepts in the art of war, and, though young in years, were old in experience. 'The fleet was commanded by admirals Saunders, Holmes, and Durel, officers of worth and probi- ty, who, on several occasions, had distinguished them- selves in the service of the nation.
As early as the twenty-seventh of April, admiral Saun- ders arrived on the coast, within sight of Louisburg; but the harbour was so blocked up with ice, that he was obli- ged to bear away for Halifax. Thence he detached rear admiral Durel, with a squadron, to the isle de Condes, in the river St. Lawrence, to intercept all supplies from France to Quebec. He took several store ships ; but, un- happily, seventeen sail of ships, with stores, provisions, and recruits, from France, under the convoy of three frig- ates, got into the river before him, and arrived safe at the capital of Canada.
Admiral Saunders, as soon as the season would permit,
404
HISTORY OF
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BOOK II. sailed, with an army of eight thousand men, up the river, for Quebec. After a safe and easy passage, the troops were disembarked on the island of Orleans .*
1759. Armament arrives at the isle of Orleans,
This island is about twenty miles in length, and seven- teen in breadth. It is fertile, and highly cultivated; abounds in people, villages, and plantations, affording every kind June 26th. of refreshment. It was necessary to take possession of this island, not only for the refreshment of the troops, but to act against Quebec, as the west point of it extends up to its very bason. Opposite to this, is a high point of land, called Point Levi. The possession of both these points, was of essential importance, as they might be advantage- ously employed against the town; and if in possession of the enemy, they could make it impossible for any ship to lie within the bason of Quebec, or for the army to carry on any effectual operations against the town.
Descrip- tion of Quebec and the river St. Law- rence.
General Wolfe having taken possession of these points, the harbour and town of Quebec, and the situation of the enemy, came into view ; and at once presented him with the almost insuperable difficulties which he had to encoun- ter. Nature scems to have consulted the defence of no place more than that of Quebec. Charlevoix, in his de- scription of it, says, No other city besides this, in the known world, can boast of a fresh water harbour, a hun- dred and twenty leagues from the sea, and that capable of containing a hundred ships of the line. It certainly stands. on the most navigable river in the universe. At the dis- tance of a hundred and ten or twelve leagues from the sea, it is never less than four or five leagues in breadth. But, above the island of Orleans, it suddenly narrows, and that at such a rate, as to be no more than a mile broad at Que- bec; from which circumstance, the place has been called Quibeo, or Quebec; which, in the Algonquin language, signifies a strait, or narrowing. When Samuel Champlain founded the city, in 1608, the tide usually rose to the foot of the rock. Since that time, it has retired, by little and little, and has, at last, left dry a large piece of ground, on which the lower town has since been built, and which is now sufficiently elevated above the water's edge, to secure the inhabitants against the inundations of the river.t The ascent from the lower, to the upper town, is so steep, that it can be ascended only by steps, which, for that purpose, are cut in the rock on which the town stands. This lofty rock extends itself, and continucs, with a bold and steep front, westward along the river St. Lawrence, for a con-
* Rider's Hist. vol. xlv. p. 81, 87.
¿ Charlevoix's Journal, &c. p. 30, 100, 102.
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CHAP. XIX.
siderable way, forming above the town the heights of Abra- Book II. ham. From the north-west, comes the river St. Charles, and falls into the St. Lawrence, washing the foot of the 1759. rock on which the city is built. By the junction of these rivers, the point on which it stands is a kind of peninsula. 'There was no way, therefore, to approach the town, but either to cross the river St. Charles, and attempt it on that side, or to go above the town, and overcome the precipice formed by the rock.
The town was not only thus strongly defended by na- ture, but it was also fortified with great art. It was defend- ed with ten thousand men, under that able, and as yet fortu- nate commander, the marquis de Montcalm. He had strongly posted his army on that which was deemed the only accessible side of Quebec, all along the river St. Charles, to Montmorenci. At every spot where an attack could be made, were strong entrenchments. In front was the river, and a sand bank, of great extent; and the rear of the army was covered with a thick, impenetrable wood.
When general Wolfe saw the situation of the town, the nature of the country, the number and strong position of the enemy, though naturally sanguine and adventurous, yet he began, in a measure, to despair of the success of the enterprise. Nevertheless, the keen sense which he had of the expectations of his country, his desire to answer them, and his thirst for glory, bore him above all considerations. of difficulty or danger. He determined to leave nothing unattempted, which might be for the public service.
Batteries were immediately erected on the west point of the island of Orleans, and on Point Levi, whence a contin- ual and destructive fire was poured upon the lower town. To co-operate in the best manner with the army, admiral Saunders took his station below the north channel of the island of Orleans, opposite to Montmorenci. To distract the enemy, and to prevent any attempt on the batteries which played on the town, admiral Holmes passed it, and took his station above. When this disposition was made, the general ordered the troops to be transported over the north channel of the St. Lawrence, to the north-east of Montmorenci. His view in this was, to cross the river, and to bring the enemy to a general engagement. To ef- fect this, was his grand object. He foresaw that an assault on the city would prove ineffectual, while the shipping could only batter and destroy the lower town. In this, they must greatly suffer from the batteries and bombs of the upper. When the reduction of the lower town should he effected, the passages to the other were so steep, and
406
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Book Il. effectually entrenched, that even this advantage would con- tribute little to the reduction of the place. Several emi- 1759 .. nences, which commanded the enemy's entrenchments, a ford above, and a ford below the falls, induced him to take this new position. But, upon a nearer view, and a more thorough examination of the ground, the opposite shore was found to be so steep and woody, and so well entrench- ed, that it baffled all his hopes of carrying what he at first designed into execution. This was to force the enemy from their present position, by an attack on their left, which he apprehended to be less disadvantageous than one directly on their entrenchments. But their advantage- ous situation caused him to adopt different measures. Troops were detached above the town, and every appear- ance made of a designed attack on that side. The gene- ral passed the town himself, and accurately surveyed the shore and banks of the river above. But, on this side, he found extreme difficulties, from the nature of the ground, and these were increased by the precaution of the Frenchi general. He knew them so well, that he trusted in them, for the defence of that side of the town. At the same time, he was too well apprised of the importance of the post he had chosen, to be drawn from it by any arts of the English general. He kept close in his lines, He had a numerous body of savages, and was careful to make such a disposi- tion of them, as to render any attempt upon him by sur- prise absolutely impossible.
Meanwhile, the shipping was exposed to great danger from the enemy's ships and rafts of fire; with which they had made repeated attempts for its destruction. By the vigilance of admiral Saunders, and the intrepidity of the seamen, under the smiles of Providence, it had more than once been saved from the most threatening danger. The seamen boarded those floating castles of fire, and towed them ashore, where they spent their fury, without the least injury to the British squadron. Besides the constant dan- ger of the fleet, the time for action was wearing away, and the season, in addition to all other difficulties, would soon fight for the enemy, and necessitate the fleet and army to retire. The general came, therefore, to the resolution of attacking the enemy in their entrenchments.
Attack at Montmo- renci, July 3Ist.
The attack was made at the mouth of the river Mont- morenci. To facilitate this hazardous enterprise, great, quantities of artillery were placed upon the eminence, to batter and enfilade the enemy's entrenchments. The ad- miral placed the Centurion in the channel, to check the fire of the enemy's battery, which commanded the ford.
407
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CHAP. XIX.
Two flat bottomed vessels were armed and run on shore, Book II. to batter an advanced redoubt. At a proper time of tide, and when the enemy's left appeared to be thrown into some 1759. confusion, by the fire of the batteries and shipping, the sig- nal was made for the troops to move, and begin the attack. The dispositions were excellently made, and the place of attack was chosen with great judgment ; as it was the only place in which the artillery could be brought into use, and in which most of the troops could be brought to act at once. But here, little accidents, which often dash human councils, and demonstrate the existence of a Ruler higher than man, totally defeated the design.
Many of the boats from Point Levi, ran aground upon a ledge, which projects a considerable distance from the shore. This was an occasion of some disorder, and of so much loss of time, that the general was obliged to stop the march of brigadier Townsend's corps, after it began. After some delay, the boats were floated, and though ex- posed to a severe fire of shot and shells, ranged in proper order. General Wolfe in person sounded the shore and di- rected the spot where the troops should land. Thirteen companies of grenadiers landed, with two hundred of the second American battalion. They had orders immediate- ly to form, in four distinct columns, and, supported by briga- dier Monckton's corps, as soon as the other troop's had passed the ford for their assistance, instantly to advance to the charge. But the grenadiers, without forming, and before Monckton's corps was landed, in confusion, rushed impetuously on, towards the enemy's entrenchments. But here their courage served only to increase their misfor- Montmo- tune. They were met with such a steady and tremendous renci. fire, from the enemy, that they could not stand the shock of their repeated vollies ; but were obliged to retreat behind the redoubt which the enemy had abandoned at their ap- proach. The general, perceiving that they could not form under so heavy a fire, ordered them to retreat and form behind general Monckton's corps, which was now drawn up upon the beach, 'in excellent order. This unhappy circumstance had occasioned a new delay, the day was far spent, the tide was making, and the wind began to blow with uncommon violence.
In these circumstances, the general foreseeing that, in case of a second repulse, the retreat of the army would be- come hazardous and uncertain, gave up the attempt, and repassed the river without molestation. But, in this unfor- tunate attack, more than five hundred men, including many brave officers, were lost .*
* Gen. Wolfe's letter to Mr. Pitt. Rider's Hist. vol. xlv. p. 94, 95.
Defeat at
408
HISTORY OF
CHAP. XIX.
BOOK II. Immediately after this severe check, brigadier Murray was detached with twelve hundred men, in transports, to 1759. co-operate with admiral Holmes, above the town. It was designed to make an attempt to destroy the enemy's ship- ping. The brigadier was also instructed to sieze every opportunity of fighting the detachments of the enemy, and of provoking them to battle. He made a descent at Cham- baud, and burnt a considerable magazine, filled with arms, clothing; provisions and ammunition. But the ships were moored in such a manner, that their destruction was im- practicable. As no other service presented itself above. the town, general Murray returned to the camp.
The season was now far advanced, and nothing decisive had been accomplished. Though the successes of general Amherst and general Johnson had reached Quebec, yet all hopes of any assistance from them had entirely vanished. General Wolfe, overcome with care, watching and fatigue, which he had for so long a time endured, and chagrined with disappointment, became violently sick. His body was unequal to that vigorous and enterprising soul which it possessed. He well knew that no military conduct could shine unless it was gilded with success. It could by no means satisfy his great mind to return from an expe- dition so interesting to his country, and with respect to which such expectations had been formed, without censure, and he aspired to the zenith of glory. His high notions of honor, the national expectation, the success of other gene- rals, all turning in upon his mind, were supposed to oppress his spirits, and to convert disappointment into disease. When he had recovered a little from the shock, he dispatch- cd an express to the ministry with an account of what had passed, and of the difficulties which he had to encounter. He wrote very much in the style of despondency, at the same time promising, that the small part of the campaign which remained, should, to the utmost of his capacity, bc employed for the honor of his majesty, and the interest of the nation.
Sept: 2nd.
The army is moved above the city.
Before this dispatch was sent off, it was determined to , move the army above the town, and, if possible, to bring the enemy to a general action. Though the enemy were superior in numbers, this appeared to the general, and the three brigadiers, to be the only probable chance of success, in this difficult enterprise. The camp at Montmorenci was soon broken up, and the troops and artillery were em- barked and landed at Point Levi. The troops soon pass- ed up the river in transports ; and while admiral Holmes, for several days successively, made movements up the riv -
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CHAP. XIX.
er to amuse the enemy, on the north shore, and draw their Book II. attention as far as possible from the city, one half of the troops were landed for refreshment on the other side. 1759. These movements had no other effect than to produce a detachment of fifteen hundred men, from the main camp, under the command of Monsieur Bourgainville, to proceed along shore, and to watch the motions of the English fleet and army. The general therefore came finally to the reso- lution of landing the troops at night, within a league of Cape Dimond, and to ascend the heights of Abraham. These rise abruptly, with a steep ascent, from the banks of the river, and, once gained, would give the army possession of the ground on the back side of the city, where it was least defensible, and would enable the fleet and army, in concert, to attack the upper and lower town.
Such however, were the difficulties and dangers of exe- cuting this design, that it could scarcely have been adopt- ed but by a spirit of enterprise bordering on despair. The stream was rapid, the shore shelving, the bank of the river lined with centinels, the landing place so narrow as easily to be missed in the dark ; and the ground so difficult to be surmounted, as hardly to be effected in open day, should no opposition be made. Should a spy or deserter give the least intimation of the design, or should it be sus- pected by the enemy ; should the embarkation be disor- dered through the darkness of the night, or difficulty of the shore, the landing place be mistaken, or the centinels alarm- ed, the heights of Abraham would instantly be lined with such numbers of troops as would render the attempt abor- tive. Any of these circumstances might have occasioned a defeat. Though these difficulties could not escape the penetration of the gallant general, yet he adopted the plan without hesitation, and executed it in person. A divine superintendency so watched over it, that it succeeded ac- cording to his wishes.
When every thing was ripe for execution, admiral Saun- ders was ordered to make a feint with his ships, as if he de- signed to attack the enemy in. their entrenchments on the Beauport shore, and, by his motions, to give it all possible appearance of a reality. The troops embarked in boats and on board the transports, and, to cover their design, pro- ceeded eight or nine miles up the river, above the place where they designed to land. Under the cover of the night, the boats fell silently down, undiscovered by the cen- Troops tinels. On the thirteenthi of September, an hour before land day, the troops landed on the north shore, directly against against the the heights of Abraham. Admiral Holmes, sailing down heights of Abraham,
B 3
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Book II. the river, arrived just in time to assist and protect the land- ing of the troops. When they had gained the shore, the . 1759. precipice being exceedingly steep and high, they were not able to climb it but by laying hold on stumps and boughs of trees, and pulling themselves up by them. A little path. so narrow that two could not go abreast, wound itself up the ascent; and even this was defended by a captain's guard. With admirable courage and activity did the light troops and Highlanders mount the craggy steep, dislodge the captain's guard, and open the way for the other. troops to gain the summit. By about the breaking of the day, the troops were up and formed in good order .*
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