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Quebec Campaign

Once the Saint Lawrence was free of pack ice in mid-April, the British sent forth ships to survey the coasts over a period of several weeks before committing to an assault on Quebec City. They would there discover that not all the French ships had left north America, some few had been stuck over winter await the thaw and the Caribou had been built at France’s only North America dockyard.

Battle of Ile de Orleans

On May 28th, The French ships Caribou (50), Leopard (64), Dragon (64), and the Aquilon (42) surprised the British surveying ships and their escorts.

The British ships force was initially composed of HMS Dublin (74), Pembroke (60), Port Mahon (24), and Success (24)

The French force sent the Port Mahon and the Pembroke to the bottom with all hands (killing James Cook who was in charge of the surveying) The Success was chased aground onto the Ile de Orleans, and the Dublin retreated heavily damaged, but. The French went ashore long enough to take a few British wounded as prisoners (the rest ran into the interior of the island) and set the Success on fire, so it could not be recovered. The French the departed back to Quebec city for they knew the rest of British fleet was still nearby. The Leopard, Dragon and Aquilon all took a fair amount of damage in the fight, while the Caribou remained unscathed.

French victory

Battle of Quebec

On June 15th, the British began the attack on Quebec in earnest. The British fleet first had to dislodge the four French ships despite their protection under the cities guns, while giving time for British forces to disembark to take the city.

French Forces: Caribou (50), Leopard (64) (damaged), Dragon (64) (damaged), Aquilon (42) (damaged), numerous coastal guns.

British Forces: HMS Namur (90), Royal William (84), Terrible (74), Vanguard (70), Somerset (70), Bedford (64), Nottingham (60), Sutherland (50), Lichfield (50), Thetis (44), Adventure (32), Squirrel (20)

Over a four day battle the fleet and coastal defenses barraged each other. The Leopard and the Aquilon would be sunk, the Dragon was abandoned aground and burnt to avoid capture, and the Caribou escaped to Montreal with significant damage.

The British fleet would not survive unscathed though. HMS Terrible would succumb to the French guns, along with Lichfield and the Thetis who were dashed against the rocks, and the Somerset would later be condemned after assessment of its damage and seaworthiness.

British Victory

Siege of Quebec City and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham

June 19th – September 2nd

With the French ships gone and some of the coastal batteries destroyed, the British then bombarded the city for two and a half months before Colonel James Wolfe or Major General John Mordant discovered a cove from which to land several thousand British troops at night to attack the city from the Plains of Abraham.

The next morning on September 3rd, Major General Mordaunt led 5000 British troops and 2 guns on to the field. French General Montcalm noticed their arrival and swiftly took 4500 French soldiers and 4 guns out to meet them. After one hour of intense fighting, the French line broke and the began to retreat, Montcalm knew the he would not be able to hold the city, rallied what troops he could and broke away from the fighting, retreating to Montreal. Six days later, the city surrendered on September 8th.

Battle Results:
British Forces: 800 casualties
French Forces: 850 casualties, 900 captured

Clear British Victory

Although both James Wolf and John Mordaunt claim to have had the idea an planned the battle, Mordaunt was the one to receive credit and acclaim for it at the time, though many histories later believe it may have been Wolfe all along that had come up with the plan, as his lack of recognition and other problems may have accounted for his behavior in later years.

During the battle, Colonel Wolf was critically injured when he was shot in the leg and fell fracturing his skull on a rock. He survived his wounds, though, but lost his left leg below the knee by amputation, and had surgeon drill into his skull to relieve pressure. After nearly also dying of fever, Wolfe finally came around to his senses three weeks later, but was in no condition to do anything but recover over the winter. The animosity between Wolfe and Mordaunt that had been in place since Rochefort and Louisberg worsened, when Wolfe challenged his claim over the actions at Quebec. At a later inquiry, it came to light that some officers that could have confirmed one man or the other had died in the fighting, but there were other subordinates and enlisted men that supported both sides. In the end though, Mordaunt’s pursuit of a position in parliament, and Wolfe’s persistent headaches and his crippling prevented him from leading in the field again during the war, and he would retire from the army to the colonies after the war’s conclusion.

Battle of Ticonderoga

While Quebec City was being besieged Amherst sent a contingent of British soldiers and colonial militia to take the French fort of Ticonderoga (which the French called Carillon).

500 French under the command of Brigadier General François-Charles de Bourlamaque defend the fort from nearly 12000 British troops and colonial militia under the command of General Jeffery Amherst. Colonel George Washington was also present in command of the colonial militia. The French had thus far delayed the British from joining Mordaunt attack on Quebec City. Bourlamaque’s goal was to delay and harass the British for as long as possible before destroying the forts and retreating to Montreal.

On June 20th and 21st, after an initial skirmish then a two day bombardment of the fort from emplaced British cannons, Bourlamaque planted charge in the fort and retreated.

2 French and 4 British soldiers died or were wounded in the initial skirmishes, then an additional 38 British and colonial soldiers became casualties when attempts to stop the fuses the French had set failed when the Fort’s magazine exploded, and two walls partially collapsed. The damage to the fort though was incomplete and the British moved in a repaired it.

Battle Results:
French Forces: 2 dead, 47 captured
British Forces: 42 casualties.

British Victory

After the victory at Ticonderoga, Colonel Washington applied for the 3rd time for British army commission. After being denied yet again, he retired his militia commission in the fall and returned to Virginia to be with his new wife Martha whom he had married nearly two years prior.

British Forces would otherwise cautiously (Amherst thought Bourlamaque’s retreat might be leading to a trap) continued north and skirmish with French resistance along the shores of Lake Champlain the Richelieu River. Despite taking Quebec City, as October came round, and ice began to form. The militia’s contract would end on November 1st as well, so Amherst called off any further attacks.

Montcalm and Montreal would have to wait until next year.