Phips Triumphant: Quebec Falls in 1690

Yay! First Post.

So, anyway: in OTL, as part of the War of the Grand Alliance, an English force under Sir William Phips sailed up the St. Lawrence to capture Quebec. In OTL this led to the Battle of Quebec (see link), and the humiliation of the New Englanders. But what if Phips had taken the city? Would the English keep it, or trade it for something else? What effects would this have?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Quebec_(1690)
 
I don't think the New Englanders planned to stay the winter most likely they would've seized military stores, valuable furs, released prisoners, taken hostages.
 
I don't think the New Englanders planned to stay the winter most likely they would've seized military stores, valuable furs, released prisoners, taken hostages.

Hmm... So if the operation goes better (Phips isn't delayed and beats Frontenac and his militia) and Quebec is sacked, what would be the effect? Maybe the failure pushes the French away from the Americas, and we have a majority English Quebec in 2010?
 
I'm thinking more likely Quebec is fortified earlier and greater. Much of Quebec reputation as a fortress comes from Phips's failed campaign and and the 1711 expedition both of which fail more for bad weather and loosy command decisions rather than Quebec's defenses.
 
I'm thinking more likely Quebec is fortified earlier and greater. Much of Quebec reputation as a fortress comes from Phips's failed campaign and and the 1711 expedition both of which fail more for bad weather and loosy command decisions rather than Quebec's defenses.


I'm not quite sure what you mean. Do you think that Quebec will stay a French fort?:eek:

Hmm. In the short term, France will probably be in a weaker osition at Ryswick. Could we see an English Acadia or a Dutch Pondicherry? the latter could be interesting, as it could foretell a very different balance of power in India.
 
Quebec was already a settlement and would continue to be but would be fortified to an even greater extent than OTL. I honestly don't see Canada or Acadia being taken in this war not without greater British involvement and/or France suffering greater defeats in Europe.
 
Hmm... So my original idea is unworkable. Too bad. :(

But anyways, if the English had, through a bit of good luck, raided Quebec and kept Port Royal until the peace, could they have used their better position to get more gains elsewhere (India, perhaps)?
 

Art

Monthly Donor
There's a great book about pre American Revolution politics between Britain and America, called A Struggle for Power, and it describes the fact that at the end of the Seven Year's War/ French and Indian Wars, the British could either take Canada or Guadalupe from the French, and there were factions for both, that is, for immediate benefit/ Guadalupe versus eventual benefit/Canada. The "let's take Guadalupe" faction cited that if Canada were taken, then there would be no threat to prevent the colonists from expanding, and they wanted no more Pontiac's Rebellion like incidents, or the colonies becoming independent. It's a facinating book.
 
Top