Forward

Since the foundation of Quebec in 1608, England covets New France. Two attempts at annexation have already aborted: Kirke in 1629, and William Phipps’ attempt in 1690. England profits from the Seven-Year War (1756-1763) in order to secure the territory. Thus, the fate of Quebec is played out three times, during as many battles, in 1759, 1760, and 1775. These confrontations are marked by treachery. Montcalm, Lévis and Montgomery must not only measure themselves against the British but also against the most abject treason coming from their own troops.

Illustration’s source: Martin Windrow, Montcalm’s Army, London, Osprey, 1973.

The First Battle of Quebec

In order to secure Quebec, the English assemble 25 000 men under General James Wolfe and 42 000 under General Jeffrey Amherst, for a total of 67 000 soldiers. The population of New France does not exceed this number, including women and children.

Commanded by Admiral Charles Saunders , the British fleet is a formidable armada: 49 war ships, 2 000 pieces of artillery and 193 military transports, regular soldiers and militia are under the orders of General Wolfe .

The first act of treachery comes from a Canadian navigator, Denis de Vitré. Thanks to his indications, the British fleet navigates the hazardous waters of the Saint Lawrence River without incident and comes into view of Quebec on June 27, 1759… to the surprise of General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm , who immediately has a defence-line installed along the river. It runs from Beauport to the Montmorency Falls, that is, along 6 miles . Day and night, Wolfe bombards Quebec from Orleans Island and from Point Levis .

On August 9, Governor General Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil dispatches François-Gaston, Duke de Lévis to Montreal with 800 men, when he had learn the advance of an army of 42 000 soldiers, commanded by Jeffrey Amherst . Meanwhile, in early September, Montcalm entrusts Count Louis-Antoine de Bougainville with the lives of 1 100 soldiers and militia, amongst whom 5 companies of grenadiers and 200 cavalry, in order to reinforce the seven-mile territory between the City and Cap-Rouge, including Foulon Post and the Samos Battery. To ensure the protection of the supply convoys, more reinforcements are sent to Count de Bougainville, who is soon at the head of 2 200 men, plus the Natives .

On September 5, Montcalm orders the Guyenne Battalion to camp on the Plains of Abraham. The next day, Vaudreuil recalls the regiment into camp, located on the Saint Charles River . On September 12, Montcalm again disagrees with Vaudreuil, who refuses to place the Guyenne Regiment on the Plains .

The British start going ashore at 2:00 AM. Situated on Sillery Point, the French Samos Battery starts sniping. But the 50 gunners flee when the English grenadiers and they arrive at 5:15 AM at Bougainville’s headquarters located in Cap-Rouge. Then they sound the alarm . If Bougainville had taken this information into consideration, he could have rejoined Montcalm well before 8 AM .

At 5:00 AM, the British army, strong with its 5 225 soldiers is ready, behind Quebec, near Foulon Bay . Having waited for the Samos battery in its headquarters in Beauport, Montcalm and his aide-de-camp James Johnstone, run to Vaudreuil’s headquarters on the Plains of Abraham, near the ship-bridge on the Saint Charles River, two miles from Montcalm’s headquarters . They reach their destination at 6:20.

Faced with the indecision of the French Governor General, who had been warned of the English presence on the Plains at 5:45 AM , Montcalm decides to verify the situation himself .

Emerging on the summit of Abraham at 8:00 AM by circling around the city, and seeing the British army, Montcalm orders Johnstone to go to Beauport to plea with Captain Médard de Poulhariez to send him all the available soldiers, except 200 left at the Montmorency post . But Vaudreuil orders Poulhariez to stay in Beauport with 1 500 men . This counter-order leaves Montcalm in an inferior position to the British.

At Cap Rouge, even if alerted at dawn, Bougainville marches his troops only at 9:00 . Seven miles separate them from the Plains of Abraham. The journey could be done in two hours, at a forced march.

Meanwhile, on the Plains, seeing the militia and Natives harassing the British, Montcalm places more men to help out . Then he asks Roch de Ramezay, the King’s Lieutenant in Quebec, 25 of the 189 cannons the City owns. Ramezay only supplies two of them , and only at 9:00 AM while 650 soldiers remain inside the walls of the City .

At 9:30, half a mile from Quebec , 3 500 fighters, of which 1 620 are enlisted men, face the 5 225 soldiers of Wolfe .

Montcalm’s militia, half of whom are old men and children, are only armed with hunting rifles. Among the 350 combatants in each of Montcalm’s battalions, there are 108 militiamen .

Five French regiments are represented in the Plains: Béarn, Guyenne, Languedoc, La Sarre and Royal-Roussillon , of whom a large number of soldiers are absent. Some are with Lévis, others are with Bougainville .

Camped near the Montmorency Falls, the Royal-Roussillon arrives last on the Plains, at 9:30 AM, after a six-mile march . A similar distance separated Bougainville from the Plains. His 2 500 men could have reinforced Montcalm. As for Vaudreuil, he was not leading his colonial troops and militia: he was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing the British in battle formation, Montcalm places his troops in three columns by six rows, the second and third rows formed only of militia and colonial soldiers .

He sounds the charge at 10:00 AM , and his army advances rapidly . As they get closer to the British, the militia unload their guns without having received the order and then all lie down to reload. This move disperses all French battalions. The enlisted soldiers continue to advance towards the British, who are still immobile on the summit .

When the French are at 40 feet, the English strike the first row down . The French retaliate with disorderly fire and the British, in a disciplined fusillade, strike from the front and back. Montcalm’s army wavers .

Wolfe is struck down while he gives the order to charge with bayonets . Armed only with hunting knives at the end of their rifles , Montcalm’s militia is decimated. The French enlisted soldiers cannot provide support during the assault and retreat .

At that moment, Vaudreuil appears in an open carriage on the battlefield. In turn, it increases the chaos as he himself flees among the deserters . They cross the Saint Charles River on the ship-bridge and gain refuge in Beauport .

Meanwhile, Montcalm seeks to rally other companies near the Saint Louis Gate in front of the Plains of Abraham. He is struck by two bullets but manages to enter Quebec, stooped over his horse . He dies at dawn on September 14, 1759.

Alone, facing the British, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Montcalm had waited in vain for Bougainville. He was in Sillery, two and a half miles from the Plains, where he arrived at 4:00 PM with 1 500 men. When he saw two English regiments coming towards him, he retreated to Vieille-Lorette .

At the moment when the battle had been raging on the Plains, Montcalm had been deprived of 2 500 soldiers by Bougainville and 1 500 men by Vaudreuil.

As Governor General, Vaudreuil orders the retreat of the army to Jacques-Cartier Village where the supply depot is situated 30 miles from Quebec . He leaves 1 000 head and 200 wounded on the Plains . Immediately after the battle, he could have counter-attacked before the British fortified their positions. He could have counted on the 1 500 soldiers of Poulhariez retained in Beauport. These men could have been joined first by the ones stationed in the Quebec garrison, and by Bougainville’s infantry and cavalry, and as well as by the surviving soldiers of the Battle of the Plains.

Lévis rejoins the army at Jacques-Cartier on September 17. On the 18th, he orders his troops to go back to Quebec and join up with Bougainville at Vieille-Lorette. Messengers warn Ramezay that help is on the way. On September 19, at St. Augustin Village, Lévis learns that Ramezay has capitulated and that Quebec has fallen .

To their astonishment, the British, who had not yet started to besiege the city, Ramezay had risen the white flag on top of the fort. The negotiations had started the night before. Nothing had yet been signed when the cavalry had arrived with the news that Lévis had taken command and supported by Bougainville’s troops, he was now marching on Quebec.

In spite of this information, Ramezay had signed the capitulation on September 18, in concert with General George Townshend, the successor to Wolfe .

Six hundred enlisted soldiers of Vaudreuil are remaining in Quebec, 1 500 seamen and militia, 2 700 women and children, 1 200 civil servants and clerks, plus a thousand sick, infirm and wounded, several priests and nuns . On September 18, at 3:30 PM, under Townshend, the English battalions enter Quebec . On October 12, the fleet leaves for England with the body of Wolfe .

Montcalm’s strategy to drive out Wolfe’s army would have worked had conditions been met. But Montcalm had been betrayed.

The Second Battle of Quebec

Illustration’s source: Desmond Morton, Sieges of Quebec, Toronto, Grolier, 1984.

The second Battle of Quebec occurred on April 28, 1760.

On the French side, there are eight battalions composed of regular troops, two battalions of colonial troops and 3 000 militia, for a total of 6 910 men . Lévis establishes his army a mile from Quebec and lands his war material at Foulon Bay .

General James Murray, designated Quebec City Governor by Townshend, is instructed about the intentions of the French and Canadian armies by Canadian informants . He goes out on the Plains at 7:00 AM on April 28 with 3 860 men and his 22 cannons . Its back to the city, the English line, composed of two rows, occupies a hillside terrain while at the bottom, the French and Canadian armies form lines of four men deep . The opposing armies approach each other within gun-shot .

Joining its infantry, the English artillery strikes the French and Canadian left side. The English right descends the hill and shoots.

Lévis gives orders to retreat. Ignoring the order, Lieutenant Colonel Jean d’Alquier de Sarrian, from Béarn, and his soldiers charge towards the English and seize all the cannons. Encouraged by his act, the center of the army now charges the English flanks. While combat is raging, the La Reine Regiment put in reserve by Lévis, therefore remains inactive

Louis Le Gardeur de Repentigny takes the initiative to launch the Montreal militia under his command to come to the rescue of Berry, de La Sarre and his colonial troops. For its part, the Royal-Roussillon under Poulhariez, charges the left English flank with bayonets .

On the English side, confusion is absolute. The victorious troops under Lévis, pursue the fleers so closely that without an order to stop, they could have entered Quebec and seized the city .

Disarmed, the English army abandons its cannons, its munitions, its dead and its wounded . Confused, the English forget to protect the walls, the sentinels abandon their posts, and the runaways find refuge in the lower town .

Meanwhile, the gates of Quebec remain open. The French winners could have penetrated Quebec not only on the day of the battle but also on the next, so much so were the English soldiers demoralized. For three days, they had drowned their humiliation in drink by pillaging the wine cellars. Murray had two soldiers hung and punctured the barrels to stop the drinking .

The battle lasted about two hours. It cost the English 283 fatalities and 841wounded, without counting prisoners. Lévis’ losses included 103 dead and 640 wounded, of whom 28 officers were killed and 68 wounded .

Lévis prevented his soldiers from seizing Quebec, even as the doors remained open. He chooses instead, to undertake the siege of the city left without defence. Back to his senses, Murray does not rush to surrender contrary to what Ramezay had done. On May 9, about 10 days after the battle, the arrival of a powerful British rescue fleet forces Lévis to raise the siege and retreat towards Montreal .

On September 5, 1760, nearly 20 000 regular English soldiers and as many American militia encircle Montreal. Vaudreuil raises the white flag. On September 8, he signs with General Jeffrey Amherst Montreal’s capitulation. Of Montcalm’s army, only 2 200 of the 5 300 enlisted men, remain . Between 1756 and 1760, 10 000 Canadians die in the war and 60 000 survive, a majority being women and children . The Treaty of Paris (1763) confirms the fall of New France. English officers govern Quebec during the following years . Five hundred of Montcalm’s soldiers and as many colonial troops, decide to remain in Quebec .

The Third Battle of Quebec

Illustration’s source: George F. G. Stanley, L’Invasion du Canada (1775-1776), Québec, Société historique de Québec, 1973..

In 1775, the third and last Battle of Quebec occurs.

The British colonies of North America are composed of 18 provinces: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia are the 13 original colonies while, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Western and Eastern Florida are recent acquisitions .

The 13 original colonies turn against England and hope that Quebec aligns itself with them in order to roust the British from North America .

Contrary to other British colonies, the Province of Quebec does not have a legislative assembly. That is why Congress writes a Letter to the inhabitants of Quebec, inviting them to send representatives to Philadelphia after electing a House of Representatives. The document’s printer is Fleury Mesplet, the French-language printer of the Continental Congress. Two other Letters follow, year after year, after the one printed in 1774 .

Faced with Quebec’s impossibility to hold elections, the 13 neighbouring colonies decide to chase the British by themselves. They seize the border forts and liberate the entire territory, with the exception of Quebec City. On November 13, 1775, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery enters Montreal, while Governor General Guy Carleton flees to Quebec City with 1 800 soldiers .

In 1775, Quebec City has a population of 5 000 residents. Montgomery decides to seize it . He leaves Montreal with 300 militiamen, of which one third are Canadian, and meets up with Benedict Arnold who is already in front of the city since November 8. To reach Quebec, Arnold and his men crossed the Alleghany Mountains during a two-month march and only 650 of his 1 200 men reach their destination .

Montgomery and Arnold camp on the Plains of Abraham and decide to launch an attack on Quebec City from the Lower Town .

On December 23, Wolf – another one! – escapes, after having been captured by the Sons of Liberty. He brings the news to Carleton about preparations for an impending assault. On the same day, a deserter confirms it. On the 24th, another traitor announces that the attack will take place on the Lower Town. On the 29th, a third deserter, an Irishman, confirms everything Carleton already knew .

Montgomery ignores these betrayals and still hopes to count on a surprise effect . The attack is launched at midnight, from December 30 to 31, during a snow storm .

Montgomery has a plan: Commanded by Colonel James Livington, the Canadians will attack the Saint Jean Gate in the Upper Town; other militia under Major Brown will tackle the Cap-aux-Diamants Citadel; meanwhile, Arnold will march to the barricades and batteries of Sault-au-Matelot; with his column, Montgomery will remove the barriers at Près-de-Ville and enter by Champlain Street .

At 2:00 AM, the 900 militia are ready . Montgomery descends Foulon Hill and advances by following the riverside. With 300 men, he easily crosses the first barricade.

As soon as the soldiers appear at the second barricade, a gunshot kills Montgomery. Colonel Donald Campbell who replaces Montgomery, orders the troops to retreat towards the Plains.

After having crossed the Faubourg St. Roch, Arnold forces the barricades of Sault-au-Matelot Street. A gunshot coming from the Upper Town walls mutilates Arnold’s leg. Captain Daniel Morgan replaces him, seizes the first barricade and occupies the entire street . Fighting breaks out at the second barricade at the end of the street. But having to face 500 soldiers, the Sons of Liberty are soon taken prisoners .

After their attempt to attack Quebec, Canadian and American militia continue their siege of the city . During the course of battle, they have lost 30 men, 42 are wounded and 382 taken prisoners while Carleton’s losses are minimal .

On February 26, 1776, the Continental Congress, with its seat in Philadelphia, delegates commissioners to Montreal, in order to organize the election of representatives. Benjamin Franklin presides this delegation who arrives in Montreal on April 29. The Congress had also delegated printer Fleury Mesplet .

Just like Lévis in the spring of 1760, Arnold who had seized Quebec, sees a powerful British fleet coming to the rescue on the Saint Lawrence River. Arnold retreats to Montreal and Benjamin Franklin leaves on May 11, 1776 . On July 4, Franklin and other delegates are among the Fathers of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America . This proclamation resulted in the exile of 6 000 American Loyalists who settled in the Upper St. Lawrence River and the Eastern Townships .

Conclusion

Photo : Marc-André Grenier, in Antoine Robitaille, Montcalm, vie et mémoire.

Quebec's fate was played out three times on the same site.

Giant murals painted in the mid-twentieth century by artist Sherriff-Scott adorn the walls of an ornate, regally furnished chamber in the impressive, fortress-like Masonic Temple on Montreal’s Sherbrooke Street.

One of the murals depicts a small group of uniformed military men laying the keystone for a new monument that was unveiled at Quebec City in 1828. It honours the two brave field generals who met their deaths on the same day in the battle for Canada between the French and English armies. Although the Generals, Wolfe and Montcalm, served under separate flags, they were both devout members of the same fraternal Masonic organization. And the painting illustrates, away from the field of battle, the fraternization of the uniformed officers attired in the British red and French blue.

While the painting captures this rather personal aspect in the saga of Wolfe and Montcalm, it also adds some insight into the fraternity of Freemasons.

Wolfe-Montcalm Monument engraved by Lemaître, published in L'Univers, Paris, 1843. Steel engraved print with recent hand colour. Size: 10 x 14 cm.

The history of the Masonic lodges is ancient, but their organization into Grand Lodges may be viewed as a more recent phenomenon: the first Grand Lodge, the Grand Lodge of London came into being on June 24, 1717.

Inspired by the principles of brotherhood, charity, and mutual assistance, Freemasonry began to spread as early as 1725 in Europe, most notably in France. There, nobles, bourgeois, military officers and learned men met in lodges regardless of their nationality or religious practices.

As they moved to North America, Freemasons created lodges. French-speaking Masons attended the English Lodges and English-speaking Masons attended French Lodges no matter their camp or uniform or whether they were, at the time, in a British or a French colony. All Grand Lodges in the Americas then, were under the authority of London.

Among these early Freemasons was the Loyalist, Sir John Johnson (Grand Master of New York Provincial Grand Lodge in 1767 and Grand Master of Montreal Provincial Grand Lodge in 1788) as well as many leaders of the Independence movement: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Marquis de Lafayette.

St. Peter’s Lodge no. 4, founded in 1769 by English Masons, decided in 1771 to hold its bi-weekly meetings alternatively in French or English in order to accommodate its French speaking members. The nature of this fraternal attitude, a cornerstone of Freemasonry is captured in one single word: Tolerance.

The history of the three Battles of Quebec also confirms another moral principle: Freemasons prefer peace, love and friendship to war and treason. So mote it be.

General James Wolfe Monument, Quebec City Erected July 5, 1965, at the exact place where Wolfe died. This Doric column of brass and stones is 38 feet high. The sword and the Roman helmet, on the top, symbolise the victory and the power of British Empire.

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