1759] PROJECTED WINTER ATTACK. 351 frigates, remained in the upper part of the river and wintered at Sorel. De Lévis' desire was to place a number of Indians near Lorette, from whence they would issue on all occasions to harass the garrison and to prevent the supply of wood being obtained. The design was impracticable from the want of food to give them. His attention was therefore directed to the possibility of attacking the Quebec garrison during winter, and he began his preparations, so that the troops would be ready to take the field when opportunity offered for the movement. As it would be difficult to defend the province should a powerful British fleet in spring take possession of Quebec, his hope lay in the early arrival of a French naval force capable of driving the British ships from the Saint Lawrence. Should no such assistance be sent, de Lévis considered that the defence should be obstinately maintained, . every aid being called into requisition to prolong it. His hope was to be able to hold the colony under French rule, to however limited an extent; but if every effort proved unavailing and the French were forced to succumb, he had resolved to retreat to Louisiana. In these desperate circumstances it appeared feasible to de Lévis to attack the British garrison. The practicability of such an expedition was discussed during the winter months in Montreal; many projects of attack were anxiously considered, and so much was said upon the subject that its success was looked upon as certain. There was one plan which promised the result hoped for, but it was attended with a risk so great, that it might make the most dauntless nature hesitate to adopt it. It was possible, under certain conditions, to surprise Quebec in the depth of winter by a forced march, to escalade the walls, to carry the works at the bayonet point, and obtain a lodgment in the town. It was a project peculiarly to demand the consideration of the character of the troops to be attacked. The British garrison was composed of young men who had been engaged in warfare for two years, sustained by the recollection of their triumphs at Louisbourg and at the conquered fortress they were holding. . The French had learned at Ticonderoga their power of endurance, and they had seen on that day how little they could count upon a panic, however unlooked for their own attack. Moreover, many asked, was it possible to come before Quebec with a large force unobserved; and success. great extent depended on the surprise being complete. The position of the town itself added to the uncertainty: for it could be attacked on one side only, from the plains of Abraham. The probability is that, had such an attempt been made, half the assailants would have been killed, and the remainder would have been beaten off ignominiously. After mature consideration de Lévis resolved to defer any movement until the opening of the navigation. In the meantime scaling ladders were prepared and the requirements of the expedition generally considered, the principal of which was the collection of provisions. The inhabitants of Montreal, although suffering from the general distress of the colony, had not been directly injured by the war, as was the case in the district of Quebec and to some extent at Three Rivers. They were applied to, to bring all they could furnish, and de Lévis was enabled to perfect his arrangements. He carefully considered his plan of organization and took all possible means to assure a fortunate result. Everything that happened at Quebec was reported to Montreal. The troubles and privations which the garrison suffered, the continued sickness of the troops, and the consequent reduced number for defence, were all well known; and there was the predisposition to consider matters worse than they were. Even in November it was believed that the troops in Quebec would suffer much during the winter from being ill-lodged and imperfectly provided with firewood, and much weight was attached to the sickness which prevailed. De Lévis considered therefore that with a powerful force he could in a few days master the slender resistance which would be offered, and he resolved, as soon as the river was sufficiently Major Grant's memorandum on his leave on the 15th of November. Can. Arch., A. & W. I., 92.1, p. 144. 1759] M. DE PONTBRIAND. 353 free of ice for the boats to descend, the attempt should be made. Between the 10th and 15th of April the river became open, and steps were taken to load the vessels with stores and guns and prepare the two frigates which were to accompany the expedition. The number of troops which de Lévis had gathered together was about 7,000, of this number 3,000 were Canadian militia. They had, however, been incorporated with the other troops, and formed part of the regular battalions. It was the strength of the force selected early in April to constitute the expedition, but it was anticipated that they would be joined by a considerable number of the militia of Three Rivers and of Quebec, who, as the advance became known, would immediately attach themselves to de Lévis' force. Even those who had no arms could act as pioneers and were capable of rendering great service. Every attempt was made to awaken the national susceptibilities of the native Canadian, one of the most powerful of which was the devotion to his religious faith, and dread of interference with its profession. The bishop of Quebec at that date was M. de Pontbriand, of an ancient Bretagne family; he had been appointed in 1741. At the commencement of July, 1759, when the siege began, he retired to Charlesbourg. After the defeat of the French, on the close of September, he proceeded to Montreal where he died on the 8th of June, 1760, at the comparatively early age of fifty-one. In the first years of the war he had issued his Mandements for a Te Deum to be sung on every French triumph, and had directed public prayers to be offered for the temporal and spiritual wants of the inhabitants. The expatriation of the Acadians furnished the occasion of a powerful religious exhortation, and he called upon the Canadians to oppose the ambitious projects of their neighbours. He described any promises made by the British as in no way to be relied on; soon they would have the grief to see introduced into the diocese where faith had always been so pure, the detestable errors of Luther and Calvin. They were engaged in the contest, not only to keep possession of their property, but to Y preserve their vast country from heresy, and the monstrous iniquity which heresy at each moment was bringing forth. Belle Rivière, fort Bull, the defeat of the British at Oswego, the successes at lake Sacrament, all called forth a Te Deum. The desolation carried into the provinces of Virginia and Pennsylvania received special mention, and processions and prayers for success were ordered from the faithful. Even the impotent attempt of de Rigaud received praise, as having led to a change in the vast project of the enemies. The destruction of fort William Henry was especially lauded and the subsequent massacre by the Indians explained away. The French nation, M. de Pontbriand declared, held in horror even the appearance of perfidy, and placed its chief glory in its fidelity. to the simplest promise. One more Te Deum was to be sung for the success of Montcalm, of the 8th of July, 1758, at Ticonderoga, when the enemy was put to flight with the loss of 4,000 men, "while we did not lose two hundred, and while thus thanking the God of battles, let us pray for those who are dead since the commencement of the campaign.” * It was the last song of thanksgiving the churches of Canada were to chant for victory. From that date the processions were ordered to sing the penitential psalm of "Miserere mei Deus." Deus refugium was to be recited in the mass; and when the blessing of the holy sacrament was made, Domine non secundum was to be recited.† Special instructions were addressed to the cures as to their conduct if the enemy should reach their parishes. They were told that they were not to * Mandements des Eveques, p. 118. + "Miserere mei Deus secundum magnam misericordiam tuam." Psalm L., I. "Deus noster refugium et virtus." The first words of a well known orison in the Roman missal. "Non secundum peccata facias nobis. Neque secundum iniquitates nostras retribuas nobis." The first psalm forms part of the Roman Breviary or canonical office. The latter versicle, preserved in our church service as "Deal not with us according to our sins, Neither reward us according to our iniquities," is liturgical. It is one of the invocations following the Roman litanies of the saints [Litaniæ Majores], which are chanted on the feast of Saint Mark, the Rogation days, and the opening and closing of the "forty hours adoration," &c. 1759] THE BISHOP'S INSTRUCTIONS. 355 take part in the contest, to remain unarmed as the almoner on the field of battle. If the enemy obtained possession of the locality, the curé might take a conditional oath of fidelity, and could promise that he would do nothing directly or indirectly against the conquerors. Religious service could be conducted by the British force in the church at the hour they would select, and he could afterwards perform the mass for his own parishioners. The curé should avoid in preaching and in conversation everything that could irritate the authorities. M. de Pontbriand considered even the contingency of a marriage between an English protestant and a catholic: in such a case, the curé was to avoid in every possible way taking part in it. If forced to be present, he should only attend as a witness, and pronounce no one of the words prescribed by the church. He was positively ordered to refuse absolution to the Roman catholic who was a principal in the ceremony. On his arrival in Montreal, M. de Pontbriand prescribed the ceremonies for Montcalm and the dead who had fallen before Quebec, and on the 17th of April, before the departure of de Lévis on his expedition, prayers were again ordered; and those offering them were told, that their piety during the winter should lead them confidently to trust in the protection of heaven, for the success of the coming campaign. |