the accident was such that I sent Captain Smith, my aide-decamp, to stop Townshend, who was then crossing the ford; and yet, Sir, you assert that there was no delay by this accident;-none, indeed, that could have had any consequence if the strange behaviour of the Grenadiers had not lost us more time, and brought on the night, and, perhaps, very luckily for the army, considering the disadvantageous nature of the attack. I remember you did me the honour to call to me from your boat to go in and see for a landing-place, and I remember some gentleman's calling out at the same time from the boat that it was a proper time to land; and you may remember I went in, and made the experiment with a flat-bottomed boat and one of the captains (I believe Captain Shade); and when we had found what we sought for, I desired him to bring the boats forward. The rest makes up the remaining part of the story of that unlucky day, the blame of which I take entirely upon my own shoulders, and I expect to suffer for it. Accidents cannot be helped. As much as the plan was defective falls justly upon me; and it is, I think, a matter of no vast consequence whether the cats fired well or ill, were well or ill placed; of no great consequence whether an hour or two were or were not lost by the boats grounding; and of as little consequence whether the 'Centurion's' gunner directed his shot well or ill. In none of these circumstances the essential matter resides. The great fault of that day consists in putting too many men into boats, who might have been landed the day before, and might have crossed the ford with certainty, while a small body remained afloat, and the superfluous boats of the fleet employed in a feint that might divide the enemy's force. A man sees his errors often too late to remedy. My ill state of health hinders me from executing my own. plan; it is of too desperate a nature to order others to execute. The Generals seem to think alike as to the operations; I therefore join with them, and perhaps we may find some opportunity to strike a blow. We shall need your immediate assistance to convey away this artillery, which I believe may be done in one, or at most two nights. The light six pounders, a few light howitzers, and some tools will be wanted above, as well as provisions and rum. My letters, I hope, will be ready to-morrow, and I hope I shall have strength to lead these men to wherever we can find the enemy. Beyond the month of September I conclude our operations cannot go. We can embark the superfluous artillery, and Barré has a list ready for you of quarters for the troops, supposing (as I have very little hope of) they do not quarter here.* We shall want a pull of seamen to get Major Douglas's guns from off the low battery; as their wheels are small, they pull heavy. I am always, with great esteem, dear Sir, Your most obedient and most humble servant, August 30th, 1759. P.S.-It will be necessary to run as many small craft as possible by the town, with provisions and rum for six weeks for about 5000, which is all I intend to take. The small vessels can take us in occasionally, if it be necessary, and run us back again in a tide. The Marines here, and Captain Leward's detachment, shall go to-morrow to Orleans. The volunteers shall go off this night, if you be pleased to send the boats; and they may remain up and down that country till it is totally destroyed. It will be necessary to keep two or three armed vessels in this channel, and it will be right every three or four days to send a detachment of 100 soldiers and 100 seamen down along this shore of the Isle of Orleans, Barré, there is reason to believe, was introduced to Wolfe by their common friend Lord Fitzmaurice, afterwards Earl of Shelburne. "You may be sure," wrote Wolfe to Rickson, "that my information came from the best hands." (See ante, p. 421.) And, from a letter written in 1762, cited in 'The Chatham Correspondence,' it appears that Barré was "found out, pushed, and brought into Parliament by Lord Shelburne." His conduct as Adjutant-General of the expedition was so highly appreciated by his commander, that, when the success of the campaign seemed hopeless, Wolfe regretted his want of power to serve him, and only wished for an opportunity to make him the messenger of good news, an honour of which the battle of Quebec deprived him. In the following year, however, Barré was the bearer of General Amherst's dispatches announcing the surrender of Montreal. and up the other, to scour it, and to keep them from thinking of landing upon it.* Reticent though he is of his ill health, the dejection of the hero at this time is apparent in the last letter he ever wrote to his widowed mother : Dear Madam, Banks of the St. Lawrence, 31st August, 1759. My writing to you will convince you that no personal evils, worse than defeats and disappointments, have fallen upon me. The enemy puts nothing to risk, and I can't, in conscience, put the whole army to risk. My antagonist has wisely shut himself up in inaccessible entrenchments, so that I can't get at him without spilling a torrent of blood, and that perhaps to little purpose. The Marquis de Montcalm is at the head of a great number of bad soldiers, and I am at the head of a small number of good ones, that wish for nothing so much as to fight him; but the wary old fellow avoids an action, doubtful of the behaviour of his army. People must be of the profession to understand the disadvantages and difficulties we labour under, arising from the uncommon natural strength of the country. I approve entirely of my father's disposition of his affairs, though perhaps it may interfere a little matter with my plan of quitting the service, which I am determined to do the first opportunity, I mean so as not to be absolutely distressed in circumstances, nor burdensome to you or anybody else. I wish you much health, and am, dear Madam, Your obedient and affectionate Son, JAM: WOLFe. If any sums of money are paid to you of what is due to my Father from Government, let me recommend you not to meddle with the funds, but keep it for your support until better times. * From The Gentleman's Magazine,' June, 1801. 554 CHAPTER XXIII. ABOVE QUEBEC.-HEIGHTS OF ABRAHAM. SEPTEMBER 1-13, 1759. SIR EDWARD HAWKE told the military commanders of the expedition against Rochefort that he would put them ashore "without wetting their shoes;" yet, with an overwhelming force, Mordaunt and Conway summoned a council of war to consider whether it was expedient to land upon an unprotected coast. Wolfe, by forcing his way to Louisbourg, in spite of storm, fog, entrenchments, and masked batteries, and by his conduct during the siege, raised a new standard whereby English generals were in future to be judged. The conquest of Cape Breton, however, did not present the "choice of difficulties" that confronted the hero at Quebec.* Al Upon the publication of Wolfe's dispatch of the 2nd of September, Charles Townshend is said to have declared that it was written by his brother; "for," said he, "Wolfe is a fiery-headed fellow, only fit for fighting;" and the falsehood was credited by those who knew nothing of Wolfe's abilities. But when the Honourable Brigadier had occasion to write to the Secretary of State, giving an account of events subsequent to Wolfe's death, the inferiority of his dispatch was generally remarked. And George Selwyn, meeting Townshend one day at the Treasury, facetiously inquired, "Charles, if your brother wrote Wolfe's dispatch, who the devil wrote your brother George's ?" (The Soldier's Companion.') The composition has likewise been absurdly attributed to Colonel Barré. (See Britton's 'Junius Elucidated.') Every though previously informed of the natural obstacles to the capture of the Canadian capital, until his own eyes had beheld them he could not comprehend all their bearings. Yet, strange to say, before he had acquired a knowledge of his opponent's plans, different though they proved from any mode of defence he could have anticipated when forecasting how he should invest the city, he selected for the site of his camp the very ground whereon his crowning victory was achieved.* But when Wolfe became practically aware of all the obstructions to be overcome before the stronghold could be besieged; when he saw that he must first defeat an army reader of this volume will at once perceive that the letter in question was written by none other than Wolfe; and, although at the time it was considered a chef d'œuvre of military description, it is, considering the difference of years, by no means a more remarkable production than his boyish account of the battle of Dettingen, now first given to the world. Wolfe, moreover, was wont to repeat certain phrases, which he usually varied in the repetition. Thus, we find that the phrase, "a choice of difficulties,"-rendered remarkable by Dr. Johnson's citation,-is a variation of "an option of difficulties," which he had used on a previous occasion. (See ante, p. 397, line 1.) * See his last letter to his uncle (ante, p. 498). In Smith's 'Topographical and Historical Account of Mary-le-bone' (p. 272, note), there is a notice of Lieutenant John M'Culloch, a native of the north of Ireland, who, in 1793, died in the parish poorhouse. On the surrender of Oswego, in 1756, he had been taken prisoner by the French and carried to Quebec, where he had an opportunity of observing the situation and defences of the place. Being exchanged, he returned to England, and, as a proper person to assist in the expedition of 1759, was introduced to Wolfe, who, it is said, took memoranda of his information. On the strength of this, it has been foolishly asserted that M'Culloch devised the scheme whereby Quebec was eventually captured. It is evident, however, that Wolfe's accurate preconception of the nature of the country, the number of the enemy, etc., could only have been arrived at through the communication of some one who had been in Canada. It is not improbable, therefore, that Lieutenant M'Culloch was the man from whom Wolfe learned the details of which he informed his uncle. |