1759 man received the verdict with composure and asked how long he might live. He was told that he might survive until three in the morning. "So much the better," he returned, "I am happy that I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec.' Une Mort When Montcalm's advice was asked concerning what the French should do, he pointed out a three-fold choice -to fight again, to retreat, or to surrender. He seems also to have written a short note to the English general; beyond this he refused to consider military matters. My time is very short, I have far more important business that must be attended to." To his secretary he confided messages to each of his family, asked that all his papers be delivered to Lévis, and devoted his last moments to preparing for the death that about five in the September 14 morning came to his relief. An old servant of the Ursulines, "Bonhomme Michel," made a rude coffin and, on the evening of that day, in the presence of officers of the garrison, a gathering of citizens, and a few priests and nuns, the body of the greatest soldier who had ever In Memoriam Wolfe-Montcalm Monument served New France was laid to rest in the Ursulines' chapel in a grave that had been partly hollowed out by the bursting of a shell. Once again the saying had been fulfilled: "La guerre est le tombeau des Montcalm." Thus, one in victory and the other in defeat, died gloriously the two chief heroes of the war. To them, posterity has paid impartial honor. In the words of John Fiske, "there has never been a historic drama in which the leading parts have been played by men of nobler stuff than Montcalm and Wolfe." In the "Governor's Garden" in Quebec stands a monument, erected in 1828. On one side of the shaft is the word, MONTCALM; 1 759 on the other, WOLFE; on the pedestal is carved: I 759 The English Brigadiers Canadian CHAPTER XVI THE FALL OF NEW W FRANCE THEN Wolfe fell, Monckton immediately took command of the British forces. A few minutes later, Monckton was severely wounded and it was reported that Townshend had been wounded too. Murray therefore took command and continued the pursuit of the French up to the walls of the city when Townshend arrived; it was Carleton and not Townshend who had been wounded. From hand to hand the chief command had passed until, in one half-hour, each of the general officers had held it. On the other side, Montcalm's three brigadiers and his senior colonel had fallen with their faces to the foe while vainly trying to rally the fleeing French. By the time that Townshend took the command from Murray, the pursuers were in almost as great disorder as the pursued had been. Although Montcalm had launched his whole force against the English without holding any in reserve and the rout of his army was complete, the pursuit was suddenly checked in an unexpected quarter. Some of the Canadians, most of whom had not advanced with the regulars to the attack, stood at bay in the thicket along the edge of the cliff above the Cote d'Abraham on the Saint Charles side of the plateau. When the victorious Highlanders advanced to dislodge them, they were received with so hot a fire that they had to retreat and wait for reinforcements. According to their custom, these mountaineers had thrown down their muskets when they drew their broadswords for the attack, but other regiments 1759 arrived and helped to drive the Canadians over the cliff and forced them across the bridge of boats. In this halfhour fight, the Canadians lost two hundred, but they had atoned for some of their shortcomings on the battle-field and afforded needed aid to the regulars many of whom otherwise would have been cut down or taken prisoners before they found safety beyond the river. Goes Before Townshend had had time fully to reform his Bougainville somewhat disorganized army, Bougainville appeared with Comes and about two thousand men. When in the morning of that day he found that the British men-of-war that had been threatening him on the evening of the twelfth had disappeared in the darkness, he naturally thought that they had dropped down the river to Saint Nicholas and would return. He, however, promptly set out for Cap Rouge and covered the eight miles so quickly that he met Vaudreuil's messenger there at nine o'clock; not long after eleven o'clock his advance-guard had reached the scene of action. The detachment that he sent to retake the Samos battery was repulsed. Townshend advanced with a force. of infantry and his two guns, and Bougainville wisely and in good order retired to Ancienne Lorette, about nine miles from Quebec. The English then proceeded to intrench themselves upon the field of battle and Saunders The supplied as many seamen as were needed to bring up Bluejackets guns, tents, and supplies. As a matter of fact, the "bluejackets" who had been carrying up camp equipments and intrenching tools or waiting on the beach with guns and other siege materials "were anything but pleased with the tameness of the part assigned to them.' According to the written statement of one of them, "they were perpetually damning their eyes, etc., because they were restrained from pushing into the heat of the fire before they were wanted." Within twenty-four hours, Townshend and his army were safe from any immediate danger. Vaudreuil had long boasted what he would do when a The French crisis came, but his part in the battle had consisted of Army crossing the Saint Charles bridge just as the rout began, Withdrawn I 7 5 9 recrossing it, and ordering it to be destroyed before half the defeated army had escaped- -an order that luckily was not carried out. Within the safety of the hornwork, he blustered about taking his revenge the next day, but tamely acquiesced in the decision of a council of war to retreat to Jacques-Cartier and there await the arrival of Lévis. When night came, he fled with the right wing "as if the Highlanders were after them with the claymore" and without even informing the center and the left of his intentions. These portions of the army followed of their own initiative; "they had to run in order to get into touch with the fugitives" and the retreat became a disorderly rout. Ramezay The flight of the French army had left Quebec in a Holds Quebec precarious position. The garrison consisted of about six hundred French and colonial regulars and about fifteen hundred sailors and local militia. Within the walls there were also about twenty-six hundred women and children, and more than a thousand sick and wounded and other non-combatants. Provisions were almost exhausted; a large part of the town was in ruins; Townshend was building formidable siege-works close up to the walls; the spirit of resistance was broken. Ramezay, the commandant, had received instructions from Vaudreuil to the effect that when the supply of provisions was exhausted he might surrender without waiting for the enemy to take the place by storm, and had even been authorized to capitulate in forty-eight hours after the departure of the army from Beauport. On the fifteenth, the mayor and a deputation of citizens waited upon the commandant and urged him to surrender; in the evening, a council of war was held. Vaudreuil's orders authorizing a capitulation. that very night were read and the council was almost unanimous for such action. But Ramezay was determined to make an effort to save the town and soon received indefinite promises of assistance from Vaudreuil. As the September 16 promised supplies did not come, he sent to Beauport and learned that the absconding army had left their tents standing and that the large store of provisions left there |