Battle of Beauport

Last updated

Battle of Beauport
Part of the French and Indian War
SiegeOfQuebec1759ByDesBarres.jpg
A 1777 map depicting the military positions of the French and British during the Siege of Quebec
Date31 July 1759
Location
Beauport, Canada, New France
46°53′25″N71°08′50″W / 46.890188°N 71.147268°W / 46.890188; -71.147268
Result French victory
Belligerents
Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Great Britain

Royal Standard of the King of France.svg  France

Commanders and leaders
James Wolfe Marquis de Montcalm
Strength
4,000 regulars ~10,000 regulars and militia
Casualties and losses
210 killed
233 wounded [1] 		60 dead or wounded [2]

The Battle of Beauport, also known as the Battle of Montmorency, fought on 31 July 1759, was an important confrontation between the British and French armed forces during the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War and the War of Conquest) of the French province of Canada. The attack conducted by the British against the French defense line of Beauport, some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Quebec was checked, and the army of General James Wolfe retreated with 443 casualties and losses.

Contents

Background

The French and Indian War campaigns of 1758 were mostly successful for the British, who had sent more than 40,000 men against New France and made key gains by capturing Louisbourg and destroying Fort Frontenac, although their primary thrust was stopped by French general Louis-Joseph de Montcalm in the Battle of Carillon. William Pitt continued the aggressive policy in 1759, again organizing large campaigns aimed at the heartland of New France, the Canadien communities of Quebec and Montreal on the St. Lawrence River. For the campaign against Quebec, General James Wolfe was given command of an army of about 7,000 men.

Beauport

When he arrived before Quebec on 26 June, Wolfe observed that the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River around Beauport (the Beauport shore), the most favourable site for the landing of troops, was strongly defended by the French, who had built entrenchments on high ground, redoubts and floating batteries. Wolfe consequently had to devise a plan involving a landing on some other location of the shore. The search for the best site kept him busy for weeks.

Montmorency camp

On the night of the 8th or 9th of July, British forces landed on the north shore, some 1.2 km (0.75 mi) east of the Montmorency Falls, east of where the French west-east defence line ended, at the mouth of the Montmorency River. Wolfe landed first, leading the Louisbourg grenadiers, who were followed by the brigade commanded by George Townshend. The landing met no opposition from the French. [3] James Murray, at the head of a part of his brigade, joined Wolfe and Townshend on 10 July. A camp was set up near the landing site. Wolfe ordered the construction of a battery to defend the camp, as well as rafts and floating batteries in anticipation of an attack on the French line. [4]

Plan of attack

After establishing the Montmorency camp, Wolfe explored various plans of attack and chose his plan on 28 July. He had two main plans.

The first plan which Wolfe mentioned in his journal and the correspondence with his officers is that of 16 July. In a letter to Brigadier Robert Monckton, Wolfe wrote that he had hoped to capture one of the French redoubts, the second one counting from the east end of the Beauport line, in order to force the enemy out of their entrenchments. The plan involved an attack by the Navy, an important landing force transported from Île d'Orléans, as well as a body of troops crossing the river Montmorency on rafts and marching westward to the battle site. At the same time, the brigade commanded by Monckton was to land on the French right, between the Saint-Charles River and Beauport.

This plan was put on hold on 20 July, when an event of great import to the British occurred: the Royal Navy succeeded, on the night of 18–19 July, in passing seven ships, including the ship of the line HMS Sutherland and two frigates (HMS Diana and HMS Squirrel), through the narrow passage between Quebec and Pointe-Lévy, thus opening the possibility of a landing west of Quebec. [5] Batteries firing at the British flotilla from the Lower Town of Quebec, as well as the floating batteries pursuing it, were unable to prevent the crossing. The Sutherland's log records that the French cannonballs flew too high to cause serious damage. [6]

On 19 July Wolfe was at the Pointe-Lévy camp to reconnoiter the north shore west of Quebec. He moved further west the next day, near the mouth of the Chaudière River, to study the opposite shore between Sillery and Cap Rouge. [6] Wolfe wrote to Monckton with orders for a plan of attack involving a landing near the village of Saint-Michel, something he had already considered in June. [7] However, at 13:00, Wolfe countermanded his orders to Monckton, ordering him instead to wait a few days and remain ready to act quickly, because of some "particular circumstances". [8] It is possible that the circumstance he alluded to was a French counteroffensive in which a newly built battery at Samos (near Sillery) damaged the Squirrel.

Wolfe returned to the Montmorency camp on 26 July. Escorted by two battalions, he walked up the Montmorency river to reconnoiter the French lines. At about five kilometres (3.1 miles) from the river's mouth, he observed a ford allowing the easy crossing from the west shore to the east shore. This discovery was followed by a solid skirmish between British soldiers, attempting to cross, and French soldiers entrenched on the other side. The British reported 45 killed and wounded. [9]

On 28 July, Wolfe wrote of an attack on the Beauport line to be executed on 30 July. However, poor winds did not allow for naval movements that day and the operations were postponed to the next day. [10] The plan of attack then contemplated by Wolfe was a variation of the plan he had described to Monckton in his letter of 16 July. Unlike the earlier plan, there was no mention of a parallel landing on the French right (west of Beauport).

Order of Battle

The order of battles were; [11]

British Forces

British forces were commanded by Major General James Wolfe, who commanded less than 5,000 men.

French Forces

French forces were commanded by Brigadier General Louis Joseph de Saint Véran, Marquis de Montcalm, who commanded 12,000 regulars and militia but just a part (left wing) of the force took part in the battle.

Battle

A view of the Montmorency Falls and the attack made by General Wolfe, on the French intrenchments near Beauport, with the Grenadiers of the army, 31 July 1759. The scene as witnessed by Captain Hervey Smith, Wolfe's aide de camp. A view of the fall of Montmorenci and the attack made by General Wolfe, on the French intrenchments near Beauport, with the Grenadiers of the army, July 31 1759.jpg
A view of the Montmorency Falls and the attack made by General Wolfe, on the French intrenchments near Beauport, with the Grenadiers of the army, 31 July 1759. The scene as witnessed by Captain Hervey Smith, Wolfe's aide de camp.

Dangers of plan exposed

On the morning of 31 July the war vessel Centurion positioned itself by les Chutes Montmorency to attack the easternmost French batteries. General Wolfe went on board the Russell, one of the two armed transports (the other being the Three Sisters) that were meant for the attack on the redoubt. Wolfe, who was then in the heat of the action, had a better chance to reconnoitre the French position than he could from. l’Île-d'Orléans. He immediately realized his mistake: the redoubt he hoped to seize to force the French out of their entrenchments was within range of enemy fire. The French soldiers could then very well shoot toward the redoubt without leaving their entrenchments on high ground. This fact changed everything and Wolfe's plan of attack consequently proved riskier than expected. [12]

In spite of this, General Wolfe decided to proceed with the attack already underway. In his journal, he stated that it was "the confusion and disorder" he observed on the enemy's side which incited him to action. Townshend, who commanded at Montmorency, and Monckton who was doing the same at la Pointe-de-Lévy, received the order to prepare for the attack.

Difficult landing

At around 11:00, the transport ships (Russell and Three Sisters) reached the north shore where the body of troops mobilized to take the redoubt landed. Toward 12:30, the boats transporting the main landing force left the Île d'Orléans to rendezvous with Wolfe. An unforeseen difficulty caused the landing planned a little to the west of the Montmorency Falls to be suspended: the boats met with a shoal preventing them from reaching the shore. A significant amount of time was lost trying to find a suitable site for landing, which finally occurred at around 17:30. [13] By that time, the sky was covered by storm clouds.

Confrontation

The first troops advancing toward French lines were the thirteen companies of grenadiers and some 200 soldiers of the Royal Americans. [14] Fire from the Montreal militia stalled their advance up the hill to the entrenchments above. [15]

Shortly after the firing began, a summer storm broke out, causing gunpowder to become wet and rendering firearms unusable. [16] When General Wolfe ordered the retreat, the troops marching from the Montmorency camp had not yet met up with the main force transported from the Île d'Orléans camp. [14]

Consequences

The French were victorious. General Wolfe recorded 443 losses (210 killed and 233 wounded), [1] while the French counted 60 killed and wounded on their side; losses which were attributed to the fire coming from the great battery of the Montmorency camp. [2] The day after the battle, Wolfe wrote Monckton that the losses incurred in the battle were not great and that the defeat was no cause of discouragement. [17]

While the news of the victory was celebrated in the French camp, General Montcalm remained lucid, writing to Bourlamaque that in his opinion this attack was only a prelude to a more important one, which they could do nothing but patiently wait for. [15] The attack did eventually arrive, when on 13 September the British landed west of Quebec and defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham in a battle that claimed the lives of both Montcalm and Wolfe.

Notes

  1. 1 2 McLynn, Frank (2004). 1759: The Year Britain became Master of the World, p. 221
  2. 1 2 Stacey, pp. 79-80
  3. ↑ Stacey, p.60
  4. ↑ Stacey, p. 66
  5. ↑ Stacey, pp. 67-68
  6. 1 2 Stacey, p. 68
  7. ↑ Stacey, p. 69
  8. ↑ Stacey, p. 70
  9. ↑ Stacey, p. 72
  10. ↑ Stacey, p. 74
  11. ↑ "1759-07-31 - Battle of Beauport - Project Seven Years War". www.kronoskaf.com. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  12. ↑ Stacey, pp. 75-76
  13. ↑ Stacey, pp. 76-77
  14. 1 2 Stacey, p. 77
  15. 1 2 Stacey, p. 80
  16. ↑ Stacey, p. 78
  17. ↑ Stacey, p. 81

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Carillon</span> 1758 French and Indian War battle

The Battle of Carillon, also known as the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga, was fought on July 8, 1758, during the French and Indian War. It was fought near Fort Carillon on the shore of Lake Champlain in the frontier area between the British colony of New York and the French colony of New France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Plains of Abraham</span> 1759 battle between British and French troops near Quebec City, Canada

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War. The battle, which began on 13 September 1759, was fought on a plateau by the British Army and Royal Navy against the French Army, just outside the walls of Quebec City on land that was originally owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin, hence the name of the battle. The battle involved fewer than 10,000 troops in total, but proved to be a deciding moment in the conflict between France and Britain over the fate of New France, influencing the later creation of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wolfe</span> British Army officer (1727–1759)

James Wolfe was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis-Joseph de Montcalm</span> French soldier

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Carillon</span> Colonial French fort in present-day Ticonderoga, New York

Fort Carillon, presently known as Fort Ticonderoga, was constructed by Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Governor of New France, to protect Lake Champlain from a British invasion. Situated on the lake some 15 miles (24 km) south of Fort Saint-Frédéric, it was built to prevent an attack on Canada and slow the advance of the enemy long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Quebec history (1663–1759)</span> Quebecs history between 1663 and 1759

This section of the Timeline of Quebec history concerns the events relating to the Quebec portion of New France between the establishment of the Sovereign Council and the fall of Quebec.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)</span> Battle during the French and Indian War

The Battle of Ticonderoga of 1759 was a minor confrontation at Fort Carillon on July 26 and 27, 1759, during the French and Indian War. A British military force of more than 11,000 men under the command of General Sir Jeffery Amherst moved artillery to high ground overlooking the fort, which was defended by a garrison of 400 Frenchmen under the command of Brigadier General François-Charles de Bourlamaque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1759 in Canada</span>

Events from the year 1759 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montmorency Falls</span> Waterfall on the Montmorency River in Québec, Canada

The Montmorency Falls is a large waterfall on the Montmorency River in Quebec, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beauport, Quebec City</span> Borough of Quebec City in Canada

Beauport is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Monckton</span> Army officer and colonial administrator in British North America

Lieutenant-General Robert Monckton was an officer of the British Army and colonial administrator in British North America. He had a distinguished military and political career, being second in command to General James Wolfe at the battle of Quebec and later being named the Governor of the Province of New York. Monckton is also remembered for his role in a number of other important events in the French and Indian War, most notably the capture of Fort Beauséjour in Acadia, and the island of Martinique in the West Indies, as well as for his role in the deportation of the Acadians from British controlled Nova Scotia and also from French-controlled Acadia. The city of Moncton, New Brunswick, and Fort Monckton in Port Elgin, New Brunswick, are named for him. A second more important Fort Monckton in Gosport, England, is also named for him. It remains an active military establishment, and currently houses the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) training section. Monckton sat in the British House of Commons between 1774 and 1782. Although never legally married, he had three sons and a daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Quebec (1690)</span> October 1690 battle near Quebec City, Canada

The Battle of Québec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Québec's defences were tested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisbourg Grenadiers</span>

The Louisbourg Grenadiers was a temporary unit of grenadiers formed by General James Wolfe in 1759 to serve with British Army forces in the Quebec campaign of the Seven Years' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Louisbourg (1758)</span> Battle of the French and Indian War

The Siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal operation of the Seven Years' War in 1758 that ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led to the subsequent British campaign to capture Quebec in 1759 and the remainder of French North America the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conquest of New France</span> British military conquest of New France

The conquest of New France – the military conquest of New France by Great Britain during the Seven Years' War of 1756–1763 – started with a British campaign in 1758 and ended with the region being put under a British military regime between 1760 and 1763. Britain's acquisition of Canada became official with the 1763 Treaty of Paris that concluded the Seven Years' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Béarn Regiment</span>

The Régiment de Béarn was a French Army regiment active in the 18th century. It is principally known for its role in the Seven Years' War, when it served in the North American theatre.

Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch, Seigneur de Ramezay, (4 September 1708, in Montreal, New France – 7 May 1777, in Blaye, France; officer of the marines and colonial administrator for New France during the 18th century. Joining at age 11, as an ensign, he fought campaigns against the Meskwaki tribe in Illinois, and the British in Acadia. In 1759, during the Seven Years' War, as the King's lieutenant; he signed, in the name of Louis XV, the Articles of Capitulation of Quebec, for which he was later criticised.

Colonel Patrick Mackellar was a British army officer and military engineer who played a significant role in the early history of North America. He was the deputy chief engineer at the Siege of Louisbourg (1758) and the chief engineer at the siege of Quebec in 1759. In later years he was responsible for the design and construction of the town of Es Castell on the island of Menorca.

John Knox was an officer in the British Army who took part in the Austrian War of Succession and the Seven Years' War. He served in North America between 1757 and 1760 and is notable for providing historians with the most complete account of these campaigns. Knox narrowly avoided being killed in 1759 when a French soldier's musket twice misfired, and he went on to fight in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, where he performed in one of the most devastating volleys in military history. Knox also took part in the Battle of Sainte Foy and was present when Montreal surrendered on 8 September 1760.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Quebec (1760)</span> Part of the Seven Years War

The Siege of Quebec, also known as the Second Siege of Quebec, was a French attempt to retake Quebec City, in New France, which had been captured by Britain the previous year. The siege lasted from 29 April to 15 May, when British ships arrived to relieve the city and compelled the French commander, Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Lévis, to break off the siege and to retreat.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.