and the New World was
considered by many am-
bitious military men as
the graveyard of reputa-
tions. Montcalm was un-
deterred by this reality,
and he willingly accepted
the position out of obliga-
tion to France. It was this
streak of devotion—to
family, nation, and sol-
diers—and the loyalty
that it inspired in return
that contributed so much
to his success in Canada.
Montcalm arrived at
Quebec on April 3, 1756,
accompanied by a coterie
of brilliant young sol-
diers: Louis-Antoine de
Bougainville, François-
Charles de Bourla-
maque, and François-
Gaston Levis. He also
enjoyed the solid core of
veteran French regiments who were brave,
well-trained, and highly motivated. However,
Montcalm’s position as senior commander
was complicated by the command structure
in Canada, which rested upon civilian author-
ity. He possessed a formidable adversary in
the form of Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil,
a forceful politician who commanded all
Canadian regular and militia forces and who
was openly envious and resentful of the au-
thority and discretion that Montcalm had
been granted. The two men, full of themselves
and their sense of purpose, disliked each
other intensely, and their mutual antipathy
boded ill for the fate of New France.
Despite his conventional background in
European-style tactics and strategy, Mont-
calm displayed initiative and imagination in
adapting to New World conditions. He viewed
the heavily forested nature of North America
as much less a hindrance than a strategic
mask for his operations, whereby supply diffi-
culties could be overcome by careful prepara-
tion and exclusive use of
rivers and other water-
ways. Furthermore, he
realized that his Cana-
dian and Native Ameri-
can auxiliaries would be
essential tactical assets
for woodland combat,
and he went to great
lengths to cultivate their
loyalty and affection. The
British had encountered
talented French com-
manders in Canada be-
fore Montcalm, but none
displayed such an inte-
grated grasp for terrain,
supply, and the offensive.
He proved particularly
adept at achieving tacti-
cal surprise and local su-
periority in nearly all of
his operations. Montcalm’s
demonstrated mastery of
all the nuances inherent
in New World warfare proved exceptional and
would cause England to pay a heavy price for
its ultimate success.
Montcalm had no sooner arrived in Canada
than he became fixed in his determination to
carry the war to his enemies. This was an es-
sential strategic expedient, as the English en-
joyed every advantage in terms of manpower
and supplies. The French general correctly
gauged that an offensive strategy would keep
the British off-balance and delay the feared
all-out assault upon New France. Accordingly,
his marshaled his forces in August 1756,
crossed Lake Ontario, and made a surprise at-
tack upon British fortifications at Oswego,
New York. He was careful to bring along a
heavy train of siege artillery that battered the
1,000-man garrison into submission on August
14, 1756. This opened an unexpected gap in
British lines that took nearly a year to close.
The relative ease of the victory also induced
numerous Indian tribes, hedging their alle-
giances, to take up the war hatchet for France.MONTCALM, LOUIS-JOSEPHDEMONTCALM-GOZON, MARQUISOF
Louis-Joseph Montcalm
Library of Congress