victory Montcalm had bought the French ad-
ditional time, but little else.
The war entered its crucial phase in 1759
when New France, despite Montcalm’s im-
pressive performances, was systematically at-
tacked by superior British forces. While the
decisive campaign was being waged at Que-
bec, Bourlamaque, now a brigadier general,
was entrusted with the defense of Isle Aux
Noir in the Richelieu River. To accomplish
this he had only 4,000 regulars, Indians, and
militia to oppose 11,000 men under his old ad-
versary Abercromby. The British resumed
their advance in July and slowly pushed
French forces toward Montreal, their immedi-
ate objective. Rather than risk being engulfed
by superior numbers at Carillon, Bourla-
maque left a small delaying force to blow up
the fort once he withdrew the bulk of his
army. At Crown Point, Fort St. Frederic was
similarly abandoned and destroyed, and the
French made preparations for a last stand at
Isle Aux Noir. Preliminary skirmishing re-
sulted in the loss of several French vessels on
Lake Champlain, but Gen. Jeffrey Amherst
abandoned the campaign after news of Que-
bec’s surrender was received. Montcalm’s
death there now made Bourlamaque the sec-
ond-ranking French officer in Canada.
Bourlamaque’s inability to stop Amherst—
an impossible task—occasioned much criti-
cism from Governor-General Pierre de
Rigaud de Vaudreuil, but General Levis,
now senior commander, felt this talented
subordinate discharged all duties “with the
greatest distinction.” In the spring of 1760
Bourlamaque led French forces back to Que-
bec to explore the possibility of retaking it.
He joined Levy in an aborted attack on the
city that April, helped defeat British forces in
the vicinity of Sainte Foy, and sustained a leg
wound. Quebec, however, proved unassail-
able, and over the course of the next four
months French forces continually gave
ground to superior numbers. Once en-
sconced at Montreal, the end was drawing
near, and on September 9, 1760, New France
was finally surrendered by Vaudreuil. Both
Levis and Bourlamaque strongly protested
the governor’s decision to agree to terms they
considered humiliating to forces under their
command.
Bourlamaque was quickly exchanged and
returned to France in 1761, enjoying a reputa-
tion as one of the most capable French com-
manders of the war. To that effect he was ele-
vated to commander within the Order of St.
Louis and subsequently dispatched on a mili-
tary mission to Malta against the Ottoman
Turks. He also spent considerable time writ-
ing an official memoir of events in Canada,
strongly intimating that it should be recap-
tured in some future conflict. In 1763, Bourla-
maque was promoted to major general and
appointed governor-general of Guadeloupe,
which had recently been returned by the
British. He died serving in that capacity on
June 24, 1764, at the age of 48. His passing
was a genuine loss to the French army, for
few contemporaries of this period could
match his performance or determination in
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