x The British arrived in the region of Quebec in June 1759, and Wolfe
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line on the northern bank, near the Montmorency Falls. The British
attacked in the late afternoon of July 31.x The British grenadiers managed to capture one French redoubt but
could not force their way into the main French lines. Another group
coming along the shore bogged down, and the assault was called
off. In addition to failing to achieve its objectives, the attempt cost
Wolfe more than 400 prime soldiers.x But the British had discovered that they could run ships upriver past
the guns of Quebec, and Wolfe had begun a two-pronged strategy
designed to wear down the defenders’ will to resist: a combination
of direct bombardment and a campaign of laying waste to the
surrounding countryside.x Employing heavy cannon and mortars, Wolfe pounded the
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countryside, an estimated 1,400 farms were burned, and the region
around Quebec was transformed into a smoking wasteland.The Battle
x Wolfe chose a direct assault aimed at the cliffs west of the city.
Montcalm had established a series of pickets to keep watch along
these cliffs, but most people believed that they were too steep to
offer a reasonable route of attack. Wolfe had noted one spot where
a steep trail ran to the top. The trail was blocked by a barrier, there
was a strong guard post at the top, and a nearby battery covered the
landing site at the base of the trail, but Wolfe decided that this spot
constituted a weak point in the defenses. He decided on a nighttime
landing from boats that would seize control of this trail.
x The plan was for the assault force to start upriver and drift down
silently on the current, land at the base of the trail, slaughter the
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