Lecture 23: 1759 Quebec—Battle for North America
there. The main army could then follow and strike Quebec from
the land side. Several other diversionary attacks would be made the
same night.x The British now enjoyed a streak of luck that allowed the attack
force to seize control of the vital trail.
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column of elite troops opposite the British ships from which
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watch on the ships and move to intercept and destroy any boats
launched from them. On the critical night, he failed to notice
the heavily laden boats gliding downstream on the current.o 7KHRI¿FHULQFRPPDQGRIWKHGHWDFKPHQWJXDUGLQJWKHWUDLO
Captain Vergor, had been told to expect a convoy of French
boats that night bringing supplies to the city. When the British
boats materialized out of the darkness, the French sentries
naturally took them for the supply convoy.o Some of the English boats, carried on a strongly ebbing tide,
overshot the landing zone by several hundred meters and came
ashore at the base of the cliffs where there was no apparent
route. The light company under the command of Colonel
Howe threw themselves at the cliff face and scrambled directly
upward. Coming from this totally unexpected direction, they
took the sentries guarding the top of the trail totally by surprise.x Attacked on two sides by Howe’s men coming along the cliff and
by other British troops storming up the trail, Captain Vergor’s men
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were now able to land and climb up the trail.x Dawn found Wolfe and the British army of around 3,000 men
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relatively long range, and following their usual practice, individual
soldiers shot and reloaded as fast as they were able. The British, by