We Lost No Time, But Clambered Up One Of The Steepest
Precipices That Can Be Conceived, Being Almost A Perpendicular
And of
an incredible length; as soon as we gained the summit all was quiet,
and not a shot was
Heard, owing to the excellent conduct of the
infantry under Colonel Howe. It was by this time clear day-light. Here
we formed again, the river and the south country in our rear, our
right extending to the town, our left to Sillery, and halted a few
moments. The general then detached the light troops to our left to
rout the enemy from their battery, and to disable their guns, except
they should be rendered serviceable to the party who were to remain
there; and this service was soon performed. We then faced to the right
and marched towards the town by files, till we came to the Plains of
Abraham, an even piece of ground which Wolfe had made choice of, while
we stood forming upon the hill. Weather showery; about six o'clock the
enemy first made their appearance upon the heights, between us and the
town; whereupon we halted and wheeled to the right, forming the line
of battle."
For some time past Marchmont has been occupied by Col. Ferdinand
Turnbull, of the Q. O. Canadian Hussars.
ANECDOTE OF WOLFE'S ARMY.
"After the conquest of Quebec, the troops had to make shift for
quarters wherever they could find a habitable place; I myself made
choice of a small house in the lane leading to the Esplanade,
where Ginger the Gardner now lives (1828), and which had belonged
to Paquet the schoolmaster - although it was scarcely habitable
from the number of our shells that had fallen through it. However,
as I had a small party of the company, I continued to get a number
of little jobs done towards making it passably comfortable for the
men, and for my own part I got Hector Munro, who was a joiner by
trade, to knock up a kind of "cabinet" (as the Canadians called
it) in one corner of the house for myself. We had a stove, but our
Highlanders, who know no better, would not suffer the door to be
closed, as they thought if they could not naturally see the
fire, it was impossible that they could feel it. In this
way they passed the whole of the winter; three or four would sit
close up to the door of the stove, and when these were a little
warmed, three or four others would relieve them, and so on. Some
days they were almost frozen to death, or suffocated by the smoke,
and to mend the matter they had nothing better than green wood!
I contrived somehow or other to procure six blankets, so that
notwithstanding that I was almost frozen during the day, being the
whole winter out on duty, superintending the party of our
Highlanders, making fascines in the woods, still I passed the
nights pretty comfortably.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 230 of 451
Words from 120272 to 120771
of 236821
