Besides, He Had A Force Numerically [204] Superior To That Of The English General, Could He Have Concentrated Them At One Spot.

Bougainville with the flower of the French army, the grenadiers and volunteers, 3,000 strong, according to professor Dussieux, was at Cap Rouge, six miles from the battlefield and took no part in the fight, having arrived there more than one hour after the fate of Canada was decided.

1,500 men had been left at the Beauport camp to repel the feint by Admiral Saunders' ships, on the morning of the 13 Sept., 1759. The Charlesbourg, Lorette and Beauport militia had been granted leave to return home that week, to look after their harvest: a curious coincidence.

The French army was as follows, viz: Left | The Royal Roussillon Regiment, a battalion Regulars. Militia. Wing | of the marines, or colony troops, and | Canadian militia........................... 1,300 2,300 Centre. - The Regiments of Bearn and militia. ...... 720 1,200 Right | The Regiments of La Sarre and Languedoc, Wing | a battalion of the marine, and militia..... 1,600 400 - - - - - - 3,620 3,900

Wolfe's field-state on the morning of the 13th September, showed only 4,828 men of all ranks, from the General downwards; but of these every man was a trained soldier.

And within little more than an hour's march from the Plains, he could not honourably have remained inactive while believing that only a part of the enemy's force was in possession of such vantage ground; and neither the dictates of prudence [205] nor his own chivalrous spirit and loyal regard for the national honour, would permit him to betray a consciousness of weakness by declining the combat, on finding himself unexpectedly confronted by the whole of Wolfe's army.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 413 of 864
Words from 112706 to 112997 of 236821