The battle for Canada
On September 13, 1759, two men were mortally wounded during a battle
that reshaped the destiny of Canada. James Wolfe was commander of
the British forces at Quebec City. The Marquis de Montcalm led
the French defence.
The battle delivered Canada - French territory for 150 years - to the British.
Both generals are remembered as heroes. Both have been blamed for the way
they fought that decisive battle. During five years of conflict, it was the first battle that Montcalm had ever lost; for Wolfe, it was the supreme moment in a distinguished
career. For both, it was the end.
The Marquis de Montcalm is at the head of a great number of
bad soldiers, and I am at the head of a small number of good ones,
that wish for nothing so much as to fight him — but the wary old fellow
avoids an action doubtful of the behaviour of his army.
James Wolfe, 1759
The colony is lost if peace doesn’t come soon; I don’t see anything that can save it.
Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm , 1759
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