The campaign of 1758, conducted under the auspices of Pitt, was the first bringing any success to the British arms in America. Of the four expeditions which constituted it, three had been successful; Louisbourg, Frontenac, and Fort Duquesne had fallen, and France was dispossessed of her strongest fortress, of the key to Lake Ontario, and the command of the Ohio Valley. Still she held Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, and Niagara on Lake Ontario, with the smaller forts Presqu'isle, Le Boeuf, and Venango. The wheel of fortune was turning, and carrying England upward.

CHAPTER IX.

NIAGARA, TICONDEROGA AND QUEBEC. 1759.

IN April, 1759, the English garrisons in Acadia were cheered by the news of an intended expedition against Quebec. Pitt, a good judge of men, had chosen James Wolfe to command, and had made him a Major-General.

The fleet, under Admiral Saunders, sailed from Spithead on the 17th February, 1759; twenty-two ships of the line, with frigates, sloops of war and many transports. The force under Wolfe, including the American contingents, amounted to about 9,000 men, rather less than more, and, for various reasons, only three-fourths of the number originally contemplated. Unable at first to enter Louisbourg Harbour, which was blocked with ice, the fleet took refuge at Halifax; but in May the whole force, except ten ships under Admiral Durell, which had gone to the St. Lawrence to cut off ships expected to arrive from France, was assembled at Louisbourg, and on the 6th June sailed from thence for Quebec.

Vaudreuil, the French Governor of Canada, was a vapouring and boastful man, jealous of Montcalm, always claiming for himself alone the credit of every success, and casting the blame of every reverse on others. But he failed to foresee from what quarter the fatal attack was to come. The French rulers recognized that Canada was in a perilous position. Bourlamaque was sent to hold Ticonderoga, and prevent any advance by the British from that quarter; La Corne was sent to guard the rapids on the St. Lawrence and arrest any movement from Lake Ontario. Every ablebodied man, every boy strong enough to lift a gun to his shoulder, was called out. None were to be left at home but the old, the sick, the women and children. The Bishop exhorted, reproved and warned the people, and ordered masses, prayers and processions, to avert the danger which threatened faithful Canada. Vaudreuil was as busy as a bee, boasted of his zeal, the excellence and completeness of his preparations and vowed that he would yield nothing, but hold his ground even to annihilation. Meanwhile, Bougainville arrived with the stunning news of the expedition.

against Quebec. On receipt of this intelligence all the French, except those with Bourlamaque and La Corne, were ordered to Quebec. Every energy was devoted to strengthening the defences of the town. Fortifications were erected, fireships and floating batteries were prepared, and the welcome of the English promised to be a warm one. The defending force, within and without the walls of the apparently impregnable fortress, was at least 16,000 men. All was prepared, nothing was wanting but the foes for Vaudreuil to slay. Still the English came not.. Provisions were scarce, and while Bigot, the intendant of Canada, and Cadet, the government contractor, two of the most corrupt knaves who ever cheated a national treasury, lived in riotous and extravagant luxury, the people starved on two ounces of bread a day.

Durell was at the Isle aux Coudres, and on the shore opposite some Canadians captured three English midshipmen, who had gone ashore for a boyish spree. The prisoners were taken to Quebec, where these mendacious young gentlemen increased the consternation of the Canadians by greatly exaggerating the strength of the English.

On the 26th June the English were anchored off the Island of Orleans, and that night a small party of rangers, under Lieutenant Meech, effected a lodgment upon the island, and the next morning found that the French had abandoned it. The whole British army then landed, and Wolfe was able to see the enormous difficulty of the task assigned to him. In the face of the enemy the braggart Vaudreuil became subdued. Montcalm was supreme. He determined to remain in his strong position, and take no needless risks. Wolfe's best hope was in Amherst, who was advancing against Ticonderoga, and whose success there would compel Montcalm to weaken his own force by sending troops to oppose him.

On the day on which Wolfe's troops landed, one of those terrific hurricanes which from time to time devastate parts of North America, greatly damaged the British ships and destroyed many of their boats. On the 28th June, Vaudreuil's fireships were sent down upon the invader's fleet, but they were lighted too soon. Some drifted ashore of themselves, others were grappled and towed ashore by the British sailors. The attack was absolutely harmless, and the French only afforded their enemies a magnificent pyrotechnic display, at an enormous cost.

Wolfe, unable to draw the astute Montcalm from behind his fortifications, seized the heights of Point Levi, opposite Quebec, and established batteries

there. A force was sent by Montcalm to dislodge him, but the French became demoralized before they were within striking distance, and returned ignominiously to Quebec, having done no execution except by three times in their trepidation firing on parties of their own friends. Wolfe's bombardment did great damage to the lower town, and the non-combatants fled, but the fortifications could scarcely be reached by the shot. On the 9th July, Wolfe landed below the River Montmorenci, and erected batteries on the high ground opposite Montcalm's fortified camp.

On the 18th July, the British frigate "Sutherland," sailed past the town and safely reached the river above it, compelling Montcalm to send troops from Beauport to guard the shore newly threatened. The "Sutherland" was soon joined by a fleet of boats carried over Point Levi, and launched above the town. On the 28th, Vaudreuil sent a huge fire raft down the river, but the English sailors grappled it and towed it ashore, where it burnt out harmlessly.

On the 31st July, Wolfe attacked Montcalm's camp on the Montmorenci, but a premature rush by the Grenadiers, who in their eagerness did not wait for orders, resulted in the repulse of the English with heavy loss. Wolfe retired, and the gallic cock crowed and clapped his wings, also prematurely. Wolfe, brave and determined as he was, began to despond. His health, never strong, was breaking down under the strain of anxiety, and hope deferred. With a force too small for the gigantic task assigned to him, and which from the exigencies of the case he had to divide into at least four sections, he lay before the citadel, waiting and hoping in vain for help from Amherst, from June to the beginning of September.

But while Wolfe was thus chafing with impatience before Quebec, the English were busy in other quarters. Pittsburg was to be reinforced and victualled; Oswego was to be rebuilt, Niagara to be taken, and an advance to be made into Canada, by way of Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain.

Amherst, the Commander-in-chief, himself took the conduct of the last expedition. With 11,000 men he reached Lake George at the end of June, and began to build Fort George on the site of the entrenched camp outside the ill-fated Fort William Henry. On the 21st July he embarked for Ticonderoga. Bourlamaque, the French commander, made no attempt to defend the entrenchment which, in a far more crude condition, had baffled Abercrombie's heroes the year before. He made a show of defending the

fort however, and caused a slight loss to the British, but in the night, in obedience to Vaudreuil's orders, he evacuated the fort also, leaving a burning match to blow up the magazines. A large reward, offered by Amherst, produced no volunteer willing to find and cut the match, and in due time an explosion took place which shattered, but did not wholly destroy, the fort. While Amherst, who had a craze for erecting forts, was repairing the damaged works, his scouts brought word that the French had abandoned Crown Point also*, and retreated to the Isle aux Noix. Amherst took possession of the fort, and talked about advancing at once into Canada; but fort building, ship building and road making delayed him, and Wolfe was to receive no help from him.

Meanwhile, Prideaux, with 5,000 regular and provincial troops, left a garrison at Fort Stanwix, established a block-house at the east end, and a fort (Fort Brewinton) at the west of Lake Oneida and descended the Onondaga to Oswego. Here he left Colonel Haldimand, with nearly half his men, while he himself, with Sir William Johnson, advanced against Niagara. La Corne, with a mixed body of French, Canadians, and Indians, coming from the St. Lawrence, fell upon Haldimand while he was fortifying his post, hoping, by seizing Oswego, to cut off Prideaux. But he was repulsed.

Prideaux reached Niagara, which was commanded by Pouchot, while another fort called Little Niagara, about a mile and a half higher up the river, was held by Joncaire-Chabert, a half-breed. Joncaire burned his fort and joined Pouchot in Fort Niagara. Prideaux opened the siege in form, and was almost immediately killed by the accidental bursting of one of his own guns. Johnson succeeded to the command, and vigorously bombarded the French fort. Aubry and Ligneris, with 1,300 men, were on their way from Presqu'isle to succour Pouchot. But the English met them on the way, routed them, and cut them to pieces. The survivors fled, burned Presqu'isle, Le Bœuf, and Venango, and retreated to Detroit. As soon as Pouchot had satisfied himself of the full extent of this disaster, he surrendered Niagara, and, with the garrison, was taken as a prisoner to New York.

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Amherst sent Brigadier Gage to supersede Johnson, and ordered him to

* "Before he (Bourlamaque) evacuated the fortress, he charged all the mortars, guns, muskets, &c., up to "the very muzzles, with powder and shot, fixing port fusees to their vents, and then setting fire to the buildings "of the fort, left it; which made it impossible to approach it without great danger; but a sergeant of regulars "desired the General's permission to cut down the colours, which were then flying amongst the flames, and being

permitted, he brought them off safe, for which he was rewarded with ten guineas."-Complete History of the War, 1764.

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