The Battle Of The Plains Of Abraham

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was the decisive battle in the French And Indian War on the American Continent.

After four months of siege warfare from the water and abortive attempts at landing, English General James Wolfe decided to force the battle at Quebec.

Landing a small force of men at the base of the cliffs of Quebec, Wolfe moved quickly and quietly up to the French fortress at the Plains of Abraham.  In minutes, the 385 British regulars had overcome the hundred militiamen.  Wolfe then spent the next three days bringing his army up the cliffs.

Wolfe met his longtime adversay Louis Joseph De Montcalm with less than half the French force.  Yet, when the French met the English, they were driven back into the city.  The sharpshooting militiamen and the elite British Highlanders picked off French soldiers at lng range, and then ducked behind defenses when the French returned fire.  Both sides lost about 650 men, but the French army was soundly defeated.  The English sieged the city from all sides, and it soon capitulated.

In a final irony, both Wolfe and Motcalm were killed in the battle.