The Battle of Sainte Foy

With the melting of the ice on the riverways of Canada, Governor Vaudreuil and the Chevalier Maréchal de Lévis finalized their plans for an attempt to retake Quebec. The winter had been spent in the making of equipment needed for the army. Now, it was April 15th, and the river below Montreal could be navigated once again. On that day, two ships were loaded with the equipment and ammunition and set sail.

These vessels were then to meet with others along the way carrying troops. At Lachneaie they were joined by a fleet carrying the La Sarre battalion, then at Verchéres, barges transporting Guyenne corps. Then further down river, the convoy was joined by two regiments of Berry’s, who formed the advance guard. Finally the convoy was to rendesvous with two divisions of cavalry, that had traveled there from Montreal by land, and several canoe loads of Indians. This brought the strength of the army to five brigades and eleven battalions, a total of six thousand nine hundred and ten men.

Due to strong winds and rain, the fleet was forced to land at a place known as Pointe-aux-Trembles. Here, with great difficulty, they struggled to drag their boats and equipment ashore over the rafts of floating ice. Also, there was the hazardous task of bring three field-pieces, that were to follow by land. Once this was done, the army encamped in the area around the church.

Saturday, the twenty-sixth, the convoy was again under way. Thus, despite a heavy north-east wind, and blocks of floating ice, they departed for St. Augustin. By noon of the same day, the fleet had reached it’s destination. Here, the wide fringes of ice still lined the shores making a landing more difficult. The vessels landing here had to be dragged across the ice, and well up onto the shore, else be lost to the flows of ice at high tide.

With the weather, combined with English defenses, the French army would be forced to make the last leg of trip would have to be by land. A march of eighteen miles over all most impassable roads lay ahead. Lévis was well aware of the obstacles that lay ahead, decided to cross the river two miles above the mouth. An advance guard of grenadiers and Indians, with a small detachment of artillery, were sent on ahead to repair those bridges destroyed by the English. By two o’clock that afternoon, two narrow bridges were made ready for the army to cross.

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No sooner did word reach de Lévis, than the army was ordered to march. Officers, and men alike set out on foot in ankle deep mud, in a cold rain. As the French army advanced, under these severe conditions, scouts reported that the English had recently abandoned their positions at Lorette, and had pulled back to Ste. Foy. With this news, de Bourlamaque was ordered to seize these positions and the houses overlooking the road.

When the positions were secured, a brigade was sent to relieve the grenadiers, and de Bourlamaque was ordered to advance " as far as he possibly could without, however, compromising himself" until the main army could advance. Crossing the Suete marsh, he managed to set up positions in some houses less that a mile from the British garrison on the heights of Ste. Foy. The French army advanced under terrible conditions as described by Lévis: "It was a frightful night, terribly cold and stormy, and the army, which only finished crossing at a very late hour in the night, suffered enormously. `

The bridges were broken, and the men had to wade through the water. Had it not been for lightning we should have had to stop he howling wind, shook the houses as if to blow them down. Then the gale subsided only to be followed by more intense cold and rain mixed with snow." When the British had taken Quebec on September 18, 1759, the city had been devastated from the siege. Brigadier General James Murray, and the garrison of seven thousand troops within its walls, had few rations and rapidly became victim to illness, particularly scurvy.

By April, only about three thousand troops were fit to fight. Efforts had been made to improve the defenses. G eneral Murray was unaware of the advancing French army being so near, though the rumors of a spring offensive had circulated all winter. He had in mid April, been informed by three deserters from the French regulars, that indeed, the whole Canadian army would soon attack. Though in preparation, on Monday, the 21, he had ordered the evacuation of all civilians from Quebec, still, the weather was not yet right for an attack.

But on April 27, a guard aboard the war sloop RaceHorse, heard what sounded like a man in distress. When the ships commander, Captain Macartney, was informed of this, he ordered a boat be sent to investigate. The sailors found a man clinging to a large floe of ice. Once he had been taken aboard and somewhat revived, he found to be a sergeant of the French artillery. His floating battery had been overturned in the storm, leaving him the only survivor . At 3am, he was taken to General Murray, where before he died, informed him that Lévis was near-by with a large force.

Murray at once ordered his command to take their posts. At dawn, he set out with five regiments of light infantry, the grenadiers, and ten pieces of artillery. Soon after reconnoitering the French positions, he ordered his men to take up positions in the row of houses that lined the road on both sides of St. Foy church. Once these positions were secure, the cannon were brought to bear on the French outpost visible at the edge of the Sillery forest.

The village of St. Foy was situated on a low hill overlooking to the west, the Cap Rouge River, and opposite it, the hill descends to a swamp called Suete Marsh. The road to from St. Foy to Quebec accends a greater incline called Cöte Ste. Geneviéve. Now that Murray had gained control of the high ground at St. Foy, Lévis would have to change his plan of attack. He chose to wait until night fall, when under the cover of darkness, he could advance and attempt to turn the English right flank.

As he was reforming his incoming troops for the assault, he was surprised to see the church at St. Foy in flames. The English were pulling back to Quebec! The order was given to advance, the cavalry and grenadiers were ordered to pursue the English, and followed to a point with in a mile and a half of the walls of Quebec. Here they established themselves in a house and windmill.

The main body of the army had gained positions in the village by 6am. Fortifications were established in houses along the St. Foy road. D awn came to find Lévis inspecting the Plains of Abraham, seeking a favorable location to meet the enemy when he appeared. Due to Murray’s actions of the night before, he believed the English would remain on the defensive. To strengthen this belief, a few British detachments were to be seen on the horizon, one of which was abandoning a redoubt overlooking the Foulon.

Lévis then ordered some of his escorting troops to occupy this position, while he advanced to observe the English movements. He found that General Murray had come out of the town with his entire army, proceeded by twenty-two field pieces, of which two were howitzers. Each man carried in addition to his weapon, either a pick of shovel, as if Murray intended to establish himself outside of the walls. When the English troops reached the Buttes- á -Neveu, the regiments were formed up in order of battle. With a frontage of two deep they marched towards the heights where the previous fall,

Wolfe had awaited Montcalm. At this moment, Lévis saw more of Murray’s troops emerge from the revine covering the entire plain from the crest of the cliff, to St. Foy road. As the English advanced they extended their lines to cover as much of the level ground as possible. When it became clear he would have to face the entire British army, Lévis withdrew his detachment from the redoubt, and sent orders for Major-General Montreuil to advance his troops to the front. He also ordered Bourlamaque to post five companies of grenadiers in the windmill and its house, and to place the remaining five companies on a slight rise commanding the right. With the two wings secured, he then ordered de Lapause at the entrance to St. Foy road to cover the armies advance. The officers of the remaining regiments were sent word as to what position they would occupy.

The brigades of the Royal Roussillion and Guyenne had just taken positions on the right, and Berry was dispersing from the road, when the British troops, having thrown down their tools, appeared on the elevation above where the French troops were defiling. In front of the Mill, de Aiguebelle with his grenadiers faced Dalling’s light infantry, while the grenadiers on the right opposed the volunteers and Hazen’s Rangers.

The ground Murray occupied was as favorable as that were Wolfe had the previous September defeated Montcalm’s forces. On his left, he just regained control of the redoubt the French had recently abandoned. On his right, the light infantry was within a few feet of the mill. At the edge of the Sillery forest, where the Berry and marine brigades, advancing in haste to take up posts in the center of the French line. The Béarn battalion was moving up the St. Foy road. Only Lévi’s right was drawn up in battle formation. The moment appeared to be right for crushing the French advance.

Murray gave the order to attack. The artillery opened with grape-shot, which took terrible affect. The brigades of marines and Berry were hardest hit. Lévis, aware of this hazard.began pulling his army back to the edge of the woods, under a heavy artillery and musket fire. Murray ordered his men to charge, at the same time inclining to the right in order to seize Dumont’s mill and house, which commanded the road.

Several guns already swept this road, across which the La Sarre brigade began to deploy, forming the French left. Soon a furious struggle was being waged about the mill between the French grenadiers and the British light infantry. With the sweeping motion of the English army, the grenadiers were soon forced to abandon the mill and fall back on the La Sarre regiment. Lévis ordered a counter-attack.

Colonel Dalguier, commanding the La Sarre brigade, along with the grenadiers, managed to re-take the mill and two hillocks overlooking the road. The English light infantry was relieved by a party of Highlanders. They were sent to the rear guard where they remained through the rest of the battle. The Highlanders managed to gain entry to the mill, and the fighting was reduced to hand-to-hand.

The Scotsmen with their swords, grappling with the bayonets of the grenadiers! *"They were worthy opponents, the grenadiers, bayonets in hand, drove the Highlanders out through the windows, and the latter, re-entering by the door with their dirks, forced the former in turn to take the same means of egress" Possession of the mill changed hands several times in this manner, until as if by common agreement, both general withdrew their men, leaving it as neutral ground for a short time.

On the right, five companies of grenadiers, supported by the Canadian sharpshooters, cleared the redoubt of the rangers and volunteers. They then advanced on a second redoubt, surmounting a knoll a few paces further on. The two brigades on the right, with three guns, opposed the main body of Highlanders, and Bragg and Lascelles regiments which formed the British left flank. The French general gave his two wings his principal attention, the center composed of the marine and Berry brigades, with the main body of the Canadians held firm. Each battalion was proceeded and flanked by Canadian sharpshooters under Repentigny. Firing from cover on the British lines, they did much damage.

Several attempts to advance were made by the British, and several times they were pushed back. Once again, the French General called for his men to charge the British line. From left to right, all the advance began. The most exposed redoubt, manned by the rangers and the volunteers, was over run by the grenadiers. This action exposed the left flank of Bragg’s regiment which began to waver.

The La Sarre brigade, advanced without firing to within thirty paces of the English line where they became mired down in knee deep snow. This exposed them to murderous fire of grapeshot from the British cannon. The losses were so bad, Lévis sent orders for them to make a half-turn to the right, and fall back to a row of houses. These orders were disobeyed by Dalquier, who led a bayonet charge on the English right. Seeing this, the center also advanced. The grenadiers again gained control of the mill. At this point, Lévis ordered a flanking movement, using the Royal Roussillon and Queen’s brigades.

But an error in judgment caused the Queen’s brigade to fall in behind the French left flank. Lévis was forced to attempt the action with the Royal Roussillon only. Poulariez, taking advantage of a dip in the ground, led his men along the edge of the cliff. This caught the British right flank by surprise, where upon a panic ensued. Confusion spread among the men, and their officers could not rally them. Murray, ordered his reserve to both flanks, but they arrived too late to restore order. M urray did manage to regain enough control for an semi-organized retreat to the walls of Quebec.

The British were spared a total defeat only because of the failure of the Queen’s regiment to cut off their avenue of excape. This and the fact the French were too weary to catch them! In their rush for safety, they had abandoned all their artillery, tools, and the dead and wounded.

The French army encamped around Quebec in preparation for a siege. They attacked the ramparts, but were repelled. Lévis sent reports of the victory along with a request for reinforcements. But help never came. Between May 11th and May 16th, the French and British batteries exchanged fire. Commodore Swanton's squadron arrived with reinforcements and supplies on May 16th. The British troops again advanced across the Plains, while their fleet attacked the French ships at Sillery. Lévis was forced to lift the siege.

He was left no other choice but to fall back to Montreal. Crushed were the hopes of the brave Frenchmen and Canadians who fought here. They had won a hard battle, but lost a country. After the battle, the English losses were over one thousand killed, wounded and missing. The French losses were said to be, one thousand, thirty one killed and wounded. *Chevalier Johnstone The battles1760

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