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The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, 13 September 1759, during the SEVEN YEARS' WAR, fought upstream from Québec on a tract of land that is thought to have been named after Abraham Martin, to whom it was granted 1635-45. A powerful British force under Major-General James WOLFE and Vice-Admiral Charles Saunders was sent up the St Lawrence to capture Québec. The French, commanded by Lieutenant-General the Marquis de MONTCALM, at first held the British at bay.
Having sailed upstream past the city on September 5 and 6, Wolfe's army landed without opposition on September 13, climbing the cliffs a few km above Québec. Montcalm's communications with his source of supplies were threatened; he felt obliged to accept battle and impulsively attacked without waiting to collect all his forces. The armies actually on the field seem to have been about numerically equal - some 4500 each - but the British were all regulars, whereas many of the French were ill-trained militia. The French attack was broken by British infantry fire, and the French retired in disorder. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were mortally wounded. The French field army retreated up the St Lawrence by a circuitous route that night. Québec surrendered on September 18. A French attack early in 1760 failed to recover the city, and later in the year the British captured Montréal and NEW FRANCE fell.
 Plains of AbrahamThe site of the famous battle between Wolfe and Montcalm is now a park near the Quebec Citadel (photo by Michel Gagnon/CUQ Communications).
 Battle of the Plains of AbrahamA View of the Taking of Quebec, 13 September 1759, published by Laurie and Whittle, 1759. The engraving shows the three stages of the battle: the British disembarking, scaling the cliff and the battle (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-1078).
Author
C.P. STACEY Revised: NORMAN HILLMER
Suggested Reading
C.P. Stacey, Quebec 1759: The Siege and the Battle (1959).
Links to Other Sites
Battle for a Continent
This CBC website focuses on the historic 18th century Battle of the Plains of Abraham in the city of Québec.
The Plains of Abraham
Explore the history of Quebec City’s Battlefields Park (at the Plains of Abraham) at this National Battlefields Commission website.
Montcalm, Louis-Joseph de, Marquis de Montcalm
A biography of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, Marquis de Montcalm from the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online."
Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall
Face to Face presents outstanding Canadians – men and women whose ideas and contributions have transformed this country. From the website for the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Glossary: Battle of the Plains of Abraham
A glossary of terminiology related to the siege of Québec and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Check this site for more information on this topic. From the Virtual Museum website "1759: From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham."
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