368 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



wound, early in the engagement. The extract is taken from an oflicial 

 account of the action addressed to the Right Honourable William Pitt, 

 Secretar)'- of State, on the 20th of September, 17o9, seven days after 

 the event. 



" The boats fell down with the tide, and landed on the north 

 " shore, within a league of Cape Diamond, an hour before day-break ; 

 " the rapidity of the tide of ebb carried them a little below the in- 

 " tended place of att<ack, which obliged the light infantry to scramble 

 " up a woody precipice in ordeï to secure the landing of the troops by 

 "dislodging a Captain's post, which defended the small entrenched 

 **path the troops were to ascend. After a little firing the light in- 

 "fantry gained the top of the precipice, and dispersed the Captain's 

 " post, by which means the troops, with a very little loss from a few 

 " Canadians and Indians in the wood, got up and were immediately 

 "formed. The boats as they emptied, werd sent back for the second 

 " embarkation, which I immediately made. Brigadier Murray, who had 

 " been detached with Anstruther's battalion to attack the four-gun 

 "batter}' upon the left, was recalled by the General, who now saw tlie 

 " French army crossing tlie River St. Charles. - 



" General "Wolfe thereupon began to form his line, having his 

 "right covered by the Louisbourg Grenadiers; on the right of these 

 " again he afterwards brought Otway's; to the left of the Grenadiers 

 " were Bragg's, Kennedy's, Lascelle's, Highlanders and Anstruther's ; 

 " the right of this body was commanded by Brigadier Monckton, and 

 " on the left by Brigadier Murray; the rear and the left were' protected 

 " by Colonel Howe's light infantry, who was returned from the f our- 

 " gun battery, before mentioned, which was soon abandoned to him. 

 " General Montcalm having collected the whole of his force from the 

 " Beauport side, and advancing, showed his intention to flank our left, 

 "where I was immediately ordered with General Amhefst's battalion, 

 "which I formed en potence. My numbers were soon increased by the 

 " arrival of the two battalions of Royal Americans, and Webb's was 

 " drawn up by the General, as a reserve, in eight sub-divisions, with 

 " large intervals. The enemy lined the bushes in their front with 

 " fifteen hundred Indians and Canadians, and I dare say, had placed 

 " most of their best marksmen there, who kept up a very galling, though 

 " irregular fire upon our whole line, who bore it with the greatest pati- 

 " ence and good order, reserving their fire for the main body, noAV ad- 

 " vancing. This fire of the enemy was, however, checked by our posts 

 " in front, which protected the forming of our own line. The right of 

 " the enemy was composed of half of the troops of the colony, the 



