[DorcnTY] BATTLE OF THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM S7S 



" fantry up the hill. There was a few tents and a picket of the French 

 " on the top of the hill, whom the light infantry engaged, and took 

 " some of their officers and men prisoners. The m'ain body of our army 

 " soon got to the upper ground after climbing a hill or rather a preci- 

 " pice, of about three hundred yards, very steep and covered with wood 

 "and brush. We had several skirmishes with the Canadians and sav- 

 "ages, till about ten o'clock, when the army formed in line of battle, 

 " having the great River St. Lawrence on the right with the precipice 

 " which we mounted in the morning ; on the leit a few houses and at 

 " some distance the low ground and wood above the General Hospital 

 " with the River St. Charles; in front the town of Quebec, about a miie 

 " distant; in the rear, a wood occupied by the light infantry (who by 

 "this time had taken possession of the French four-gun battery) and 

 " the third battalion of the Royal Americans. In the space between 

 "which last and the main body, the Forty-eighth was drawn up as a 

 " body of reserve. The army was ordered to march on slowly in line of 

 " battle, and halt several times, till about half an hour after ten, when 

 " the French began to appear in great numbers on the rising ground 

 " between us and the town, and having advanced several parties to 

 " skirmish with us; we did the like. They then got two iron field 

 " pieces to play against our line. Before eleven o'clock we got one 

 " brass field piece up the hill, which being placed in the proper interval 

 " began to play very smartly on the enemy while forming on the little 

 " eminence. 



" Their advanced parties continued to annoy us and wounded a 

 "great many men. About this time we observed the enemy formed, 

 " having a bush of short brush wood on their right, which straightened 

 " them in room, and obliged them to form in columns. About eleven 

 " o'clock the French army advanced in columns till they got past the 

 " bush of wood into the plain, when they endeavoured to form in line 

 " of battle, but being galled by our artillery, which consisted of only 

 " one field piece, very well served, we observed them in some confusion. 

 " However, they advanced at a brisk pace till within about thirty or 

 " forty yards of our front, when they gave us the first fire, which did 

 " little execution. We returned it, and continued firing very hot for 

 "about six, or (as some say) eight minutes, when the fire slackening, 

 "and the smoke of the powder vanishing^ we observed the main body 

 " of the enemy retreating towards the town, and the rest towards 

 "the River St. Charles. Our regiments weTe then ordered by Briga- 

 " dier Murray to draw their swords and pursue them; which I dare say 

 "increased their panic but saved many of their lives, whereas, if the 



