14 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part II. 



QUEBEC TAKEN. 



ADVANCE OF GEN. AMHERST. 



ROGERS EXPEDITION. 



bravery of its inhabitants, and in a situa- 

 tion in which it could not be much injured 

 by a fleet, or be approached but with ex- 

 treme difficulty and hazard by land. As 

 soon as the season would permit, Wolfe 

 embarked his troops at Louisburjr, sailed 

 up the St. Lawrence and in the latter part 

 of June landed his whole army on the 

 island of Orleans a little below Quebec, 

 without difficulty or opposition. 



Queljec was commanded by Montcalm, 

 an able and experienced general ; and was 

 defended by works which were deemed 

 impregnable, and by an army much more 

 numerous than that of the English. Wolfe 

 continued his ottensive operations with- 

 out a prospect of success till the begin- 

 ning of September, when it was resolved, 

 if jiossible, to effect a landing above the 

 city, and brincr the enemy to a general 

 enirao-ement. The fleet, with the army 

 on board, moved up the river under Ad- 

 miral Saunders, and effected a landing on 

 the I2lli of September, a, little after mid- 

 night. Wolfe put himself at tlie head of 

 the first })arty, ascended the lieights, and 

 drew up his men in order as fast as they 

 arrived. 



Montcalm no sooner learned that the 

 British had gained the heights of Abra- 

 ham, than he abandoned his strong camp 

 at Montmorenci, resolved to hazard an 

 engagement. Both armies were soon 

 drawn up in order of battle with their re- 

 spective generals at their head. About !• 

 o'clock the French army advanced, open- 

 ing at the same time an irregular and ill 

 directed fire. The fire of the English was 

 reserved till the enemy had approached 

 within 40 yards of their line, when it was 

 opened with efl'ect and kept up with much 

 spirit. Both generals were determined to 

 conquer or die, and for a while the con- 

 flict was dreadful. But the English ad- 

 vanced with such firmness and intrepidi- 

 ty, that the French were unable to stand, 

 and were soon defeated and dispersed or 

 made prisoners. 



Wolfe and Montcalm both fell at the 

 head of their respective armies. The loss 

 of the French in this battle was 500 slain, 

 and about 1000 prisoners. The English 

 had 50 killed, including 9 officers, and 500 

 wounded. The French disheartened by 

 their losses, were thrown into great con- 

 fusion ; and on the 18th of September, the 

 remainder of the French troops and the 

 city of Quebec were surrendered into the 

 hands of the English, 



While these things were transacting at 

 Quebec, General Amherst was cautiously 

 advancing along lake Champlain. He 

 arrived in the vicinity of Ticonderoga in 

 the latter part of July, without opposition, 



and immediately began to make prepara- 

 tions for reducing tlie fortress by a regu- 

 lar siege. The enemy at first manifested 

 a disposition to make a resolute stand, but 

 soon dispaired of holding out against the 

 cautious advances of Amherst, and, on 

 the 27th of July, having dismantled tho 

 fortress, thc}^ abandoned it, and repaired 

 to Crown Point. 



The next day Amherst took possession 

 of the fort, and began immediately to re- 

 ])air and enlarge it, and to make prepara- 

 tions for proceeding against Crown Point. 

 He had scouting parties continually em- 

 ployed to watch the motions of the one., 

 my, one of which returned to the English 

 camp on the first of August with intelli- 

 gence that the French had abandoned 

 Crown Point also, and had gone down the 

 lake without destroying their works. A 

 body of rangers was immediately dispatch- 

 ed to take possession of the place, and on 

 the 4th the whole army moved forward to 

 Crown Point, where they commenced the 

 erection of a new and strong fortress. 



The French troops retired to the isle 

 Aux Noix, which is situated at the north 

 end of the lake, and eflectually commands 

 the passage into Canada in this quarter. 

 Here they collected their forces, to the 

 amount of 3500, well provided with artil- 

 lery, and resolved to make a stand against 

 the English. The French having four 

 vessels on the lake, mounted with can- 

 non, Amherst thought it not advisable to 

 proceed further, till he had provided a 

 superior naval force. In the mean time 

 he was determined that the Indians should 

 feel his resentment for their repeated dep- 

 redations upon the English colonies. 

 Maj. Rogers, a brave and experienced of- 

 ficer from New Hampshire, was therefore 

 selected to conduct an expedition against 

 the St. Francis Indians, whose village 

 was situated on the south side of the St. 

 Lawrence, not far from Three Rivers. 

 These Indians were noted for their mas- 

 sacres and cruelties to the English. 



Rogers embarked at Crown Point on 

 the 12th of September, with 200 men, and 

 proceeded down the lake in batteaux. On 

 the fifth day after he set out, while en- 

 camped on tho eastern shore of the lake, 

 a keg of gunpowder accidentally explod- 

 ed, by which a captain and several men 

 were wounded, who were sent back to 

 Crown Point, with a party to attend them. 

 This event reduced Pvogers' force to 142 

 men. With these he moved forward to 

 Missisco bay, where he concealed his 

 boats among some bushes which hung 

 over one of Ihe streams, and left in thein 

 provisions sufficient to carry them back 

 to Crown Point. 



