130 COLLISION OF THE RIVAL COLONIES. [1759. 



Canadian house, where he had fixed his head- 

 quarters, that he embraced the plan of the enter- 

 prise which robbed him of Hfe, and gave him 

 immortal fame. 



This plan had been first proposed during the 

 height of Wolfe's illness, at a council of his subor- 

 dinate generals, Monkton, Townshend, and Murray. 

 It was resolved to divide the little army ; and, while 

 one portion remained before Quebec to alarm the 

 enemy by false attacks, and distract their attention 

 from the scene of actual operation, the other was 

 to pass above the town, land under cover of dark- 

 ness on the northern shore, climb the guarded 

 heights, gain the plains above, and force Montcalm 

 to quit his vantage-ground, and perhaps to offer 

 battle. The scheme was daring even to rashness ; 

 but its audacity was the secret of its success. 



Early in September, a crowd of ships and trans- 

 ports, under Admiral Holmes, passed the city 

 under the hot fire of its batteries ; while the 

 troops designed for the expedition, amounting to 

 scarcely five thousand, marched upward along the 

 southern bank, beyond reach of the cannonade. 

 All were then embarked ; and on the evening of 

 the twelfth, Holmes's fleet, with the troops on 

 board, lay safe at anchor in the river, several 

 leagues above the town. These operations had 

 not failed to awaken the suspicions of Montcalm ; 

 and he had detached M. Bougainville to watch the 

 movements of the English, and prevent their land- 

 ing on the northern shore. 



The eventful night of the twelfth was clear and 



