26 PITT'S PATRIOTISM. [1758. glow of patriotism that spread like infection through the country. "His noble figure, his flashing eye, his majestic voice, the fire and grandeur of his eloquence, gave him a sway over the House of Commons far greater than any other Minister possessed." "I know that I can save the country, and I know no other man can," he had said confidently. This was the man who now turned his eyes westwards and won for his country Canada,1 which is hers today. He saw that if the English colonies in America were to be saved from the French, the mother country must save them. He appealed to the very heart of England, and by his earnestness and eloquence he changed his despairing country into a state of enthusiasm and ardour. He now made plans for the American campaign of 1758. A blow should be struck at the French in America, at three separate points. The French forts of Duquesne and Ticonderoga were to be captured, while the great French naval station Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island, beyond Nova Scotia, was to be taken. It commanded the mouth of the river St Lawrence, and no English ships could reach the capital, Quebec. The genius of Pitt showed itself in his choice of the man selected for this difficult piece of work. James Wolfe, the future hero of Quebec, had fought at the battle of Dettingen when only six1 See Book V. chapter 5. 1727-1759.] JAMES WOLFE. 27 teen, and distinguished himself at Culloden Moor. He was now given supreme command of the expedition to the famous fortress of Louisburg, the key to Canada, which he was to conquer triumphantly. All England now thrilled with the coming struggle in America. The merchant at his desk, the captain on the deck of his ship, the colonel at the head of his regiment,-all felt the magic influence of William Pitt. All eyes were strained towards the backwoods of the wild West, where the drama was to be played out. Fort Duquesne was taken from the French, and to-day, on the same site, stands the city named after Pitt, Pittsburg, one of the largest towns in Pennsylvania. So Pitt had roused England to a sense of her danger and her responsibility, and helped her to rise to a greatness far surpassing the dreams of either Elizabeth or Cromwell. 7. THE FALL OF QUEBEC. "They have fallen Each in his field of glory. Wolfe upon the lap -COWPER. WOLFE left England late in February 1759, but the winds being contrary and the seas running 28 MARQUIS DE MONTCALM. [1712-1759. high, May had opened before the wild coast of Nova Scotia was dimly seen through whirling mists of fog. The Louisburg harbour was still choked with ice, and it was not till June that the advanced squadron of the fleet could begin the passage of the St Lawrence. Wolfe had never seen Quebec, the city he was sent out to capture; but he knew that Montcalm, the French general, had four times as many troops as he had, and he spared no pains to make his own troops as efficient as possible. "If valour can make amends for want of numbers, we shall succeed," he wrote to Pitt at home. Enthusiasm soon spread through the troops. "British colours on every French fort, post, and garrison in America," they cried, as they sailed cautiously along the lower reaches of the St Lawrence river towards their goal. It seemed incredible to the French in Canada that an English fleet should navigate its way through the difficult channels of the river St Lawrence; and they received the news that the English had landed on the shores of the Isle of Orleans with surprise and dismay. "Canada will be the grave of the British army," they said confidently; "and the walls of Quebec will be decorated with British heads." It was June 26 when the fleet anchored at the Isle of Orleans, and beheld for the first time the rock city of Quebec.1 The bravest British heart might well have quailed at the sight. High up 1 See Book III. chapter 29. 1759.] THE ENGLISH BEFORE QUEBEC. 29 against the western sky it stood, perched on its rocky throne. The rugged outline of batteries, bristling with cannon, seemed to frown defiance at the mere handful of Englishmen, now looking across the waters at it for the first time. "I will be master of Quebec if I stay here till the end of November," Wolfe had said. The task before him seemed wellnigh hopeless, yet his gallant heart never despaired. He would perform this last service if it were possible. He seized Point Levi, exactly opposite the city of Quebec. This gave him complete command of the river mouth. From here, too, his troops could fire across on to the city, and he might destroy it if he failed to capture it. Meantime Montcalm kept rigidly within the walls of Quebec. He knew that a hard Canadian winter, with its frost and snow, must compel Wolfe to retreat. So July came and went. Daring feats were performed on both sides, but Quebec remained uncaptured by the British forces. One day the French chained some seventy ships together, filled them with explosives, and set the whole on fire. Down the river, towards the English fleet, came this roaring mass of fire, until the courageous British sailors dashed down upon it and broke it into fragments. August arrived, with storms and cold. Fever took hold of Wolfe. Always frail in body, he lay 30 PREPARING FOR THE ATTACK. [1759. for a time between life and death, his "pale face haggard with lines of pain and anxiety." But he struggled back to life, and planned his great attack on Quebec. In one of his many expeditions he had discovered a tiny cove, now called Wolfe's Cove, five miles beyond Quebec. Here was a zigzag goat-path up the steep face of the towering cliff, which was over 250 feet high at this point. Wolfe had made up his mind. Up this mere track, in the blackness of the night, he resolved to lead his army to the attack on Quebec. He kept his plans to himself. The night arrived: it was September 12. "Officers and men will remember what their country expects of them," he cried, as he gave his troops the final orders. It was one of the most daring exploits in the world's history. At two o'clock at night the signal to start was given. From the Isle of Orleans, from Point Levi, the English boats stole out in the silence and darkness of the summer night. Wolfe himself was leading. As the boats rowed silently through the darkness on this desperate adventure, Wolfe repeated some lines recently written by the poet Gray,— "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, The paths of glory lead but to the grave." |