September 13, 1759 – British Defeat French at Quebec on the Plains of Abraham

Conflict between Great Britain and France broke out in 1754 when the British (via its American colonies) attacked disputed French positions in North America, starting with George Washington’s ambush of a small French force at the Battle of Jumonville Glen on May 28, 1754. The Americans called the ensuing conflict “The French and Indian War” but it was really more of a global war.

Map of the British and French settlements in North America in 1750, before the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763), that was part of the Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years’ War, as it became known overseas, involved every European great power of the time and spanned five continents, affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. Europe was split into two coalitions, led by Great Britain on one side and France on the other.

On this day in history, a pivotal battle was fought by the British Army and Navy against the French Army on a plateau just outside the walls of Quebec City, on land that was originally owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin, hence the name of the battle.

Old postcard showing the fortress “Citadel” of Quebec City on an inaccesible steep cliff with the plains of Abraham behind.

Although the French position looked impregnable, scouts told the British about a poorly guarded path up the steep cliffs and onto the plateau behind the fortress. British General James Wolfe took his 4,500 army and navy troops up the St. Lawrence River on the night of September 12th.

As Radio Canada’s history site tells the story, the British were aided by the “incredible luck that the French were expecting a floating convoy of relief supplies from Montreal further upstream.” Moreover, the British had an officer who spoke French and could answer challenges from the sentries. Thus the troops successfully glided past them in their boats.

The British then scaled incredibly steep cliffs up to the Plains of Abraham, surprising the French Army the next morning, who were defeated comprehensively. Some accounts say the battle lasted an hour with skirmishes for several more, while other accounts say the main conflict lasted only about 15 minutes. General Wolfe, however, was mortally wounded during the battle, as was the leader of the French forces, General Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm.

After the battle, the French evacuated the city. The decisive success of the British forces and the subsequent capture of Quebec City formed part of what became known as the “Annus Mirabilis” in Great Britain. Within four years, France ceded most of its possessions in eastern North America to Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris.

James Wolfe and Marquis de Montcalm sculpture in front of Parliament Building (Quebec)

Radio Canada reports:

The battle of Quebec signaled a major turning point in world history. From that point on, French influence and control in the continent was all but extinguished, and indeed diminished in other areas around the world. . . . [But] the British victors, in respect of the French military’s able defence in years of battle, decided to allow the citizenry to retain their language and Catholic religion, and civil laws. . . . . what is now the province of Quebec remains a mostly French-speaking region.”