Snow swirled furiously around the fortified walls of Quebec on that fateful night. It was New Year’s Eve – December 31, 1775 – and the Red Coats who defended the city were on the lookout for American troops. They knew the Americans were out there somewhere – the city of Montreal had already fallen to the Americans only a month earlier. But for now, the British troops in the citadel of Quebec couldn’t see anything beyond the blizzard. And that is exactly why the Americans chose that moment to strike..Of all the days in the American War for Independence, that snowy New Year’s Eve stands out as a pivotal moment in the overlapping histories of Canada and the United States. If the events of that day had gone differently, Canada as we know it might not exist today..How poetic that the fate of Canada would yet again be decided on that same field outside the old citadel, the Plains of Abraham. Only sixteen years earlier (1759) this battlefield had seen the final blow in Britain’s conquest of New France. Now, during the American Revolution, it would play host to a new crucial contest. Perhaps we should begin to think of this night as the Battle of the Plains of Abraham II..To the American mind at the time, it seemed natural that the Quebecois would join their fight against the British Empire. After all, the British Conquest of Quebec was a relatively fresh wound. Since that time, the French-Canadians had lived under the rule of their historic enemy. Quebec would surely jump at the opportunity to throw off the yoke of their British oppressors. Many Americans expected the French-Canadians would greet their army as liberators. .Before the outbreak of war, the Americans wrote a series of letters to Quebec, asking them to join in solidarity against Britain: “The injuries of Boston have roused and associated every colony, from Nova-Scotia to Georgia. Your province is the only link wanting, to complete the bright and strong chain of union.”.Later – during the American occupation of Montreal – the Americans distributed propaganda flyers promising that they were fighting for “your liberty, your honour, and your happiness.”.In hindsight, one wonders how many times that old American pick-up line about being “liberators” has actually worked. It certainly didn’t work on Quebec. Whatever hope the Americans had of convincing the French-Canadians to toss away the Union Jack and join their revolution, such hopes were dashed throughout the winter of 1775-76. Even before the fateful Second Battle of the Plains of Abraham, there were already clear signs that the Quebecois were just not interested in America’s bold advances..The first challenge was religious. The Quebecois were French-Catholics and the Americans were overwhelmingly Anglo-Protestants. Sure, the British were Anglo-Protestant too, but by the 1770s they had learned a thing or two about how to treat a papist right. They guaranteed Catholic freedom of religion, including the collection of tithes for the church. They also allowed Catholics to hold government positions, which was not allowed in other parts of the British Empire at the time..By contrast, the American soldiers who marched into Quebec in 1775 had little respect for the Catholic religion. Some American soldiers even desecrated Catholic shrines and churches. The local clergy soon learned to distrust the occupying army, and warned their parishioners to do the same..The second challenge was logistical. How do you feed a thousand soldiers occupying a foreign city over several hard winter months? You either bring your own food or you take it from locals. The American soldiers seized the supplies they needed, understandably leading to further local resentment..The British wooing of Quebec at this time was clear from the Quebec Act of 1774. The act dramatically expanded the size of the colony: to the east it included Labrador, and to the west and southwest it covered parts of present-day Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. This move benefited Montreal’s fur-trading industry and shut out American ambitions for westward expansion..The Americans listed the Quebec Act among the “Intolerable Acts” imposed by Britain, alongside acts which put Massachusetts under military rule and allowed the seizing of colonists’ property for British soldiers. The Americans would surely overturn the Quebec Act as soon as they won the war. With both sides’ intentions clear, Quebec’s elites naturally preferred British victory in the war..That brings us back to New Year’s Eve 1775. The American side was led by two officers, Benedict Arnold (who would later – and infamously – defect to the British) and Richard Montgomery. Their combined force had only about 1,200 troops. The British side numbered about 1,800 and they also had the advantage of heavy artillery and shelter behind the fortified walls of Quebec City..The American attempt to take the city was a disaster from the start. They launched a two-pronged attack, with Montgomery’s forces attacking the south of the city, and Arnold’s troops attacking the north. The snowstorm at first gave them the element of surprise, but it soon proved to be more trouble than it was worth. Without cover, the Americans’ guns were fully exposed to the snow, which risked dampening their gunpowder. To make up for the poor visibility, some Americans lit lanterns which only made them walking targets. .On the south side, the British noticed the American lanterns. They waited until the Americans were at close range before opening fire. General Montgomery was killed in the barrage, causing many of his men to panic and retreat. .On the north side, Arnold started his assault after the British were already alerted to their presence. Arnold’s troops faced a barrage of musket fire, but they finally managed to enter the city gates. During the breach, Arnold’s leg was hit and he had to fall back. Arnold’s company was quickly taken over by Daniel Morgan, who led them further into the city where they had planned to meet up with Montgomery’s troops. Of course, Montgomery never made it that far, and Morgan’s men were left completely alone. A street fight ensued for several hours, but Morgan’s men were vastly outnumbered and surrounded. They eventually surrendered at 9 a.m. the following morning, and 400 American soldiers were taken prisoner..Meanwhile in Montreal, American soldiers continued to occupy that city for several more months until British reinforcements sailed down the St. Lawrence in May 1776. Vastly outnumbered, the Americans fled to the south and their Quebec campaign was over..By the time the Americans launched their surprise attack on the Plains of Abraham, they had already failed to win the hearts and minds of the Quebecois. The British had promised them the moon and won the cooperation of Quebec elites. The Americans’ crushing military defeat during Plains of Abraham II ultimately put a nail in the coffin of their ambitions for Quebec to join the revolution. Although the Americans would go on to win the independence of 13 colonies, Quebec would not be among them..Most people have never heard of this critical battle, possibly because all sides would rather forget about it. For the Americans, it was an embarrassing early defeat that fits awkwardly with the patriotic narrative of their successful revolution. For the British, the victory was overshadowed by their devastating loss of the 13 Colonies. For Quebecois nationalists who decry Anglo rule, it may be an embarrassment to remember that when faced with the choice to throw off the Union Jack or keep it, Quebec chose to keep it..Still, the long-term consequences of this battle cannot be overlooked. The fact that the British kept Quebec meant that they would continue to have a strong presence in the heart of North America despite ultimately losing the American War for Independence. From that foothold they could rebuild their English population north of the St. Lawrence and in the Maritimes, starting with the Loyalist Migrations of 1780s. Without that British imperial presence in North America, the state of Canada as we know it simply could not exist today..And it all took place one snowy night on that little patch of land on the banks of the St. Lawrence. As it did sixteen years earlier, the Plains of Abraham once again determined the fate of empires, nations, and the future of North America..James Forbes is the Western Heritage Columnist for the Western Standard
Snow swirled furiously around the fortified walls of Quebec on that fateful night. It was New Year’s Eve – December 31, 1775 – and the Red Coats who defended the city were on the lookout for American troops. They knew the Americans were out there somewhere – the city of Montreal had already fallen to the Americans only a month earlier. But for now, the British troops in the citadel of Quebec couldn’t see anything beyond the blizzard. And that is exactly why the Americans chose that moment to strike..Of all the days in the American War for Independence, that snowy New Year’s Eve stands out as a pivotal moment in the overlapping histories of Canada and the United States. If the events of that day had gone differently, Canada as we know it might not exist today..How poetic that the fate of Canada would yet again be decided on that same field outside the old citadel, the Plains of Abraham. Only sixteen years earlier (1759) this battlefield had seen the final blow in Britain’s conquest of New France. Now, during the American Revolution, it would play host to a new crucial contest. Perhaps we should begin to think of this night as the Battle of the Plains of Abraham II..To the American mind at the time, it seemed natural that the Quebecois would join their fight against the British Empire. After all, the British Conquest of Quebec was a relatively fresh wound. Since that time, the French-Canadians had lived under the rule of their historic enemy. Quebec would surely jump at the opportunity to throw off the yoke of their British oppressors. Many Americans expected the French-Canadians would greet their army as liberators. .Before the outbreak of war, the Americans wrote a series of letters to Quebec, asking them to join in solidarity against Britain: “The injuries of Boston have roused and associated every colony, from Nova-Scotia to Georgia. Your province is the only link wanting, to complete the bright and strong chain of union.”.Later – during the American occupation of Montreal – the Americans distributed propaganda flyers promising that they were fighting for “your liberty, your honour, and your happiness.”.In hindsight, one wonders how many times that old American pick-up line about being “liberators” has actually worked. It certainly didn’t work on Quebec. Whatever hope the Americans had of convincing the French-Canadians to toss away the Union Jack and join their revolution, such hopes were dashed throughout the winter of 1775-76. Even before the fateful Second Battle of the Plains of Abraham, there were already clear signs that the Quebecois were just not interested in America’s bold advances..The first challenge was religious. The Quebecois were French-Catholics and the Americans were overwhelmingly Anglo-Protestants. Sure, the British were Anglo-Protestant too, but by the 1770s they had learned a thing or two about how to treat a papist right. They guaranteed Catholic freedom of religion, including the collection of tithes for the church. They also allowed Catholics to hold government positions, which was not allowed in other parts of the British Empire at the time..By contrast, the American soldiers who marched into Quebec in 1775 had little respect for the Catholic religion. Some American soldiers even desecrated Catholic shrines and churches. The local clergy soon learned to distrust the occupying army, and warned their parishioners to do the same..The second challenge was logistical. How do you feed a thousand soldiers occupying a foreign city over several hard winter months? You either bring your own food or you take it from locals. The American soldiers seized the supplies they needed, understandably leading to further local resentment..The British wooing of Quebec at this time was clear from the Quebec Act of 1774. The act dramatically expanded the size of the colony: to the east it included Labrador, and to the west and southwest it covered parts of present-day Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. This move benefited Montreal’s fur-trading industry and shut out American ambitions for westward expansion..The Americans listed the Quebec Act among the “Intolerable Acts” imposed by Britain, alongside acts which put Massachusetts under military rule and allowed the seizing of colonists’ property for British soldiers. The Americans would surely overturn the Quebec Act as soon as they won the war. With both sides’ intentions clear, Quebec’s elites naturally preferred British victory in the war..That brings us back to New Year’s Eve 1775. The American side was led by two officers, Benedict Arnold (who would later – and infamously – defect to the British) and Richard Montgomery. Their combined force had only about 1,200 troops. The British side numbered about 1,800 and they also had the advantage of heavy artillery and shelter behind the fortified walls of Quebec City..The American attempt to take the city was a disaster from the start. They launched a two-pronged attack, with Montgomery’s forces attacking the south of the city, and Arnold’s troops attacking the north. The snowstorm at first gave them the element of surprise, but it soon proved to be more trouble than it was worth. Without cover, the Americans’ guns were fully exposed to the snow, which risked dampening their gunpowder. To make up for the poor visibility, some Americans lit lanterns which only made them walking targets. .On the south side, the British noticed the American lanterns. They waited until the Americans were at close range before opening fire. General Montgomery was killed in the barrage, causing many of his men to panic and retreat. .On the north side, Arnold started his assault after the British were already alerted to their presence. Arnold’s troops faced a barrage of musket fire, but they finally managed to enter the city gates. During the breach, Arnold’s leg was hit and he had to fall back. Arnold’s company was quickly taken over by Daniel Morgan, who led them further into the city where they had planned to meet up with Montgomery’s troops. Of course, Montgomery never made it that far, and Morgan’s men were left completely alone. A street fight ensued for several hours, but Morgan’s men were vastly outnumbered and surrounded. They eventually surrendered at 9 a.m. the following morning, and 400 American soldiers were taken prisoner..Meanwhile in Montreal, American soldiers continued to occupy that city for several more months until British reinforcements sailed down the St. Lawrence in May 1776. Vastly outnumbered, the Americans fled to the south and their Quebec campaign was over..By the time the Americans launched their surprise attack on the Plains of Abraham, they had already failed to win the hearts and minds of the Quebecois. The British had promised them the moon and won the cooperation of Quebec elites. The Americans’ crushing military defeat during Plains of Abraham II ultimately put a nail in the coffin of their ambitions for Quebec to join the revolution. Although the Americans would go on to win the independence of 13 colonies, Quebec would not be among them..Most people have never heard of this critical battle, possibly because all sides would rather forget about it. For the Americans, it was an embarrassing early defeat that fits awkwardly with the patriotic narrative of their successful revolution. For the British, the victory was overshadowed by their devastating loss of the 13 Colonies. For Quebecois nationalists who decry Anglo rule, it may be an embarrassment to remember that when faced with the choice to throw off the Union Jack or keep it, Quebec chose to keep it..Still, the long-term consequences of this battle cannot be overlooked. The fact that the British kept Quebec meant that they would continue to have a strong presence in the heart of North America despite ultimately losing the American War for Independence. From that foothold they could rebuild their English population north of the St. Lawrence and in the Maritimes, starting with the Loyalist Migrations of 1780s. Without that British imperial presence in North America, the state of Canada as we know it simply could not exist today..And it all took place one snowy night on that little patch of land on the banks of the St. Lawrence. As it did sixteen years earlier, the Plains of Abraham once again determined the fate of empires, nations, and the future of North America..James Forbes is the Western Heritage Columnist for the Western Standard
