CHAPTER VII.

THE DAWN OF VICTORY

THE land occupying that part of the Heights of Quebec immediately above the landing place of Wolfe's army is now appropriately known by the name of Wolfesfield, and forms a part of the beautiful estate of the Price family. Upon the comparatively level ground, from 250 to 300 feet above the surface of the river, whence a declivity slopes away to the crest of the precipice, the English forces were first formed up after scaling the cliff. There had already occured on these heights a gallant little episode, which, although it was contemporaneous with the ascent of the rock, finds fitting relation here.

It will be remembered that Wolfe had knowledge of the existence of a captain's post at the head of the zig-zag path a few hundred feet west of the point at which his army gained the heights, because of which it had become necessary for him to send up his pioneers by a much more difficult and more circuitous route, and that their orders were to surprise and capture the French post from the rear. This advance guard, which consisted of the twenty-four volunteers and three first companies of Light Infantry, performed their allotted task with the utmost zeal, courage

and fidelity. The successful manner in which they surprised the post was largely due to the coolness and bravery of a very gallant officer,-Captain Donald McDonald, who upon meeting with a sentry, accosted him in French with great presence of mind, telling him he had been sent there with a large command, to take post, and desiring him to go with all speed to his guard, and to call off all the other men of his party who were ranged along the hill, since he would take good care to give a proper account of theEnglish if they made an attack there. At this time it was quite dark: it was in fact the hour before the dawn. This ruse undoubtedly gained the invaders some time, and as one of those describing it that day, remarked, "saved us many lives." By the time that the suspicions of the guard were fully aroused, the volunteers and the remaining men of the first three companies of Light Infantry were so close to them that they had only time to fire once and to attempt an escape. The British briskly returned their fire, which wounded Vergor, the captain in charge of the post, and scattered his men, who escaped into a field of Indian corn, with the exception of one man who was taken prisoner.

The advance guard had been instructed, before engaging Vergor's post from the rear, to signal the remainder of the Light Infantry to come to their assistance by attacking it in front, from the direction of the intrenched path. Events moved so rapidly and so successfully with the assailants, however, from the moment that they attained the heights, that they had no need of support, and Major Moncrief, whose valuable journal contains the order given them,

adds to it "but after a little firing, that picket was dispersed by these three companies only."

Just at this time it was the turn of the invaders to experience a surprise. A body of men were seen making their way towards them, as though to cut them off from the rest of the army. It was still so dark that they could neither distinguish their appearance nor their numbers. Prepared as they were for surprises of any kind, in an undertaking so daring as that in which they were engaged, there was no indication of anything approaching to a panic, but on the contrary, the same stout resolve which had animated them in their ascent of the precipice, to sell their lives as dearly as possible, but on no consideration whatever to permit themselves to fall alive into the hands of the enemy. With the accustomed regularity which characterized their movements, they immediately threw themselves into a posture of defence. There was the necessary discipline and coolness that was to have been expected of them, and this, of course, prevented them from firing until quite sure whom they were engaging. So two of them advanced, and as soon as they came close enough, challenged; when, to their inexpressible joy and satisfaction, they were answered in the broad Anglo-Saxon peculiar to the residents of Northern Britain, and learned that the new-comers were Captain Fraser and his detachment of Highlanders. A few Grenadiers had also early pressed their way to the summit of the cliff, and the entire party followed the fleeing guards of Vergor's post, who were still lurking in the adjoining field. The fugitives fled before them, and being vigorously pursued, their lieutenant, his

ww

drummer, and several of the men were taken prisoners. The remainder escaped from the field, passing through the bushes which surmount the cliff, and endeavoured to reach the shelter of the town.

General Wolfe was now in possession of a number of prisoners, from whom he was able to obtain information in regard to the enemy. He also had a clear and undisputed footway for the ascent of the remainder of his troops, as well as uncontested occupation of ground for drawing up his army. The appearance of the advance guard of the Light Infantry seems to have created quite a panic in the captain's post; and the feeble character of the resistance offered by it, or rather, the absence of any reasonable defence at all, attracted comment in both the English and French camps.

A soldier who claims to have been among the first to scale the cliff that eventful morning, writes :-" The opposition made by the guard stationed at the debouchere, or outlet of this important pass, does not deserve to be dignified with that epithet. Had they been disposed to show fight, we should undoubtedly have driven them from the intrenchment, but it would only have been after a serious loss of men. Before five minutes had elapsed from that upon which I set my foot upon the green sward, we were in possession of the works. Happily for my individual safety the little of their wrath which eventually did show itself, was reserved until 20 grenadiers stood on the same platform as myself. Then without waiting for reinforcements, we attacked and dislodged the guard who hardly made any opposition to boast of."

A French officer who kept a journal of the siege of Quebec, in reporting the attack upon Vergor's post, remarks "Our soldiers, thus surprised, scarcely entered into action, but abandoned their post and fled."

In consequence of the small show of resistance offered at this post, and also because of the manner in which those in charge of it suffered themselves to be surprised, some have gone so far as to charge treachery against Vergor. The fact is in their favour that this is not the first occasion upon which such an accusation was made. Some years earlier, it was alleged that he had capitulated at Beausejour without sufficient reason, and though the fort would doubtless have held out much longer if Commandant Vergor had been as good a combatant as LeLoutre, the Canadian priest, who was one of the besieged, yet treachery was never proved against him, and he was honored with an important command in the army at Quebec. His friend Bigot wrote a glowing account of the zeal displayed by him when wounded in defence of his post on the 13th of September, 1759, but fails to offer any excuse for the manner in which he permitted himself to be surprised on that eventful day. The supposition is that Vergor and most of his men were sleeping when the English advance guard came upon them. Wolfe's information, when he planned the landing at this point was that the post was very negligently guarded, and M. de Foligne, a French naval officer, who commanded one of the principal forts of Quebec during the siege, seems to corroborate this, when he states that Vergor had been placed at this post as a simple matter of a precaution in case of an attack, which