Friday, April 8, 2011

George Washington's World - The Surrender of Quebec

This really about the surrender of Quebec, but there is some other things that happened to.

England had been wanting Fort Pitt and Quebec to be in their hands.  Fort Pitt was not named for William Pitt originally -it had been made by the French and so had a French name that I can't remember.

The English took over the Ohio land that they had been arguing about with the French.  The English set siege to a prominent French fort; the French finally gave in, but set fire to the fort as they fled.  The English rebuilt a new fort, and named in Fort Pitt after the Great Commoner, William Pitt.

The English were getting ready for the taking of Quebec.  The general which Pitt had selected to lead was James Wolfe, a daring, brave young man.  He waited for a night where there wasn't any moon, then silently muffling their oars, they rowed to a place where they could quietly climb up the cliffs.  (Quebec was on top of some steep cliffs with the river down below.)

Those in the General's boat could hear him quoting a poem,

"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day.  The lowing herd winds slowly over the lea.  The poughman homewards wends his weary way and leaves the world to darkness and to me."

"Gentleman," he said simply when he was finished, "I would rather have written that poem than have taken Quebec tomorrow."

They reached the top of the cliff before dawn broke.  The French, caught completely by surprise, did their best to fight, but they lost.  The fighting was so fierce but so short that the plains of Abraham, where the battle was fought, were stained with blood.  The two generals, Montcalm who was the general appointed for Quebec, and Wolfe both lay dying.



As Montcalm lay dying, he said, "Thank God I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec."

That was the end of the French and Indian war and Montcalm knew it!  The French had lost!

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