James Wolfe and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham

"General Wolfe Climbing the heights of Abraham on the Morning of the Battle of Quebec”. Ink and Watercolour by R. Caton Woodville (1906)

The Battle of Quebec, alternatively known as the Battle of the Plains of Abraham commenced on September 13th 1759. It was part of the Seven Years War fought between the empires of France and Britain on North American soil.

Led by James Wolfe, who at 32 was the youngest general in the British Army, the British scored a decisive victory. The battle is notable for many reasons including the fact that both commanding generals of the opposing armies, Wolfe and the French Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm, died on the first day of fighting.

The British victory, part of what became the Annus Mirabilis, not only secured Quebec, it consolidated Britain’s domination of the area that later became the nation of Canada.

For some however, Wolfe’s death may not have been merely the demise of a young and talented general, but with hindsight, the loss of someone who would have had the wits and the guile to have outmanoeuvred the resourceful George Washington during his rebellion against the British crown in the colony of America.

© Adeyinka Makinde (2018)

Adeyinka Makinde is a writer based in London, England.