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HISTOIRE
8 régimens de ligne, 2 bataillons de fusiliers royal américains, les 3 compagnies de grenadiers de Louisbourg, 3 compagnies de chasseurs (rangers), une brigade de soldats du génie, formant en tout, y compris 1000 soldats de marine, 11,000 hommes environ.[1]
Le général Wolfe était un jeune officier plein de talens et brûlant du désir de se distinguer. Le duc de Bedford lui avait donné un
- ↑ Louisbourg, 19 mai 1759. — “ We are ordered to attack Quebec, a very nice operation. The fleet consists of 22 sails of the line and many frigates. The army is 9,000 men (in England it is called 12,000). We have 10 battalions, 3 companies
of grenadiers, some mariners (if the admiral can spare them), and six new-raised companies of north american rangers not complete and the worse soldiers in the universe ; a great train of artillery, plenty of provisions, tools and implements of all sorts ; the brigadiers under one all men of great spirit,
some colonels of reputation. Carleton for a Qr.-Mr.- General,
and upon whom I chiefly rely ; for the engineering part, engineers very indifferent and of little experience, but we have
none better. The regular troops in Canada consist of 8 battalions
of old foot, about a battalion or 40 companies of mariners
or colony troops, 40 men a company. They can gather
together 8 or 10 thousand Canadiens, and perhaps a thousand
Indians. As they are attacked on the side of Montreal by an
army of 12 thousand fighting men, they must necessarily divide
their force, but as the loss of the capital implies the loss
of the colony, their chief attention will naturally be there, and
therefore I reckon we may find at Quebec 6 battalions, some
companies of mariners, 4 or 5,000 Canadians and some Indians
all together not much inferior to their ennemy. The town of
Quebec is poorly, but the ground round about it is rocky. To
invest the place and cut off all communications with the colony
it will be necessary to encamp with our right to the river St.
Lawrence and our left to the river St. Charles.”
Note.— Le général Wolfe dit ici que son armée était de 9,000 hommes, chiffres ronds ; mais les ordonnances de paiement des troupes prouvent qu’elle était d’au moins 10,000 hommes, y compris les officiers, outre les soldats de marine.
