A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861Wrong, George McKinnon
History
A Canadian Manor and Its Seigneurs: The Story of a Hundred Years, 1761-1861
Wrong, George McKinnon
La Malbaie (Québec); Nairne family; Nairne, John, -1802
again, when the 58th Regiment with the 2nd Battalion of Royal Americans
having come up to our assistance, all three making about five hundred
men, advanced against the Enemy and drove them first down to the great
meadow between the Hospital and town and afterwards over the River St.
Charles. It was at this time and while in the bushes that our Regiment
suffered most: Lieutenant Roderick, Mr. Neill of Bana, and Alexander
McDonell, and John McDonell, and John McPherson, volunteer, with many of
our men, were killed before we were reinforced; and Captain Thomas Ross
having gone down with about one hundred men of the 3rd Regiment to the
meadow, after the Enemy, when they were out of reach, ordered me up to
desire those on the height would wait till he would come up and join
them, which I did, but before Mr. Ross could get up, he unfortunately
was mortally wounded in the body, by a cannon ball from the hulks, in
the mouth of the River St. Charles, of which he died in great torment,
but with great resolution, in about two hours thereafter.
"In the afternoon, Mons. Bougainville, with the French Grenadiers and
some Canadians, to the number of two thousand who had been detached to
oppose our landing at Cap Rouge, appeared between our rear and the
village St. Foy, formed in a line as if he intended to attack us; but
the 48th Regiment with the Light Infantry and 3rd Battalion Royal
Americans being ordered against him, with some field pieces, they fired
a few cannon shot at him when he thought proper to retire.
"Thus ended the battle of Quebec, the first regular engagement that we
... fought in North America, which has made the king of Great Britain
master of the capital of Canada, and it is hoped ere long will be the
means of subjecting the whole country to the British Dominion; and if
so, this has been a greater acquisition to the British Empire than all
that England has acquired by Conquest since it was a nation, if I may
except the conquest of Ireland, in the reign of Henry the 2nd.
"The Enemy's numbers I have never been able to get an exact account of.
We imagined them seven or eight thousand: this has been disputed since.
However, I am certain they were greatly superior to us in numbers, as
their line was equal to ours in length, tho' they were in some places
nine deep, whereas ours was no more than three deep. Add to this, their
advanced parties and those in the bushes, on all hands, I think they
must exceed five thousand.
"Our strength at the utmost did not exceed the thousand men in the line,
exclusive of the 15th Regiment and 2nd Battalion Royal Americans, who
were drawn up on our left, fronting the River St. Charles, with the 3rd
Battalion Royal Americans and Light Infantry in the rear, and the 48th
Regiment, who were drawn up between our main body and the Light Infantry
as a Corps of Reserve. So that I am pretty certain our numbers did not
exceed four thousand men, the Regiments being very weak, most of them
under three hundred men each.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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