Canada -- History -- Sources; Great Britain -- History -- Sources
marched towards the town by files till we came to the plains of
Abraham, an even piece of ground which Mr. Wolfe had made choice
of while we stood forming upon the hill. Weather showery: about
six o'clock the enemy first made their appearance upon the heights
between us and the town; whereupon we halted and wheeled to the
right, thereby forming the line of battle.... The enemy had now
likewise formed the line of battle, and got some cannon to play
on us with round and canister shot; but what galled us most was
a body of Indians and other marksmen they had concealed in the
corn opposite to the front of our right wing and a coppice that
stood opposite to our centre inclining towards our left; but
the Colonel Hale, by Brigadier Monckton's orders, advanced some
platoons alternately from the forty-seventh regiment, which after
a few rounds obliged these skulkers to retire: we were now ordered
to lie down, and remained some time in this position. About eight
o'clock we had two pieces of short brass six-pounders playing on
the enemy, which threw them into some confusion, and obliged them
to alter their disposition, and Montcalm formed them into three
large columns; about nine the two armies moved a little nearer each
other. The light cavalry made a faint attempt upon our parties at
the battery of Sillery, but were soon beat off, and Monsieur de
Bougainville with his troops from Cape Rouge came down to attack
the flank of our second line, hoping to penetrate there; but by
a masterly disposition of Brigadier Townshend they were forced
to desist, and the third battalion of Royal Americans was then
detached to the first ground we had formed on after we gained the
heights, to preserve the communication with the beach and our
boats. About ten o'clock the enemy began to advance briskly in
three columns with loud shouts and recovered arms, two of them
inclining to the left of our army and the third towards our right,
firing obliquely at the two extremities of our line from the
distance of one hundred and thirty until they came within forty
yards; which our troops withstood with the greatest intrepidity
and firmness, still reserving their fire and paying the strictest
obedience to their officers; this uncommon steadiness, together
with the havoc which the grape-shot from our field-pieces made
among them, threw them into some disorder and was most critically
maintained by a well-timed, regular, and heavy discharge of our
small arms, such as they could no longer oppose; hereupon they gave
way and fled with precipitation, so that by the time the cloud of
smoke was vanished our men were again loaded, and profiting by
the advantage we had over them pursued them almost to the gates
of the town and the bridge over the little river, redoubling our
fire with great eagerness, making many officers and men prisoners.
The weather cleared up, with a comfortably warm sunshine; the
Highlanders chased them vigorously towards Charles's river, and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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