Canada -- Description and travel; Canada -- History -- To 1763 (New France); Indians of North America -- Canada
At earliest daylight Monckton embarked the rest of his brigade and
pushed across to the advance. The sound of musketry from the southern
shore soon stimulated the exertions of the rowers, and, as the scattered
shots breezed up into a skirmish, they used their utmost efforts to
increase their speed. The troops scarcely waited to form after landing,
but hastened on to the church where their comrades had passed the night.
There, however, they only met with a couple of wounded men; the Light
Infantry had speedily overpowered a detachment of colony troops, and
were still pressing hard upon their retreating footsteps through the
wood. The English brigadier found the banks of the river steep, the
country rugged and difficult: a few resolute men might have embarrassed
or baffled his expedition.
In the mean time the British light troops had arrested the pursuit at a
large farm-house at the foot of the hill which rises into the headland
of Point Levi; they deemed it prudent to secrete themselves there, lest
the enemy should return with re-enforcements before the succors arrived
from Orleans, and also because there was plenty of provisions, some
plunder, and a good fire. While the English soldiers were availing
themselves of these advantages, they were alarmed by hearing voices
close at hand: they seized their arms, searched the house and the
surrounding thickets without discovering any one. They at length
determined to fire the building and fall back upon the church. In a few
moments the farm-house was in a blaze. Then, to their horror, loud
shrieks of women and children burst from the burning ruins; they
hastened back, and used their best endeavors to save the sufferers, but
in vain; while they yet strove, the roof fell in with a crash, and all
was silent. The miserable victims had hidden themselves in a cellar at
the approach of the British troops. After this horrible incident the
Light Infantry fell back to Beaumont Church, where they found the whole
of Monckton's brigade assembled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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