The Fall of New France
Characters, the political and military situations of each country, and the aftermath
Pierre de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
O __________ years old in 1759
O First ______________________________man to hold this position
O Passionate in his defense of ____________________
O ____________________ with Montcalm about everything – felt Montcalm is ____________________
O Prefers the “Indian-style” ____________________ tactics
O What are “guerilla” tactics?
Louis-Joseph, Le Marquis de Montcalm
O ____________________ years old in 1759
O French aristocrat – described as ____________________, dogmatic (____________________,
____________________) and ____________________
O Thought Vaudreuil was “____________________” and plotted to have him ____________________ so
he could take over his position.
O If he couldn’t be governor, he wanted to ________________________________________as soon as
possible
O Defeatist – didn’t see how Quebec could be ____________________. Planned to retreat to
____________________ and leave the settlers to the enemy.
O Preferred ____________________ tactics – he had used them to great victories at Fort Oswego and Fort
William Henry (French Indian Wars)
O Describe a European-Style battle.
Major-General James Wolfe
O ____________________ years old in 1759
O Came up through the ranks (____________________), unlike his generals who
________________________________________
O His generals ____________________ him greatly – he got command because of his leadership in the
battle for ____________________. As a result, his generals described him as
____________________and ______________________________________________________
O Had a ____________________ streak – especially toward the ____________________
O Why did he hate the French especially?
O
In ____________________, after being ordered to destroy the ____________________ villages, he
ordered, “all be burned”.
O
As for Quebec he wrote, “If for some reason we come to the conclusion that we have very little chance
of conquering Quebec, I propose to bombard the city, destroy the crops, houses and animals, expedite
as many Canadians as possible to Europe and leave behind me nothing but hunger and desolation…”
Military Situation – New France
O Montcalm had ____________________soldiers (regular and militia) at his disposal
O What is the difference between regular and militia soldiers?
O
O
____________________ supply ships had been blocked by the ____________________
A population of ____________________Canadians to draw from
Military Situation – British
O ____________________ships, ____________________regular soldiers, ____________________militia
(from the Thirteen Colonies) and marines (sailors trained as soldiers).
O Could draw from a population of ____________________ (Thirteen Colonies)
O Had already taken Fort Louisburg in 1758
Political Situation – New France
O The Bishop of New France (Mgr. de Pontraind) and Governor Vaudreuil wrote to King Louis XV to
____________________________________________________________
O _______________________________________, the king’s mistress advised ________________
sending any more troops
O Montclam and Vaudreuil ____________________ about everything, including how to
____________________ the region
O Montcalm, a hero of the French Indian Wars wanted to fight a ____________________ war – avoid
________________________________________
O Vaudreuil was more ____________________ – wanted to attack the English
____________________________________________________________
Political Situation – British
O Were ____________________ the Seven Years War in France
O Decided to take all of North America – hoped to ____________________the French into
____________________ the colony, ________________________________________ in Europe
O Sent ____________________ of their entire fleet to accomplish the task
O Wolfe was ____________________ for victory
O Suffered from some sort of ____________________ (needed treatment)
O Wanted to ____________________, but his father had left him no ____________________
O Needed a “____________________” or a____________________ from the king so as not to be
a burden on anyone else
O __________________________________________________________________
Summer, 1759
O British ships sail up the ________________________________________
O
O
O
O
O
O
Convoy stretches ____________________ miles down the river
British ____________________ 2 French-Canadian pilots and force them to
____________________ the fleet down the river
British establish a ________________________________________ on Ile d’Orleans
British take the ________________________________________of the river – Pointe Levis
O Establish ____________________ across the river from Quebec
June 28 – French response to British invasion force – send “____________________” at the fleet
(unsuccessful)
Describe the “fire ships” tactic.
O
____________________– Siege begins – British begin bombarding Fort Quebec
O ____________________cannonballs hit the city
O Fort ____________________destroyed
O Most civilians leave the city – flee to an ____________________ north of the city
O One French officer declared, “We do not doubt that you will destroy the town, but we are
determined that you shall never set foot within its walls.”
O Montcalm ____________________ to send his army to engage the British, so Wolfe presses the
matter – decides to make ________________________________________
O July 31 – ____________________ British soldiers attack ____________________ and
____________________ (same tactic that won him fame at Fort Louisbourg)
O Well-entrenched French crush the British attack
(________________________________________)
O Wolfe is ____________________ by the defeat – decides to leave his mark by burning the
countryside (_________ villages and more than _________farms burned), taking no prisoners
O Why would Wolfe have been particularly humiliated by this defeat?
O
September – Wolfe needs to make one last, desperate attempt to engage in a final
________________________________________
O ____________________ will set in soon, the fleet needs to leave the river soon or it will be
____________________in freezing ice
O If he fails now, he is ____________________to return the following year, and unlikely to be
appointed
O Fears ____________________________________________________________
Wolfe’s ____________________ pressure him into planning one last attack near
____________________t – plan to land ____________________men 30 miles north of Quebec
O ________________________________________the launch and Wolfe changes his mind
____________________– Wolfe ____________________ his troops past the French at Quebec, lands
____________________ just south of Quebec at _________________________________
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Men ________________________________________all night using a goat path; big ships move
toward Beauport as a ____________________
O Wolfe is trying to ____________________ Montcalm into a European-style battle (Montcalm’s
preferred method)
O Wolfe has placed himself in a very ____________________– ____________________ on one
side, ____________________ on the other, ________________________________ to the west
and Montcalm’s ____________________ at Beauport to the east
Montcalm ________________________________________and meets Wolfe with the garrison of
Quebec (4,000), deciding ________________________________________for the 5,000 men at
Beauport (________________________________________) or 2,000 men under Bougainville
(________________________________________) – unsure if this is the main attack (seems unlikely as it
is so reckless), or if it is a ____________________ for another attack on Beauport
British army establishes a ____________________ line facing the fort (a triple line is usual, but Wolfe
wants the ____________________ advantage – the French will be confronted with a line of red coats a
mile wide)
The Canadiens and Natives ____________________ the British from the bushes with
____________________ fire – gives Montcalm time to mobilize
British ordered to load ________________________________________
O Why would they give this order?
10:00 AM – French advance, fire two relatively ____________________ volleys before they were in
good range (40+ feet) – ____________________, ____________________
British return fire and advance for ________________________________________combat
French ____________________ back toward Quebec
____________________ lead the way (“flying devils chasing us”)
Canadiens and Natives cover the ____________________ French
Both Montcalm and Wolfe ________________________________________during the battle: Wolfe
dies a few moments after hearing that the ________________________________________, Montcalm
dies a day later knowing he has
____________________________________________________________)
Actual battle only lasts about ____________________ minutes
____________________soldiers died (a relatively even number on both sides)
Spring, 1760
O The French spend the winter in Montreal, ____________________ for an attempt to
____________________ Fort Quebec
O Both sides are ____________________ (no firewood, no fuel) and ____________________ (the British
burned all the crops the year before)
O Early spring – French attack the British at Fort Quebec. ____________________ armies,
____________________ territory
O Battle lasts ________________________________________, going back and forth (a windmill changes
hands five times)
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
British ____________________ to the fortress
French ____________________ Quebec – they are each hostage to the other
The winner of the stalemate will be determined by which country is first able to send
____________________ and ____________________
Roughly __________________________________later a ship appears on the river –
____________________– they want to see whose flag is flying over the fortress before they reveal
themselves
Upon seeing the British flag over the fort, the ship unfurls its flag – ____________________
French are forced to retreat to ____________________
French ________________________________________rather than be forced to surrender them to the
British
French ____________________, British now ____________________ almost all of North America
Major problem for the British – ____________________French Catholics are now citizens of the
Protestant British Empire
Reasons French Lost New France
O Geography – ________________________________________to the colony via the St. Lawrence River –
vulnerable to ____________________
O Economy of New France had been ____________________ – resulting in a small, dependent population
O Size of the colony, coupled with the low population meant that there were
____________________people to defend a ____________________ territory
O Montcalm and Vaudreuil could not agree on ____________________ – if they had worked together the
outcome may have been different
O Government officials were ____________________ – made huge profits on necessary wartime supplies
O Montcalm made several ____________________ errors
O What were some of the errors he made?
O
O
British ____________________ was tough, experienced and skillful
Even if the French had won this battle, the British were ____________________to take the colony –
they would have ____________________with more soldiers, more battles would have
____________________, more people would have ____________________, and the British would have
eventually won anyway