Storming the heights

It is 31 July 1759. Maj Gen Wolfe has ordered an amphibious assault against the French defences between Beauport and Montmorency, 5kms down river from Quebec.

HIs intent is to take out the redoubts below the cliffs and if successful seize the heights to gain a foothold from which he can engage and defeat the French army.

Our game recreating this engagement is played using Sharp Practice rules with 25mm figures — mostly RAFM. Sgt Bombardier commands the Cannoniers-Bombardiers manning the redoubts with the Chevalier de Johnstone (a Jacobite Scot) in overall command.

Behind the French forward defences, Lt Trembleré has 2 companies of Compagnies Franches de la Marine billeted in a farm.

There is also an Abenaki encampment. The Abenaki may or may not come to the aid of the French depending on their mood (or dice rolls).

Lieutenant Salt (RN) is to lead a landing party to seize the redoubts and clear a way for a landing by Grenadiers and Highlanders to establish a defensible beachhead. He is supported by a party of Rangers led by William Stark who will cross the river in canoes. HMS Pelican supports the landing with a furious bombardment which takes out one of the French redoubts.

The British land on the tidal flats. William Stark’s rangers (foreground) beaching their canoes while Lt. Salt’s landing party of Sailors, Marines and Royal Americans disembark from their boats after taking casualties from the French guns.

Lt Keene, leading two companies of Royal Americans, takes the readout destroyed by HMS Pelican’s bombardment and gets ready to scale the cliff. Meanwhile the sailors and marines advance on the centre redoubt taking heavy casualties from the Quebec militia who have deployed into the entrenchments above the cliffs.

It looks as if the British will turn the French left. The Cannoniers-Bombardiers manning the redoubts have been decimated by HMS Pelican’s guns, leaving only two men to man the swivel gun in the centre redoubt. The Royal Americans and Rangers are climbing the cliffs, their lead men gaining the heights.

Now the second British wave hits the shore — Capt Stout’s grenadiers and Ensign Macpherson’s highlanders.

Having climbed the heights, the Royal Americans are faced with a counter attack by Lt Trembleré’s Compagnies Franches de la Marine. Exhausted from their climb the Royal Americans get the worst of the fire fight and begin to fall back.

In the centre the Abenaki move down the cliffs to engage Lt Salt’s men, giving a much needed boost to the depleted ranks of the Cannoniers-Bombardiers in the centre redoubt.

Then a lucky shot from a British marine kills the valiant Sgt Bombardier and his gunners abandon their position. The Abenaki engage the advancing British but they begin to wonder if it is really worth the effort and start to melt away.

It is not only the French whose leaders take casualties. Ensign Macpherson is seriously wounded as his highlanders advance across the tidal flats.

Lt Keene of the Royal Americans is also knocked out from a wound and his men begin to withdraw taking his limp body with them.

For a moment it had looked as if the French left would be turned. Now, with the Royal Americans retreating, only the Rangers are left on the heights. The valiant Lt Trembleré leads his men forward in a charge to engage them in fisticuffs. Outnumbered 2:1 the Rangers take a pasting and the few survivors dive into the Montmorency river to make their escape.

On the French right reinforcements beginning to arrive. M. Langlade’s coureurs des bois start to descend the cliffs to reinforce the one surviving French battery.

On the other flank, Capt Stout’s grenadiers hold fast as the remnants of the Royal Americans retreat to the boats. The grenadiers give a withering fire which drives the Quebec militia from their entrenchments on the heights.

More reinforcements arrive on the French right from Beauport led by Capt de Repentigny but they are too late.

The highlanders have taken the centre redoubt and the French morale collapses. The Abenaki have gone home, the Cannoniers-Bombardiers wiped out and the remaining Quebec militia have withdrawn. Only Lt Trembleré’s men are in good order. The British are in total control of the ground below the cliffs so can claim victory. However with the tide coming in and without a foothold on the heights they have no option other than to withdraw.

It was an exciting game. The British victory was in no small part down to the effectiveness of the naval bombardment which took out one redoubt and decimated a second. None the less the British did not take the heights and Wolfe will need to think of another approach if he is to take Quebec.