User:Grimhelm/Battle of Quebec (1690)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Did you know ...that at the 1690 Battle of Québec, a group of French paddled a canoe up to the English flagship, and under a hail of musket shots managed to return its ensign to the city unscathed?
Draft (Subsequently used)
Battle of Quebec | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the War of the Grand Alliance, King William's War | |||||||
"The only response I have for your general is through the muzzles of my cannons." Frontenac famously rebuffs the English envoys. Watercolour on commercial board. | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Massachusetts[1] | Canada | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
William Phips | Louis de Buade de Frontenac | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2,300 regulars and militia 60 natives 6 field guns 34 warships | 2,000 militia | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
30 killed 50 wounded 1000 more from illness |
9 killed 8-52 wounded |
The Battle of Québec was fought in October, 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts, at the time subordinate to England and France respectively. It was the first time the city's defences had been tested.
Following the capture of Port Royal in Acadia, during King William's War, the New Englanders hoped to seize Montréal and Québec itself, the capital of New France. The loss of the Acadian fort shocked the Canadians, and Governor-General Louis de Buade de Frontenac ordered the immediate preparation of the city for siege. When the envoys delivered the terms of surrender, the Governor-General famously declared his only reply was by "the mouth of my cannons".[2] Sir William Phips led the invading army and they landed at Beauport in the Basin of Québec. However, the militia on the shore were constantly harassed by Canadian militia until their spontaneous retreat, while the ships were nearly destroyed by cannon volleys from the top of the city.
Both sides learned from the battle. The French improved the city's defences, while the New Englanders realised they needed more artillery and better support from England to take the city.[2]