James Wolfe
James Wolfe | |
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20th Regiment of Foot | |
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Relations | Lieutenant-general Edward Wolfe (father) |
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James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a
The son of a distinguished general,
The outbreak of the
Wolfe's part in the taking of Quebec in 1759 earned him lasting fame, and he became an icon of Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War and subsequent territorial expansion. He was depicted in the painting The Death of General Wolfe, which became famous around the world. Wolfe was posthumously dubbed "The Hero of Quebec", "The Conqueror of Quebec", and also "The Conqueror of Canada", since the capture of Quebec led directly to the capture of Montreal, ending French control of the colony.
Early life
James Wolfe was born at the local vicarage on 2 January 1727 (
The Wolfes were close to the Warde family, who lived at Squerryes Court in Westerham. Wolfe's boyhood friend George Warde achieved fame as Commander-in-Chief in Ireland.
Around 1738, the family moved to
Illness prevented him from taking part in a large expedition against Spanish-held Cartagena in 1740, and his father sent him home a few months later.[3] He missed what proved to be a disaster for the British forces at the Siege of Cartagena during the War of Jenkins' Ear, in which most of the expedition died from disease.[4]
War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748)
European War
In 1740 the War of the Austrian Succession broke out in Europe. Although initially Britain did not actively intervene, the presence of a sizable French army near the border of the Austrian Netherlands compelled the British to send an expedition to help defend the territory of their Austrian ally in 1742. James Wolfe was given his first commission as a second lieutenant in his father's regiment of Marines in 1741.
Early in the following year he transferred to the
In 1743, he was joined by his younger brother, Edward, who had received a commission in the same regiment.[7] That year the Wolfe brothers took part in an offensive launched by the British. Instead of moving southwards as expected, the British and their allies instead thrust eastwards into Southern Germany where they faced a large French army.[8] The army came under the personal command of George II[9] but in June he appeared to have made a catastrophic mistake which left the Allies trapped against the river Main and surrounded by enemy forces in "a mousetrap".[10]
Rather than contemplate surrender, George tried to rectify the situation by launching an attack on the French positions near the village of Dettingen. Wolfe's regiment was involved in heavy fighting, as the two sides exchanged volley after volley of musket fire. His regiment had suffered the highest casualties of any of the British infantry battalions, and Wolfe had his horse shot from underneath him.[11] Despite three French attacks the Allies managed to drive off the enemy, who fled through the village of Dettingen which was then occupied by the Allies. However, George failed to adequately pursue the retreating enemy, allowing them to escape.[12] In spite of this the Allies had successfully thwarted the French move into Germany, safeguarding the independence of Hanover.
Wolfe's regiment at
Wolfe's regiment was left behind to garrison Ghent, which meant they missed the Allied defeat at the
Jacobite rising
In July 1745, Charles Stuart landed in Scotland in an attempt to regain the British throne for his father, the exiled James Stuart. In the initial stages of the 1745 Rising, the Jacobites captured Edinburgh and defeated government forces at the Battle of Prestonpans in September. This resulted in the recall of Cumberland, commander of the British army in Flanders and 12,000 troops, including Wolfe's regiment.[16]
On 8 November, the Jacobite army crossed into England, avoiding government forces at
A famous anecdote claims Wolfe refused an order to shoot a wounded Highland officer after Culloden, the person giving the order variously named as Cumberland or Hawley. There is certainly evidence to confirm Jacobite wounded were killed and Hawley was one of those who gave orders to that effect.[20] However, the claim that he refused such orders cannot be confirmed, while author and historian John Prebble refers to the killings as 'symptomatic of the army's general mood and behaviour.'[21] This included Wolfe; as leader of punitive raids after the battle, he wrote to a colleague that 'as few Highlanders are made prisoner as possible.'[22]
Return to the Continent
In January 1747 Wolfe returned to the Continent and the
The major French objective in 1747 was to capture
In 1748, aged 21 and with service in seven campaigns, Wolfe returned to Britain following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which ended the war. Under the treaty, Britain and France had agreed to exchange all captured territory and the Austrian Netherlands were returned to Austrian control.
Peacetime service (1748–1756)
Once home, he was posted to Scotland and garrison duty, and a year later was made a
Over the eight years that Wolfe was in Scotland, he wrote military pamphlets and became proficient in French as a result of several trips to Paris. Despite struggling with bouts of ill health suspected to be tuberculosis, he made an effort to keep himself mentally fit by teaching himself Latin and mathematics. When able to, Wolfe trained his body, especially pushing himself to improve his swordsmanship.[26]
In 1752, Wolfe was granted extended leave. Departing from Scotland, he first went to
Desertion, especially in the face of the enemy had always officially been regarded as a capital offence. Wolfe laid particular stress on the importance of the death penalty and in 1755, he ordered that any soldier who broke ranks ("offers to quit his rank or offers to flag") should be instantly put to death by an officer or a sergeant.[28]
Seven Years' War (1756–63)
In 1756, with the outbreak of open hostilities with France, Wolfe was promoted to Colonel. He was stationed in
As the threat of invasion decreased, the regiment was marched to
Rochefort
In 1757, Wolfe participated in the British
The attempt failed as, after capturing an island offshore, the British made no attempt to land on the mainland and press on to Rochefort and instead withdrew home. While their sudden appearance off the French coast had spread panic throughout France, it had little practical effect. Mordaunt was court-martialed for his failure to attack Rochefort, although acquitted.[33] Nonetheless, Wolfe was one of the few military leaders who had distinguished himself in the raid – having gone ashore to scout the terrain, and having constantly urged Mordaunt into action.[34] He had at one point told the General that he could capture Rochefort if he was given just 500 men but Mordaunt refused him permission.[35] While Wolfe was irritated by the failure, believing that they should have used the advantage of surprise and attacked and taken the town immediately, he was able to draw valuable lessons about amphibious warfare that influenced his later operations at Louisbourg and Quebec.
As a result of his actions at Rochefort, Wolfe was brought to the notice of the Prime Minister,
Louisbourg
On 23 January 1758, James Wolfe was appointed as a
The British had initially planned to advance along the St Lawrence and attack Quebec that year, but the onset of winter forced them to postpone to the following year. Similarly a plan to capture New Orleans was rejected,[36] and Wolfe returned home to England. Wolfe's part in the taking of the town brought him to the attention of the British public for the first time. The news of the victory at Louisbourg was tempered by the failure of a British force advancing towards Montreal at the Battle of Carillon and the death of George Howe, a widely respected young general whom Wolfe described as "the best officer in the British Army".[37] He died at almost the same time as the French general.
Québec (1759)
Appointment
As Wolfe had comported himself admirably at Louisbourg,
Advance up the Saint Lawrence
Despite the large build-up of British forces in North America, the strategy of dividing the army for separate attacks on Canada meant that once Wolfe reached Quebec the French commander Louis-Joseph de Montcalm would have a local superiority of troops having raised large numbers of Canadian militia to defend their homeland.[39] The French had initially expected the British to approach from the east, believing the St Lawrence River was impassable for such a large force and had prepared to defend Quebec from the south and west. An intercepted copy of British plans gave Montcalm several weeks to improve the fortifications protecting Quebec from an amphibious attack by Wolfe.[40]
Montcalm's goal was to prevent the British from capturing Quebec, thereby maintaining a French foothold in Canada. The French government believed a peace treaty was likely to be agreed the following year and so they directed the emphasis of their own efforts towards victory in Germany and a
Wolfe's army was assembled at
Siege
The British army laid siege to the city for three months. During that time, Wolfe issued a written document, known as Wolfe's Manifesto, to the French-Canadian civilians, as part of his strategy of psychological intimidation. In March 1759, prior to arriving at Quebec, Wolfe had written to Amherst: "If, by accident in the river, by the enemy's resistance, by sickness, or slaughter in the army, or, from any other cause, we find that Quebec is not likely to fall into our hands (persevering however to the last moment), I propose to set the town on fire with shells, to destroy the harvest, houses and cattle, both above and below, to send off as many Canadians as possible to Europe and to leave famine and desolation behind me; belle résolution & très chrétienne; but we must teach these scoundrels to make war in a more gentleman like manner." This manifesto has widely been regarded as counter-productive as it drove many neutrally-inclined inhabitants to actively resist the British, swelling the size of the militia defending to Quebec to as many as 10,000.
After an extensive yet inconclusive bombardment of the city, Wolfe initiated a failed attack north of Quebec at Beauport, where the French were securely entrenched. As the weeks wore on the chances of British success lessened, and Wolfe grew despondent. Amherst's large force advancing on Montreal had made very slow progress, ruling out the prospect of Wolfe receiving any help from him.
Battle and subsequent death
Wolfe then led 4,400 men in small boats on a very bold and risky amphibious landing at the base of the cliffs west of Quebec along the St. Lawrence River. His army, with two small cannons, scaled the 200-metre cliff from the river below early in the morning of 13 September 1759. They surprised the French under the command of the Marquis de Montcalm, who thought the cliff would be unclimbable, and had set his defences accordingly. Faced with the possibility that the British would haul more cannons up the cliffs and knock down the city's remaining walls, the French fought the British on the Plains of Abraham. They were defeated after fifteen minutes of battle, but when Wolfe began to move forward, he was shot thrice, once in the arm, once in the shoulder, and finally in the chest.[43]
Historian Francis Parkman describes the death of Wolfe:
They asked him [Wolfe] if he would have a surgeon; but he shook his head, and answered that all was over with him. His eyes closed with the torpor of approaching death, and those around sustained his fainting form. Yet they could not withhold their gaze from the wild turmoil before them, and the charging ranks of their companions rushing through the line of fire and smoke.
"See how they run," one of the officers exclaimed, as the French fled in confusion before the levelled bayonets.
"Who run?" demanded Wolfe, opening his eyes like a man aroused from sleep.
"The enemy, sir," was the reply; "they give way everywhere."
"Then," said the dying general, "tell Colonel River, to cut off their retreat from the bridge. Now, God be praised, I die contented," he murmured; and, turning on his side, he calmly breathed his last breath.[44]
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham caused the deaths of the top military commander on each side: Montcalm died the next day from his wounds. Wolfe's victory at Quebec enabled the
Wolfe's body was returned to Britain on
]Character
Wolfe was renowned by his troops for being demanding on himself and on them. He was also known for carrying the same combat equipment as his infantrymen – a
After being stung by rejection, in a letter to his mother in 1751 he admitted he would probably never marry and stated that he believed people could easily live without marrying.[45] An apocryphal story was published after Wolfe's death saying that he had carried a locket portrait of Katherine Lowther, his supposed betrothed, with him to North America, and that he gave the locket to First Lieutenant John Jervis the night before he died. The story holds that Wolfe had a premonition of his own death in battle, and that Jervis faithfully returned the locket to Lowther.[48]
Legacy
The inscription on the obelisk at Quebec City, erected to commemorate the battle on the Plains of Abraham once read: "Here Died Wolfe Victorious." In order to avoid offending French-Canadians it now simply reads: "Here Died Wolfe."[49] Wolfe's defeat of the French led to the British capture of the
In 1792, scant months after the partition of Quebec into the provinces of
In 1832, the first war monument in present-day Canada was erected on the site where Wolfe purportedly fell. The site is marked by a column surmounted by a helmet and sword. An inscription at its base reads, in French and English, "Here died Wolfe – 13 September 1759." It replaces a large stone which had been placed there by British troops to mark the spot.
Wolfe's Landing National Historic Site of Canada is located in Kennington Cove, on the east coast of
There is a memorial to Wolfe in Westminster Abbey by Joseph Wilton. The 3rd Duke of Richmond, who had served in Wolfe's regiment in 1753, commissioned a bust of Wolfe from Wilton. There is an oil painting "Placing the Canadian Colours on Wolfe's Monument in Westminster Abbey" by Emily Warren in Currie Hall at the Royal Military College of Canada.
A statue of Wolfe overlooks the
In 1761, as a perpetual memorial to Wolfe,
In 1979, Crayola crayons introduced a Wolfe Brown colour crayon. It was discontinued the following year.
There are several institutions, localities, thoroughfares, and landforms named in honour of him in Canada. Significant monuments to Wolfe in Canada exist on the Plains of Abraham where he fell, and near Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Ontario Governor John Graves Simcoe named Wolfe Island, an island in Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River off the coast of Kingston (near the Royal Military College of Canada) in Wolfe's honour in 1792. On 13 September 2009, the Wolfe Island Historical Society led celebrations on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of James Wolfe's victory at Quebec. A life-size statue in Wolfe's likeness is to be sculpted.[49]
A senior girls house at the Duke of York's Royal Military School is named after Wolfe, where all houses are named after prominent figures of the military. There is a James Wolfe school for children aged 5–11 down the hill from his house in Greenwich, in Chesterfield Walk, which is just east of General Wolfe Road.
His letters home from the age of 13 until his death[57] as well as his copy of Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard and other items are housed at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto, Ontario.[58] Other artefacts and relics owned by Wolfe are held at museums in both Canada and England, although some have mainly legendary association. Wolfe's cloak worn at Louisbourg, Quebec and at the Plains of Abraham is part of the British Royal Collection. In 2008 it was lent to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia for an exhibit on the Siege of Louisbourg, and in 2009 was loaned to the Army Museum at the Halifax Citadel where it remains on display. Wolfe Crescent, Halifax, Nova Scotia is named after Wolfe.
Arms
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See also
- General Wolfe's Song
- The Maple Leaf Forever – another Canadian song glorifying General Wolfe.
References
Citations
- ^ Salmon, Edward (1909). Hutton, W. H. (ed.). General Wolfe. Makers of National History. Cassell & Company. pp. 1–2.
- ^ "Lieut. General James Wolfe". The Weald of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Stacey, C. P. (1974). "Wolfe, James". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. III (1741–1770) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ISBN 978-0-312-12561-5.
- ISBN 978-1-85285-553-6.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 24–25.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), p. 25.
- ^ Browning (1994), pp. 134–135.
- ISBN 978-0-7139-0481-9.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 26–27.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 29–31.
- ^ Browning (1994), pp. 139–140.
- ISBN 978-1-85479-390-4.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 35–36.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 36–37.
- ISBN 978-1408819128.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 42–43.
- ISBN 978-0333667989.
- ^ Riding, p. 346
- ISBN 978-1408704011.
- ISBN 978-0712668200.
- ^ Royle, p.119
- ^ Browning (1994), pp. 259–260.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 57–58.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 58–63.
- ^ a b Brumwell (2006), pp. 93–97.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 92–93.
- ISBN 978-0-670-80969-1.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), pp. 111–115.
- ^ Landry, Peter (2011). "James Wolfe (1727–1759)". Early Nova Scotians: 1600–1867. BluPete.
- ^ Brumwell (2006), p. 106.
- ^ Corbett, Julian S. (1907). England in the Seven Years' War: a study in combined strategy. Vol. I. Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 202.
- ISBN 978-0-5115-6035-4.
- ISBN 978-0-8032-0986-2.
- ^ Stanhope, Philip Henry (1844). History of England from the peace of Utrecht to the peace of Versailles, 1713–1783. Vol. IV. J. Murray. p. 110.
- ^ Brown p. 165[full citation needed]
- ^ Pocock (1998), p. 95.
- ISBN 978-0-8386-3838-5.
- ^ Dull pp. 144–145[full citation needed]
- ^ Dull pp. 142–146[full citation needed]
- ISBN 978-1-86227-084-8.
- ISBN 978-0-00-734295-2.
- ^ Parkman (1885), pp. 296–297.
- ^ Parkman (1885), pp. 296–297.
- ^ a b Parkman (1885).
- ^ Colombo, John (1984), Canadian Literary Landmarks, Hounslow Press, p. 93
- JSTOR 548418.
- ISBN 978-0-8117-2901-7.
- ^ Kingston Whig-Standard. Archived from the originalon 13 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- ^ "Brave Wolfe". Dulcimer Players News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2007.
- ^ Wolfe's Landing National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places.
- ^ Wolfe's Landing National Historic Site of Canada. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
- ISBN 9780241891933.
- ^ Finch, David (6 September 2009). "Wolfe rises on anniversary of his death". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Where They are is Known; Why They Went, Isn't". The New York Times. 1 April 2007.
- ^ a b "General Wolfe – Calgary, Alberta". Waymarking.com. 9 July 2012.
- ^ "U of T Libraries Acquire General James Wolfe's Historic Letters". Fisher Library. University of Toronto. 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Brown, Ian (26 March 2017). "Inside old-school books, every scribble tells a story". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Point Wolfe campground". Fundy National Park. Parks Canada. 18 September 2017.
- ^ Herbert George Todd (1915). Armory and lineages of Canada. p. 124.
General References
- "James Wolfe". The Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada. 27 March 2015.
- Hampson, Sarah (25 March 2017). "Archive of General Wolfe's personal letters is coming to Canada". The Globe and Mail.
- Lloyd, Ernest Marsh (1900). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 296–304. . In
Further reading
- Adair, E. R. (1936). "Military Reputation of Major-General James Wolfe". Report of the Annual Meeting. 15. Canadian Historical Association: 7–31. doi:10.7202/300153ar. Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 September 2013.
- Anderson, Fred (2000). Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. Knopf Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-307-42539-3.
- ISBN 9780665441615.
- Bradley, Arthur Granville (1895). Wolfe. London: Macmillan and Company.
- Burpee, Lawrence J. (1926). "Wolfe, James". The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Canadian History. London & Toronto: Oxford University Press. pp. 690–691.
- Brown, Ian (26 March 2017). "In Wolfe's clothing". The Globe and Mail.
- Carroll, Joy (2004). Wolfe & Montcalm: Their Lives, Their Times and the Fate of a Continent. Firefly Books. ISBN 978-1-55297-905-1.
- Carroll, Joy (2006). Wolfe et Montcalm : la véritable histoire de deux chefs ennemis [Wolfe and Montcalm: the True Story of Two Enemy Leaders] (in French). trans. Suzanne Anfossi. Montréal: Éditions de l'Homme. ISBN 2-7619-2192-5.
- Casgrain, P. B. (1904). La maison de Borgia, premier poste de Wolfe à la bataille des Plaines d'Abraham: où était-elle située (in French). Ottawa: Chez Hope & Fils. pp. 45–62.
- Casgrain, Henri-Raymond (1905). Wolfe and Montcalm. The Makers of Canada. Vol. IV. Toronto: Morang & Co.
- Chartrand, René (2000). Louisbourg 1758: Wolfe's First Siege. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-1-84176-217-3.
- Clarke, John Mason (1911). Results of Excavations at the Site of the French "Custom House" or "General Wolfe's House" on Peninsula Point in Gaspe Bay. Montréal: C. A. Marchand.
- Doughty, A. (1901). The Siege of Quebec and the battle of the Plains of Abraham. Vol. First Volume. Quebec: Dussault & Proulx.; Also Second Volume; Third Volume; Fourth Volume; Fifth Volume; Sixth Volume
- ISBN 9780665382581.
- ISBN 978-0-8154-1016-4.
- Le Jeune, Louis (1931). "James Wolfe". Dictionnaire Général de biographie, histoire, littérature, agriculture, commerce, industrie et des arts, sciences, moeurs, coutumes, institutions politiques et religieuses du Canada (in French). Vol. 2. Ottawa: Université d'Ottawa. pp. 818–821.
- MacLeod, D. Peter (2008). Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Making of the American Revolution. Knopf Doubleday. ISBN 978-1-101-94695-4.
- ISBN 9780665368660.
- McNairn, Alan (1997). Behold the Hero: General Wolfe and the Arts in the Eighteenth Century. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-1539-0.
- Parkman, Francis (1884). Montcalm and Wolfe. Vol. I. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
- Parkman, Francis (1885). Montcalm and Wolfe. Vol. II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
- Pringle, John (1760). Life of General James Wolfe, the conqueror of Canada. London: G. Kearsly.
- Reilly, Robin (2001) [1960]. Wolfe of Quebec (reprint ed.). Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-35838-0.
- Sabine, Lorenzo (1859). An Address Before the New England Historic-Genealogical Society [...]: The hundredth anniversary of the death of Major General James Wolfe [...]. Boston: A. Williams & Co.
- Stacey, Charles Perry (1959). Quebec, 1759: the siege and the battle. Macmillan.
- Sutherland, John Campbell (1926). General Wolfe. Toronto: Ryerson Press.
- Wallace, W. Stewart, ed. (1948). "James Wolfe". The Encyclopedia of Canada. Vol. VI. Toronto: University Associates of Canada. pp. 315–316.
- ISBN 9780002119429.
- Waugh, William Templeton (1928). James Wolfe, Man and Soldier. Montreal: L. Carrier & co.
- Webster, John Clarence (1925). A Study of the Portraiture of James Wolfe. Ottawa: Royal Society of Canada. pp. 47–65.
- Whitton, Frederick Ernest (1929). Wolfe and North America. Little, Brown & Company.
- Willson, Beckles (1909). The Life and Letters of James Wolfe. London: William Heinemann.
- Wolfe-Aylward, Annie Elizabeth Chenells (1926). The Pictorial Life of Wolfe. Plymouth, England: William Brendon and son.
- Wright, Robert (1864). The Life of Major-General James Wolfe. London: Chapman and Hall.
- Wolfe: Portraiture and Genealogy. London: Permanent Advisory Committee of Quebec House. 1959.
- Wood, William (1915). The Winning of Canada: A Chronicle of Wolfe. Toronto: Glasgow, Brook & Co.
External links
- Works by or about James Wolfe at Internet Archive
- Works by James Wolfe at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Battle of Montmorency National Historic Event. Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Parks Canada.
- Unknown. "History and Chronology of James Wolfe Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine", in World History Database
- Wolfe, James: Collection of letters at Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.
- "Wolfiana". Archives & Research Library, New Brunswick Museum. New Brunswick Museum. 2003. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- New Brunswick Museum. "A National Treasure in New Brunswick: James Barry's Death of General Wolfe", in New Brunswick Museum (Web site), 2003
- NBC. Plains of Abraham Web site, Government of Canada. (National Battlefields Commission)
- NBC. 1759: From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham, Virtual Museum Canada, The National Battlefields Commission, 2005
- Archives of James Wolfe (James Wolfe collection, R4770) are held at Library and Archives Canada