Editing James Wolfe (section)

==Seven Years' War (1756–63)==
{{Further|Great Britain in the Seven Years' War}}
[[File:Elderpitt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Wolfe came to the attention of [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]] following his role in the [[raid on Rochefort]]. Pitt had Wolfe promoted and posted to Canada, which he planned to capture.]]

In 1756, with the outbreak of open hostilities with France, Wolfe was promoted to Colonel. He was stationed in [[Canterbury]], where his regiment had been posted to guard his home county of [[Kent]] against a [[Planned French Invasion of Britain (1759)|French invasion threat]]. He was extremely dispirited by news of the [[Siege of Minorca|loss of Minorca]] in June 1756, lamenting what he saw as the lack of professionalism amongst the British forces. Despite a widespread belief that French landing was imminent, Wolfe thought that it was unlikely his men would be called into action.{{sfnp|Brumwell|2006|pp=111–115}} In spite of this, he trained them diligently and issued fighting instructions to his troops.

As the threat of invasion decreased, the regiment was marched to [[Wiltshire]]. Despite the initial setbacks of the war in Europe and North America, the British were now expected to take the offensive and Wolfe anticipated playing a major role in future operations. However, his health was beginning to decline, which led to suspicions that he was suffering, as his younger brother (Edward Wolfe 1728–1744) had, from [[tuberculosis|consumption]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Peter |last=Landry |title=James Wolfe (1727–1759) |date=2011 |work=Early Nova Scotians: 1600–1867 |publisher=BluPete |url=http://www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1700-63/Wolfe.htm}}</ref> Many of his letters to his parents began to assume a slightly [[fatalistic]] note in which he talked of the likelihood of an early death.{{sfnp|Brumwell|2006|p=106}}

===Rochefort===
{{Further|Raid on Rochefort}}
In 1757, Wolfe participated in the British [[amphibious warfare|amphibious assault]] on [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]], a seaport on the French Atlantic coast. A major naval descent, it was designed to capture the town, and relieve pressure on Britain's German allies who were under French attack in Northern Europe. Wolfe was selected to take part in the expedition partly because of his friendship with its commander, [[John Mordaunt (British Army officer)|Sir John Mordaunt]]. In addition to his regimental duties, Wolfe also served as [[Quartermaster General]] for the whole expedition.<ref>{{cite book |last=Corbett |first=Julian S. |title=England in the Seven Years' War: a study in combined strategy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQsyAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA202 |year=1907 |volume=I |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co. |page=202}}</ref> The force was assembled on the [[Isle of Wight]] and after weeks of delay finally sailed on 7 September.

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-martial]]ed for his failure to attack Rochefort, although acquitted.<ref>{{cite book |last=Black |first=Jeremy |title=Pitt the Elder |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1992 |page=[https://archive.org/details/pittelder00blac/page/171 171] |isbn=978-0-5115-6035-4 |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511560354 |url=https://archive.org/details/pittelder00blac|url-access=registration }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=A. J. B.|title=Endgame 1758: The Promise, the Glory, and the Despair of Louisbourg's Last Decade|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m73Le-o2NygC&pg=PA138|year=2007|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-0986-2|page=138}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stanhope |first=Philip Henry |author-link=Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope |title=History of England from the peace of Utrecht to the peace of Versailles, 1713–1783 |publisher=J. Murray |date=1844 |volume=IV |page=110 |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyenglandstan04stan#page/110/mode/2up}}</ref> 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, [[William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham|William Pitt the Elder]]. Pitt had determined that the best gains in the war were to be made in North America where France was vulnerable, and planned to launch an assault on [[French Canada]]. Pitt now decided to promote Wolfe over the heads of a number of senior officers.

===Louisbourg===
{{Further|Siege of Louisbourg (1758)}}

[[File:General Wolfe at the siege of Louisbourg, 1758.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Brigadier General James Wolfe at the [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|Siege of Louisbourg]] in 1758.]]

On 23 January 1758, James Wolfe was appointed as a [[brigadier general]], and sent with Major General [[Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst|Jeffrey Amherst]] in the fleet of [[Admiral Boscawen]] to lay siege to the [[Fortress of Louisbourg]] in [[New France]] (located in present-day [[Cape Breton Island]], [[Nova Scotia]]). [[Louisbourg]] stood near the mouth of the [[St Lawrence River]], and its capture was considered essential to any attack on Canada from the east. An [[Louisbourg Expedition (1757)|expedition the previous year]] had failed to seize the town, because of a French naval build-up. For 1758 Pitt sent a much larger Royal Navy force to accompany Amherst's troops.  Wolfe distinguished himself in preparations for the assault, the initial landing and in the aggressive advance of siege batteries. The French capitulated in June of that year in the [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)]]. He then participated in the [[Expulsion of the Acadians]] in the [[Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758)]].

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,<ref>Brown p. 165{{full citation needed|date=September 2018}}</ref> 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, 3rd Viscount Howe|George Howe]], a widely respected young general whom Wolfe described as "the best officer in the British Army".{{sfnp|Pocock|1998|p=95}} He died at almost the same time as the French general.

=== Québec (1759)===

====Appointment====
[[File:Portrait of Montcalm.JPG|thumb|left|Wolfe's opponent at Quebec, the [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm|Marquis de Montcalm]]]]

As Wolfe had comported himself admirably at Louisbourg, [[William Pitt the Elder]] chose him to lead the British assault on [[Québec City]] the following year. Although Wolfe was given the local rank of [[general|major general]] while serving in Canada, in Europe he was still only a full [[colonel]]. Amherst had been appointed as [[Commander-in-Chief, North America|Commander-in-Chief in North America]], and he would lead a separate and larger force that would attack Canada from the south. He insisted on the choice of his friend, the [[Kingdom of Ireland|Irish]] officer [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]] as Quartermaster General and threatened to resign the command should his friend not have been chosen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nelson|first=Paul David|title=General Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester: Soldier-statesman of Early British Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WkdegDYPwdQC&pg=PA22|year= 2000|publisher=Associated University Presses|isbn=978-0-8386-3838-5|page=22}}</ref> Once this was granted, he began making preparations for his departure. Pitt was determined to once again give operations in North America top priority, as he planned to weaken France's international position by sailing back to India.

====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.<ref>Dull pp. 144–145{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref>Dull pp. 142–146{{full citation needed|date=February 2018}}</ref>

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 [[Planned French Invasion of Britain (1759)|planned invasion of Britain]] hoping thereby to secure the exchange of captured territories. For this plan to be successful Montcalm had only to hold out until the start of winter. Wolfe had a narrow window to capture Quebec during 1759 before the St Lawrence began to freeze, trapping his force.

Wolfe's army was assembled at [[Louisbourg]]. He expected to lead 12,000 men, but was greeted by only approximately 400 [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]], 7,000 regular troops, and 300 gunners.<ref>{{cite book |last=Reid |first=Stuart |author-link=Stuart Reid (Scottish historical writer) |title=Wolfe: The Career of General James Wolfe from Culloden to Quebec |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WlpxAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA25 |year=2000 |publisher= Spellmount |isbn= 978-1-86227-084-8 |page= 25}}</ref> Wolfe's troops were supported by a fleet of 49 ships and 140 smaller craft led by Admiral [[Charles Saunders (admiral)|Charles Saunders]]. Eager to begin the campaign, after several delays, he pushed ahead with only part of his force and left orders for further arrivals to be sent on up the St Lawrence after him.<ref>{{cite book|last=Snow|first=Dan|title=Death or Victory: The Battle for Quebec and the Birth of Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zCbtG2YBARAC&pg=PP1|year=2009|publisher=HarperCollins |isbn= 978-0-00-734295-2| pages= 21–30}}</ref>

====Siege====
[[File:NSRW Siege of Quebec.png|right|thumb|upright=1.6|Map of the Quebec City area showing disposition of French and British forces. The [[Plains of Abraham]] are located to the left.]]
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; {{lang|fr|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.

[[File:Battle of the Plains of Abraham 2.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|First phase of the battle]]

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====
[[File:Benjamin West 005.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|''[[The Death of General Wolfe]]'' by [[Benjamin West]]]]

{{Main|Battle of the Plains of Abraham}}
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 [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm|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.{{sfnp|Parkman|1885|pages=[https://archive.org/stream/montcalmandwolf00unkngoog#page/n322/mode/2up/ 296–297]}}

Historian [[Francis Parkman]] describes the death of Wolfe:
{{blockquote|text=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.{{sfnp|Parkman|1885|pages=296–297}} |author=|title=|source=}}

[[File:Inscription Wolfe, Lévis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Wolfe plaque in [[Lévis]]]]

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 [[Montreal Campaign]] against the French the following year. With the fall of that city, French rule in North America, outside of [[Louisiana]] and the tiny islands of [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]], came to an end.

Wolfe's body was returned to Britain on [[HMS Prince (1670)|HMS ''Royal William'']] and interred in the family vault in [[St Alfege Church, Greenwich]] alongside his father (who had died in March 1759). The funeral service took place on 20 November 1759, the same day that Admiral Hawke won the last of the three great victories of the "[[Annus Mirabilis of 1759|Wonderful Year]]" and the "[[Annus Mirabilis of 1759|Year of Victories]]" – [[Battle of Minden|Minden]], [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham|Quebec]] and [[Battle of Quiberon Bay|Quiberon Bay]].{{Citation needed|date = November 2016}}