Unit 1
New France and British North America
Lesson 12
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham
General James Wolfe - Britain
General Louis-Joseph Montcalm
On September 13 1759, the French General Louis-Joseph Montcalm woke up to the news that 4,500 British troops had arrived in Québec under the leadership of General James Wolfe. The British troops were waiting for the French in the open field of The Plains of Abraham.
General Montcalm had two major challenges facing him:
1. His army had been divided, and many men were 16 kilometres away at the Beauport Shore.
2. The French were accustomed to fighting in forests using guerilla warfare techniques. They were not accustomed to fighting in open battle fields.
Montcalm decided to go to The Plains of Abraham and fight the British. The battle lasted about 30 minutes and the British won control of Québec City. Both Wolfe and Montcalm died in this battle.
The Plains of Abraham is a historic battle field within Québec City. It is a flat field that lays alongside the St. Lawrence river.
General Montcalm made two major mistakes that led to the French loosing the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and control over Québec City.
1) Montcalm could have waited for reinforcement troops to arrive from the Beauport Shore before fighting the battle with the British.
2) Montcalm could have waited for winter to come, and the British would have been forced to leave. They would not have had the supplies to last through a Canadian winter.
After the British captured Québec, they continued on to capture Montréal in September of 1760. This ended the Seven Years’ War in North America. The war, however, continued in Europe and other parts of the world for three more years. The French surrendered and the British gained control of New France. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed to officially end the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France.
Gather More Information from the Video
Gather More Information from the Articles
Newspaper Assignment
You are now a reporter for The Québec City Chronicle. Your editor has assigned you write an article about the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. This newspaper is owned by a French company, therefore you must write this from the French perspective.
Write a 300-400 word newspaper article about the event and what it might mean for the future of French settlers in New France. Remember the proper structure of a News Article and be sure to include a picture.
Level 3 Success Criteria
The historical information is accurate and relevant to my article
I have used the proper format and style for a newspaper article including an attention grabbing headline and byline.
My writing "voice" sounds like a news reporter and I have written my article with my audience in mind (French people living in New France at the time of the Battle)
I have revised my writing carefully for grammar, punctuation, and style.
I have included at least one relevant picture along with a caption
