Storm the Fortress
Page 11
But the fleet did serve well. It was flat boats, longboats, barges and cutters, manned by sailors, that brought the army ashore for the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Sailors moved ammunition, and evacuated the wounded. The navy provided all the rum and biscuit that the soldiers consumed. Without it, the siege would have been impossible.
HMS Northumberland remained at Halifax that winter. On April 22, 1760, Northumberland and the fleet set sail for Quebec. On board were new copies of Cook’s maps, which had been printed in England. Within a month, the ship was anchored in front of the city.
Quebec had suffered that winter. Many sailors still had scurvy, that terrible condition caused by a lack of Vitamin C. The French attempted to retake Quebec, but by summer’s end it remained in British hands. Montreal had surrendered to British troops. Northumberland returned to Halifax that fall.
Mr. Cook often took out one of the ship’s boats. He produced maps of Halifax harbour and parts of the Nova Scotia coast. Then, in July of 1762, word came that the French were sending a force to Newfoundland to destroy the British fishery there. By September 13, Northumberland and the rest of the squadron were at St. John’s. A gale rose up, and the French ships were driven out to sea. The French garrison surrendered a few days later. Northumberland and the squadron sailed for England that October. Once there, the ship’s company was paid off and disbanded. James Cook, though, was not destined for a life ashore.
The war finally ended in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The French would keep St. Pierre and Miquelon, two small islands off the coast of Newfoundland. Accurate charts of those islands, as well as the areas around Newfoundland where the French would still be allowed to fish, were needed. Cook was assigned as marine surveyor during the summers of 1763 to 1767, tasked with mapping much of the coast of Newfoundland. Some years later, Cook would chart Nootka Sound in British Columbia.
James Cook would go on to lead three expeditions to the south Pacific. These resulted in promotions to lieutenant and then captain. He circumnavigated the globe twice and drew detailed charts of Australia, New Zealand and numerous Pacific islands. In 1776 he was admitted to the Royal Society — an organization that promoted scientific research — for so successfully having prevented scurvy in his crew. Three years later, Cook and four marines were killed at Kealakekua Bay in Hawaii. His remains were buried at sea there.
In the age of sail, ships were made of wood, iron and canvas. Salt water, wind and battle took their toll, as did the passage of time. HMS Pembroke was no exception. After years of service during war, she was converted to be used as a hulk or storage ship in 1776. Pembroke broke up off the east coast of Canada in 1793.
The stories of Cook, Wolfe, Montcalm and all the other historical characters in this book are well known. But there are also the less celebrated folk to remember. There were farmers, common soldiers, sailors and Native allies. Their names may not be known, but they served an equally important part in fighting for what they believed. Like James Cook surveying the shores and rivers of this country, they helped chart Canada’s destiny.
On-board Ship
The Royal Navy was made up of many boys. They ranged from boys of six to young teens. Larger ships had a schoolmaster on board for young midshipmen. Boys destined to become ordinary sailors — they were referred to as ship’s boys — were trained by sea daddies, such as this book’s character, Tom Pike. Whether one was a common sailor or a midshipman, a life at sea could be a good choice of profession. There was steady work and decent food in a time that promised neither. In the future, midshipmen would come from high-ranking families. It would be necessary to have connections and influential family friends. But at the time of this story, a young man without such connections still could be a candidate.
Midshipmen spent their time studying mathematics, navigation and seamanship. They did not wear a uniform at this time, but would have had to supply themselves with suitable clothing. Not only the officers, but seasoned sailors, would be responsible for their training. Midshipmen would be expected to show respect to all of them. It may not have been adventurous, but such skills would be necessary for any midshipman who wanted to be an officer.
Farm animals, cats and dogs could be found on ships of war. The last two helped keep down the population of rats, which could be very destructive. One captain of that time said that his ship was so leaky, he was afraid the rats had chewed through the hull again. There are accounts of parrots and monkeys kept as pets. There are also accounts of tigers, a bear, and even an elephant being carried back to England in the name of science.
Timeline
The Royal Navy’s Role in the Siege of Quebec
May 5, 1759: the fleet of 13 ships leaves Halifax, bound for Quebec
May 15: Captain Simcoe dies
May 17: Simcoe is buried at sea off Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
May 27: Captain John Wheelock takes command of Pembroke
May 28: most of the fleet anchor at Coudre Island
June 8: Pembroke, Devonshire, Centurion and Squirrel, along with several transports, continue up the St. Lawrence as an advance party; they take soundings of the river
June 10: a plan of the Traverse has been charted, and the rest of the fleet continue up the river
June 18: Pembroke anchors at the east end of the Island of Orleans, upriver from Quebec; Pembroke’s boats help ferry soldiers ashore to the island
June 27: Pembroke and several other ships anchor at the west end of the Island of Orleans
June 28: the French launch seven fire ships, which the British sailors tow away
July 1: Pembroke assists in landing troops at Point Levy
July 18: ships get past the city and into the upper St. Lawrence
July 31: the fleet can see the Battle of Montmorency
September 12 (night): troops begin to land in the cove
September 13: the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
September 18: Quebec surrenders
Images and Documents
Image 1: Several of the thirteen ships from the Royal Navy set sail from Halifax, bound for Quebec, on May 5, 1759.
Image 2: General James Wolfe (shown above) was in charge of the British forces on land; Admiral Durell the naval siege.
Image 3: Defending Quebec was French general the Marquis de Montcalm.
Image 4: The French and Canadians sent blazing ships down the river to set the British ships on fire. General Wolfe apparently sent a letter to General Montcalm, stating: If you send any more fire-rafts, they shall be made fast to the two transports in which the Canadian prisoners are confined in order that they may perish by your own base invention.
Image 5: James Cook, ship’s master on Pembroke, charted difficult areas of the St. Lawrence River so that British warships would not run aground en route to Quebec. His logbook entry for September 13, 1759, states in part: “… our batteries at Priest Pt kept a continual fire against the town all night. At 8 A.M. the Adml made the sigl for all the boats man’d and unm’d to go to Point Levi … At 10 the English army, commanded by Genl Wolfe, atacked the French, under the command of Genl Montcalm, in the feilds of Aberham behind Quebec, and tottally defeated them …” In ships’ logs, short forms took the place of often-used words, such as sigl for signal, and spelling was not always consistent.
Image 6: British regulars boarded smaller boats to make landfall near Foulon, then sailors hauled cannons up the small road onto the Plains of Abraham, where they would face Montcalm’s forces.
Image 7: British regulars assemble on the Plains before the battle.
Image 8: A soldier is shown in the uniform of France’s Troupe de la Marine.
Image 9: A private of the 58th Foot wears his traditional uniform.
Image 10: As shown in this highly romanticized but famous painting, General Wolfe was mortally wounded during the battle on the Plains.
Image 11: The Royal Navy under sail was an imposing sight. Here, the fleet under Lord Howe sails from
Spithead, England, towards the coast of France, in the late 1700s.
Image 12: New France in 1759, indicating the lands in dispute between Britain and France. The French colonists known as Acadians had been ruthlessly deported by the British, beginning in 1755.
Image 13: The Royal Navy took up positions all around Quebec. General Townsend in his official dispatch would write: “… how great a share the navy has had in this successful campaign.”
Credits
Cover cameo (detail): Portrait of the Young Ingres (1780-1867), Jacques Louis David, Getty Images, BAT:79758587.
Cover scene (detail): French firerafts attacking the British Fleet off Quebec, © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, BHC0419.
Image 1: A View of the Pierced Island, a remarkable Rock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hervey Smyth (painter), Pierre-Charles Canot (engraver), LAC Acc. No. 1997-2-2, Collections Canada, C-000784.
Image 2: James Wolfe, Joseph Highmore, LAC Acc. No. 1995-134-1, Collections Canada, C-003916.
Image 3: Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm, 1712-1759, Antoine François Sergent-Marçeau, LAC Acc. No. 1970-188-295, W.H. Coverdale Collection of Canadiana, Collections Canada, C-014342.
Image 4: The Defeat of the French Fireships attacking the British Fleet at Anchor before Quebec, 28 June[,] 1759, LAC Acc. No. 1991-19-1, Collections Canada, C-004291.
Image 5: Captain James Cook, engraving; copyright © North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives, all rights reserved; PEXP3A-00113.
Image 6: A View of the Taking of Quebec, Sept. 13, 1759, LAC Acc. No. R9266-2012, Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana, MIKAN no. 3019077.
Image 7: British army assembling on the Plains of Abraham before taking Quebec, 1759; hand-colored halftone of a Frederic Remington illustration; copyright © North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives, all rights reserved; EVNT2A-00250.
Image 8: Soldier, Troupe de la Marine, 1759 by E. Leliepvre © Parks Canada.
Image 9: Private, 58th Foot, 1759 by G.A. Embleton © Parks Canada.
Image 10: Death of General Wolfe in the battle for Quebec, 1759, engraving; copyright © North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives, all rights reserved; EVNT3A-00326.
Image 11: British Navy under Lord Howe sailing from Spithead for battles off the coast of France, late 1700s; copyright © North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives, all rights reserved; EVRV2A-00081.
Images 12 and 13: Maps by Paul Heersink/Paperglyphs.
The publisher wishes to thank Janice Weaver for her careful checking of the facts, and Andrew Gallup for sharing his considerable expertise about the Seven Years War.
About the Author
Maxine Trottier’s family has been in Canada since the time of the filles du roi. Her ancestors were among the founding families of Detroit.
She has a keen interest in history, and has spent many years as part of a French and Indian War re-enactment group called Le Détachement. The group has portrayed Canadian militia and their women at such sites as Fortress Louisbourg, Fort Niagara and Fort Necessity. Maxine says that she feels “very comfortable in the eighteenth century.”
For this novel, she found herself fascinated by James Cook’s role in the Seven Years War in what is now Canada. Now living in Newfoundland, a place that Cook charted two and a half centuries before, she and her husband often sail the waters that Cook sailed, going in and out of small coves that he named.
In fact, Maxine has always been interested in the sea and its traditions. For two successive summers she spent three weeks crewing on a tall ship, HMS Tecumseh. Her duties were very similar to those William Jenkins would have experienced. She says she was “at least as apprehensive climbing up into the rigging,” the first time she tried it, “but I did do it.” She calls it a thrilling experience, and one she will never forget.
Maxine is the author of three Dear Canada titles: Alone in an Untamed Land (shortlisted for the Red Cedar, Red Maple and Silver Birch Awards), The Death of My Country (Honour Book, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction) and Blood Upon Our Land. Her Circle of Silver trilogy includes a CLA Book of the Year Nominee. Under a Shooting Star was a Geoffrey Bilson Award Honour Book, and her picture book Claire’s Gift, set in Cape Breton, won the Mr. Christie’s Book Award. Another picture book, The Tiny Kite of Eddie Wing, was a CLA Book of the Year Award winner.
Maxine is also the author of Terry Fox, A Story of Hope, and dozens of other books.
* * *
Historical characters mentioned in this book: Governor General Vaudreuil; Captain Louis Vergor; Captain William Gordon of HMS Devonshire; Joshua Mauger, merchant; John and Elizabeth Bushell; James Cook, ship’s master; Mr. Richard Wise, ship’s purser; Second Lieutenant John Robson; Captain John Simcoe; Captain John Wheelock; William Thompson, bosun; Vice Admiral Saunders; Dr. James Jackson, surgeon; Admiral Durell; Joseph Jones, landsman; General James Wolfe; Dr. George John, surgeon on Prince of Orange; Bob Carty, a sailor on Pembroke; the Marquis de Montcalm; Intendant Bigot; Captain-Lieutenant Yorke; Mrs. Job; General Townsend, who replaced Wolfe; Mr. John Cleader, who replaced Cook aboard Pembroke.
Other books in the I AM CANADA series
Prisoner of Dieppe
World War II
Hugh Brewster
Blood and Iron
Building the Railway
Paul Yee
Shot at Dawn
World War I
John Wilson
Deadly Voyage
RMS Titanic
Hugh Brewster
Behind Enemy Lines
World War II
Carol Matas
A Call to Battle
The War of 1812
Gillian Chan
For more information please see the I AM CANADA website: www.scholastic.ca/iamcanada
While the events described and some of the characters in this book may be based on actual historical events and real people, William Jenkins is a fictional character created by the author, and his journal is a work of fiction.
Copyright © 2013 by Maxine Trottier. All rights reserved.
A Dear Canada Book. Published by Scholastic Canada Ltd.
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ISBN: 978-1-4431-2453-9
First eBook edition: February 2013