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An Authentic Plan of the River St. Laurence from Sillery, to the Fall of Montmorenci, with the Operations of the Siege of Quebec under the Command of Vice-Adml. Saunders & Major Genl. Wolfe down to the 5 Sepr. 1759

An Authentic Plan of the River St. Laurence from Sillery, to the Fall of Montmorenci, with the Operations of the Siege of Quebec under the Command of Vice-Adml. Saunders & Major Genl. Wolfe down to the 5 Sepr. 1759 Map
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Map

37 cm x 55 cm

London: published by Thomas Jefferys, circa 1759
MHS copy is plate number 16 from Atlas Des Colonies Angloises en Amerique (after 1777). [Title of atlas taken from manuscript title page.]


Drawn by an officer of the Royal Navy, this map depicts the British and French tactical positions at the time of the climatic battle on the Plains of Abraham, September 13, 1759. That engagement led to a French defeat and the deaths of both commanders, Montcalm and Wolfe; the city surrendered five days later. Wolfe’s overwhelming advantages are evident. The British fleet dominates the river, and British land forces control Isle of Orleans as well as the shore directly opposite Quebec. At “The Landing Place” (to the left on the Quebec side), Wolfe’s soldiers climbed the heights to a position behind the French during the night of September 12–13, thus forcing Montcalm to leave the city and do battle on the Plains of Abraham