terogeneous garrison had no power for
combined mobility. By six o'clock Wolfe had his whole force of
forty-three hundred men drawn up on the plateau, with their backs to the
river and their faces to the north. Leaving the Royal Americans, five
hundred forty strong, to guard the landing-place, and with a force thus
reduced to under four thousand he now marched toward the city, bringing
his left round at the same time in such fashion as to face the western
walls, scarcely a mile distant.

As Wolfe drew up his line of battle on that historic ridge of table-land
known as the Plains of Abraham, his right rested on the cliff above the
river, while his left approached the then brushy slope which led down
toward the St. Charles Valley. He had outmanoeuvred Montcalm; it now
remained only to crush him. Of this Wolfe had not much doubt, though
such confidence may seem sufficiently audacious for the leader of four
thousand men, with twice that number in front of him and half as many in
his rear, both forces commanded by brave and skilful generals. But Wolfe
counted on quality, not on numbers, which Montcalm himself realized were
of doubtful efficacy at this crucial moment.

The French general, in the mean time, had been expecting an attack all
night at Beauport, and his troops had been lying on their arms. It was
about six o'clock when the astounding news was brought him that the
British were on the plateau behind the city. The Scotch Jacobite, the
Chevalier Johnstone, who has left us an account of the affair, was with
him at the time, and they leaped on their horses--he to give the alarm
toward Montmorency, the general to hasten westward by Vaudreuil's
quarters to the city. "This is a serious business," said Montcalm to
Johnstone as he dug his spurs into his horse's flanks. Vaudreuil, who in
his braggart, amateur fashion had been "crushing the English" with pen
and ink and verbal eloquence this last six weeks, now collapsed, and
Montcalm, who knew what a fight in the open with Wolfe meant, hastened
himself to hurry forward every man that could be spared.

Fifteen hundred militia were left to guard the Beauport lines, while the
bulk of the army poured in a steady stream along the road to Quebec,
over the bridge of the St. Charles, some up the slopes beyond, others
through the tortuous streets of the city, on to the Plains of Abraham.
Montcalm, by some at the time, and by many since, has been blamed for
precipitating the conflict,