ranks. At length the light infantrygot themselves out of the way
and retired to the rear, where, having lost nearly all their officers,
they remained during the rest of the fight. Another struggle followed
for the house and mill of Dumont, of which the French again got
possession, to be again driven out; and it remained, as if by mutual
consent, unoccupied for some time by either party. For above an hour
more the fight was hot and fierce. "We drove them back as
long as we had ammunition for our cannon," says Sergeant
Johnson; but now it failed, and no more was to be had, because,
in the eccentric phrase of the sergeant, the tumbrils were "bogged
in deep pits of snow."

While this was passing on the English right, it fared still
worse with them on the left. The advance of the line was no
less disastrous here than there. It brought the troops close to
the woods which circled round to this point from the French
rear, and from which the Canadians, covered by the trees, now
poured on them a deadly fire. Here, as on the right, Levis had
ordered his troops to fall back for a time; but when the fire of
the English cannon ceased, they advanced again, and their
artillery, though consisting of only three pieces, played its part
with good effect. Hazen's rangers and MacDonald's volunteers
attacked and took the two adjacent blockhouses, but could not
hold them. Hazen was wounded, MacDonald killed, and their
party overpowered. The British battalions held their ground
till the French, whose superior numbers enabled them to extend
themselves on both sides beyond the English line, made a
furious attack on the left wing, in front and flank. The reserves
were ordered up, and the troops stood for a time in sullen
desperation under the storm of bullets; but they were dropping
fast in the blood-stained snow, and the order came at length
to fall back. They obeyed with curses: "Damn it, what is falling
back but retreating?"[830] The right wing, also outflanked,
followed the example of the left. Some of the corps tried to
drag off their cannon; but being prevented by the deep mud
and snow they spiked the pieces and abandoned them. The
French followed close, hoping to cut off the fugitives from
the gates of Quebec; till Levis, seeing that the retreat, though
precipitate, was not entirely without order, thought best to
stop the pursuit.

[Footnote 830: Knox, II. 295.]

The fight lasted about two hours, and did credit to both
sides. The Can