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unmistakably。 Montcalm well understood what was meant。 He knew

that some intrigue had been working at court but he did not

suspect that the Governor himself; all blandness and compliments

to his face; was writing to Paris voluminous attacks on his

character and conduct。



In the next summer (1758) Montcalm won another great success。 He

lay with his forces at Ticonderoga。 The English were determined

to press into the heart of Canada by way of Lake Champlain。 All

through the winter; after the fall of Fort William Henry; they

had been making preparations on a great scale at Albany。 By this

time Amherst and Wolfe were on the scene in America; and they

spent this summer in an attack on Louisbourg which resulted in

the fall of the fortress。 On the old fighting ground of Lake

Champlain and Lake George; the English were this year making

military efforts such as the Canadian frontier had never before

seen。 William Pitt; who now directed the war from London; had

demanded that the colonies should raise twenty thousand men; a

number well fitted to dismay the timid legislators of New York

and Pennsylvania。 At Albany fifteen thousand men came marching in

by detachmentsa few of them regulars; but most of them colonial

militia who; as soon as winter came on; would scatter to their

homes。 The leader was General Abercrombya leader; needless to

say; with good connections in England; but with no other

qualification for high command。



On July 5; 1758; there was a sight on Lake George likely to cause

a flutter of anxiety in the heart of Montcalm at Ticonderoga。 In

a line of boats; six miles long; the great English host came down

the lake and; early on the morning of the sixth; landed before

the fort which Montcalm was to defend。 The soul of the army had

been a brilliant young officer; Lord Howe; who shared the

hardships of the men; washed his own linen at the brook; and was

the real leader trusted by the inept Abercromby。 It was a tragic

disaster for the British that at the outset of the fight Howe was

killed in a chance skirmish。 Montcalm's chief defense of

Ticonderoga consisted in a felled forest。 He had cut down

hundreds of trees and; on high ground in front of the fort; made

a formidable abbatis across which the English must advance。

Abercromby had four men to one of Montcalm。 Artillery would have

knocked a passage through the trunks of the trees which formed

the abbatis。 Abercromby; however; did not wait to bring up

artillery。 He was confident that his huge force could beat down

opposition by a rapid attack; and he made the attack with all

courage and persistence。 But the troops could not work through

the thicket of fallen trunks and; as night came on; they had to

withdraw baffled。 Next day Lake George saw another strange

spectaclea British army of thirteen thousand men; the finest

ever seen hitherto in America; retreating in a panic; with no

enemy in pursuit。 Nearly two thousand English had fallen; while

Montcalm's loss was less than four hundred。 He planted a great

cross on the scene of the fight with an inscription in Latin that

it was God who had wrought the victory。 All Canada had a brief

period of rejoicing before the gloom of final defeat settled down

upon the country。







CHAPTER IX。 Montcalm At Quebec



The rejoicing in Canada was brief。 Before the end of the year the

British were victorious at both the eastern and western ends of

the long battle…line。 Louisbourg had fallen in July; Fort

Duquesne; in November。 Fort Frontenacgiving command of Lake

Ontario and; with it; the Westhad surrendered to Bradstreet in

August just after Montcalm's victory at Ticonderoga。 The Ohio was

gone。 The great fortress guarding the gateway to the Gulf was

gone。 The next English attack would fall on Quebec。 Montcalm had

told Vaudreuil in the autumn; with vigorous precision; that the

period of petty warfare; for taking scalps and burning houses;

was past。 It was time now to defend the main trunk of the tree

and not the outer branches。 The best Canadians should be

incorporated into and trained in the battalions of regulars。 The

militia regiments themselves should be clothed and drilled like

regular soldiers。 Interior posts; such as Detroit; should be held

by the smallest possible number of men。 This counsel enraged

Vaudreuil。 Montcalm; he wrote; was trying to upset everything。

Vaudreuil was certain that the English would not attack Quebec。



There is a melancholy greatness in the last days of Montcalm。 He

was fighting against fearful odds。 With only about three thousand

trained regulars and perhaps four times as many untrained

Canadians and savages; he was confronting Britain's might on sea

and land which was now thrown against New France。 From France

itself Montcalm knew that he had nothing to hope。 In the autumn

of 1758 he sent Bougainville to Versailles。 That brilliant and

loyal helper managed to elude the vigilance of the British fleet;

reached Versailles; and there spent some months in varied and

resourceful attempts to secure aid for Canada。 He saw ministers。

He procured the aid of powerful connections of his own and of his

fellow…officers in Canada。 He went to what was at this time the

fountainhead of authority at the French court; and it was not the

King。 〃The King is nothing;〃 wrote Bougainville; 〃the Marchioness

is all…powerfulprime minister。〃 Bougainville saw the

Marchioness; Madame de Pompadour; and read to her some of

Montcalm's letters。 She showed no surprise and said nothingher

habit; as Bougainville said。 By this time the name of Montcalm

was one to charm with in France。 Bougainville wrote to him 〃I

should have to include all France if I should attempt to give a

list of those who love you and wish to see you Marshal of France。

Even the little children know your name。〃 There had been a time

when the court thought the recall of Montcalm would be wise in

the interests of New France。 Now it was Montcalm's day and the

desire to help him was real。 France; however; could do little。

Ministers were courteous and sympathetic; but as Berryer;

Minister of Marine; said to Bougainville; with the house on fire

in France; they could not take much thought of the stable in

Canada。



This Berryer was an inept person。 He was blindly ignorant of

naval affairs; coarse; obstinate; a placeman who owed his

position to intrigue and favoritism。 His only merit was that he

tried to cut down expenditure; but in regard to the navy this

policy was likely to be fatal。 It is useless; said this guardian

of France's marine; to try to rival Britain on the sea; and the

wise thing to do is to save money by not spending it on ships。

Berryer even sold to private persons stores which he had on hand

for the use of the fleet。 If the house was on fire he did not

intend; it would seem; that much should be left to burn。 The old


Due de Belle…Isle; Minister of War; was of another type; a fine

and efficient soldier。 He explained the situation frankly in a

letter to Montcalm。 Austria was an exigent ally; and Frederick of

Prussia a dangerous foe。 France had to concentrate her strength

in Europe。 The British fleet; he admitted; paralyzed efforts

overseas。 There was no certainty; or even probability; that

troops and supplies sent from France would ever reach Canada。

France; the Duke said guardedly; was not without resources。 She

had a plan to strike a deadly blow against England and; in doing

so; would save Canada without sending overseas a great army。 The

plan was nothing less than the invasion of England and Scotland

with a great force; the enterprise which; nearly half a century

later; Napoleon conceived as his master stroke against the proud

maritime state。 During that winter and spring France was building

a great number of small boats with which to make a sudden descent

and to land an army in England。



If this plan succeeded; all else would succeed。 Montcalm must

just hold on; conduct a defensive campaign and; above all; retain

some part of Canada since; as the Duke said with prophetic

foresight; if the British once held the whole of the country they

would never give it up。 Montcalm himself had laid before the

court a plan of his own。 He estimated that the British would have

six men to his one。 Rather than surrender to them; he would

withdraw to the far interior and take his army by way of the Ohio

to Louisiana。 The design was a wild counsel of despair for he

would be cut off from any base of supplies; but it shows the

risks

he was ready to tale。 In him now the court had complete

confidence。 Vaudreuil was instructed to take no military action

without seeking the counsel of Montcalm。 〃The King;〃 wrote

Belle…Isle to Montcalm; 〃relies upon your zeal; your courage and

your resolution。〃 Some little help was sent。 The British control

of the sea was not complete; since more than twenty French ships

eluded British vigilance; bringing military stores; food (for

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