Montcalm And Wolfe
Two Men Who Forever Changed the Course of Canadian History
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The national bestseller that tells the story of Wolfe and Montcalm and the Plains of Abraham
In September 1759, a small band of British troops led by James Wolfe scaled the tall cliff overlooking a farmer’s field owned by Abraham Martin and overpowered the French garrison that protected the area, allowing the bulk of the British army to ascend the cliff behind and attack the French who, led by Louis-Joseph Montcalm, were largely unaware of Wolfe’s tactics. The battle that ensued on what would become known as the Plains of Abraham would forever shape the geography and politics of Canada.
Montcalm and Wolfe, written by one of the finest writers this country has ever produced, is the epic story of this battle told through the lives of the two generals, Wolfe and Montcalm. The book is a dual biography of the men and their most famous battle written by a master storyteller. What kind of life did they have before they took up arms? What were the two men really like? And, most importantly, what forces brought the two men to face each other in a battle that forged a nation?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham lives on in Quebec history as a singular misfortune. Carrier (The Hockey Sweater) delves into the world that begot the battle through the lives and actions of the two opposite commanding generals, James Wolfe and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. The book follows their separate paths until they fatefully collide above Quebec City and the after-math. Carrier keeps his account factual and unembellished, though there is the occasional hint of French bias. Readers can glean what life was like in the French colony and how the wars be-tween France and England impacted everyone who lived there. Carrier shows that the colony's higher ups profited handsomely at the expense of New France, quickening its ultimate takeover. Squabbling between Montcalm and the governor didn't help either. Despite all the strikes against the French colonists, they stood against the English, resisting in pockets even after the battle on the plains. Carrier posits that everyone, from the Canadien farmers to the soldiers to the generals to the colony as a whole, were pawns in a power struggle between their rulers. This is an enlightening account of a long lamented battle in its greater context.
