James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a Major-General of the British Army during the Seven Years' War. Wolfe rose to the rank of major at the age of eighteen and Lieutenant-Colonel at twenty-three, and he would be nicknamed "the Hero of Quebec" for his capture of Quebec at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 in a battle which cost him his life.
Biography[]
The son of a general, James Wolfe was an army officer at the age of 14 In 1746, he took part in the battle of Culloden, allegedly refusing an order to shoot a wounded Jacobite rebel. In 1758, Wolfe served as a brigadier under General Jeffery Amherst, in an expedition by land and sea that seized the key Frech North American fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island. He distinguished himself by his boldness and energy in this operation, and obtained command of an expedition to sail up the St. Lawrence River and attack Quebec.
Misguided plan[]
General Wolfe's death at Quebec in 1759
In late June 1759, Wolfe's forces reached Quebec. Fortified by Montcalm, the city appeared impregnable. On quarrelsome terms with his brigadiers and unsure how to proceed, on July 31, Wolfe launched an ill-conceived, badly executed frontal assault on the French defenses that failed dismally. His health broke under the strain and for much of August he was bedridden. In early September, accepting his brigadiers' suggestion to attack Montcalm from the rear, Wolfe made a reconnaissance that identified a path up the cliffs behind Quebec. On the night of September 12–13, he landed troops at the foot of the cliffs and by morning they had climbed to the Plains of Abraham. A French counterattack was defeated, leaving the British in control of Quebec. Wolfe was shot dead early in the battle. His death in victory ensured his place in the pantheon of British imperial heroes.