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{{short description|1760 battle in Quebec during the Seven Years' War}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Sainte-Foy
| conflict = Battle of Sainte-Foy
|partof=the [[French and Indian War]]
| partof = the [[Seven Years' War]]<br />the [[French and Indian War]]
|image=[[Image:Battle of Sainte-Foy.jpg|300px]]
| image = Battle of Sainte-Foy.jpg
|caption=The ''' ''Battle of Sainte-Foy'' ''' by George B. Campion, watercolour.
| image_size = 300px
|date=[[April 28]], [[1760]]
| caption = The ''Battle of Sainte-Foy'' by [[George B. Campion]], watercolour.
|place=[[Quebec City]], [[Quebec]]
| date = April 28, 1760
|result=Stalemate, successful British defence of Quebec, General Levis retreats to Montreal
| place = [[Quebec City|Quebec]], [[Canada, New France]] (present-day [[Canada]])
|combatant1=[[France]]
| coordinates = {{coord|46|48|08|N|71|14|31|W|display=inline}}
|combatant2=[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]]
| result = French victory
|commander1=[[François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis|François Gaston de Lévis]]
| combatant1 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}}
|commander2=[[James Murray (military officer)|James Murray]]
*{{flagicon|New France}} [[Canada (New France)|Colony of Canada]]
|strength1=2,600 regulars<br>2,400 militia<ref>Lévis commanded a total of 6,910 officers, soldiers, and militia on his expedition from Montreal. By his estimates his army at Sainte-Foy numbered about 5,000, although he reported that more than 1,400 of these, including a regular [[brigade]] and his cavalry, did not participate in the action. His native allies, it seems, took no part in the fighting, although they reappeared at the end of the battle to reap their share of prisoners.[http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_536.asp#endnote_19]</ref>
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
|strength2=3,800 regulars<br>20 guns
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis|François Gaston de Lévis]]
|casualties1=833 dead or wounded
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[James Murray (Quebec governor)|James Murray]]
|casualties2=1,124 dead or wounded
| strength1 = 5,000 regulars and militia<ref>Chartrand, Appendix D, p. 230. Lévis commanded around 5,910 officers, soldiers, and militia on his expedition from Montreal. By his estimates his army at Sainte-Foy numbered about 5,000, although he reported that more than 1,400 of these, including a regular [[brigade]] and his cavalry, did not participate in the action. His native allies, it seems, took no part in the fighting, although they reappeared at the end of the battle to reap their share of prisoners.</ref>
| strength2 = 3,800 regulars<br />27 guns
| casualties1 = 193 killed <br />640 wounded<ref name="The Fall of New France p.73">The Fall of New France p.73</ref>
| casualties2 = 259 killed <br />829 wounded<ref name="The Fall of New France p.73"/><br>20 guns lost
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox French and Indian War}}
}}
{{Campaignbox French and Indian War}}
The '''Battle of Sainte-Foy''', sometimes called the '''Battle of Quebec (1760)''', was fought on [[April 28]], [[1760]] in [[Quebec City, Quebec]], [[Canada]] during the [[Seven Years' War]] (called the [[French and Indian War]] in the United States). It was a victory for the [[France|French]] under the [[François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis|Chevalier de Lévis]] over the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] army under [[James Murray (1764-1768)|General Murray]].
 
The '''Battle of Sainte-Foy''' ({{langx|fr|Bataille de Sainte-Foy}}) sometimes called the '''Battle of Quebec''' ({{langx|fr|Bataille du Quebec}}), was fought on April 28, 1760, near the British-held town of [[Quebec City|Quebec]] in the French province of [[Canada, New France|Canada]] during the [[Seven Years' War]] (called the [[French and Indian War]] in the United States). It was a victory for the [[France|French]] under the [[François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis|Chevalier de Lévis]] over the [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] army under [[James Murray (Quebec governor)|General Murray]]. The battle was notably bloodier than the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]] of the previous September, with 833 French casualties to 1,124 British casualties.
==Course of battle==
[[Image:General Lévis encouraging his French army at the battle of Sainte-Foy.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Chevalier de Lévis rallies his army.]]
After retreating from Quebec after the disaster of the [[Plains of Abraham]] on [[September 13]], [[1759]], the French army regrouped in [[Montreal]] under General Lévis. Meanwhile the British army, left behind in Quebec after the fleet sailed at the end of October 1759, suffered from hunger, [[scurvy]] and the travails of living in a city largely destroyed in the [[siege]].
 
InAt April [[1760]], Lévis returned to Quebec with an army of over seven thousand men, including Canadian [[militia]] and [[First Nations]] warriors. He hoped to besiege Quebec and force its surrender infirst the spring, when he expected a French fleet to arrive. Murray felt that his army was too small to defend adequately the walls of Quebec, which had not been improved much since the fall. He therefore moved some 3,800 men into the field, all he could muster, along with over twenty [[cannon]]s, to the same position that [[Montcalm]] had occupied on September 13, 1759. Rather than waiting for the French to advance, however, he took the gamble of going on the offensive. At first heBritish had some success, but the advance masked histheir artillery, while the [[infantry]] became bogged down in the mud and melting snowdrifts of the late spring. The battle turned into a two-hour fight at close range; eventually, as more French soldiers joined the fray, the French turned the British flanks, forcing theMurray Britishto realize his mistake and to retreatrecall the British back to Quebec without their guns, which Lévis then turned on the city.
 
==CasualtiesBackground==
[[New France]] had suffered significant setbacks in the 1758 campaigns of the [[French and Indian War]]. Its [[Fortress Louisbourg|fortress at Louisbourg]] was [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|lost in a siege]] by British forces, and [[Fort Duquesne]] was abandoned to another advancing British army. The situation got worse in 1759 when [[Battle of Ticonderoga (1759)|Fort Carillon]] and [[Battle of Fort Niagara|Fort Niagara]] were taken by the British, and the key city of [[Quebec City|Quebec]] fell after [[Siege of Quebec (1759)|a prolonged siege]] and the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]] of September 13, 1759. The French army regrouped in [[Montreal]] under General [[François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis|Chevalier de Lévis]]. Meanwhile, the British army, left behind in Quebec after the fleet sailed at the end of October 1759, suffered from hunger, [[scurvy]] and the difficulties of living in a city that they had largely destroyed in the siege.
The British army lost over one thousand, killed and wounded (three-quarters of the officers of the Fraser Highlanders were killed or wounded) and the French almost nine hundred casualties, making the Battle of Sainte-Foy one of the bloodiest engagements ever fought on Canadian soil.
 
In April 1760, Lévis returned to Quebec with an army of over 7,000 men, including Canadien [[militia]] and [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] warriors. He hoped to besiege Quebec and force its surrender in the spring, when he expected a French fleet to arrive in his support
==Aftermath==
 
Lévis was, however, unable to retake Quebec City. The British garrison withstood a feeble siege until the arrival of [[Royal Navy|naval]] reinforcements. The French fleet never arrived, France's naval hopes having been smashed at Quiberon Bay the previous autumn&mdash;and when HMS ''Lowestoft'' raised its flag as it neared Quebec, Lévis raised the siege and retreated to Montreal, where he surrendered in September to overwhelming British force.
General [[James Murray (Quebec governor)|James Murray]], left in command at Quebec, believed that his army was too small to adequately defend the walls of Quebec, which had not been improved since the British capture of the town. He therefore moved some 3,800 men into the field, all he could muster, along with over twenty [[cannon]], to the same position that [[Louis-Joseph de Montcalm|Montcalm]] had occupied for the 1759 battle. Rather than wait for the French to advance, however, he took the gamble of going on the offensive.
 
==Battle==
 
===Forces===
Lévis commanded 6,910 soldiers, including 3,889 in eight regular battalions. [[Compagnies Franches de la Marine]] comprised two more battalions. The remainder of his army was made up of Canadien militia, plus a handful of native allies. Of this force, approximately 5,000 and only three cannons were present on the field of Sainte-Foy.<ref name="Brumwell, p. 257">Brumwell, p. 257</ref>
[[File:General Levis encouraging his French army at the battle of Sainte-Foy.jpg|thumb|The French general [[François Gaston de Lévis|Chevalier de Lévis]] rallies his army prior to the battle. He commanded regulars of the [[Compagnies Franches de la Marine]] and units of the [[Canadian militia|Canadien militia]].]]
Murray's 3,886-man force consisted of ten regular battalions, a converged light infantry battalion, and two companies of [[Rogers' Rangers|rangers]]. In order to cover the entire plateau, the battalions were each drawn up in two ranks with three-foot gaps between files, instead of the normal elbow-to-elbow formation. There were 40-yard intervals between battalions.<ref>Brumwell, p. 255</ref> The light infantry covered the right flank. In order, from right to left, were the [[48th Foot]], [[15th Foot]], [[58th Foot]], 2nd battalion of the [[60th Foot]], [[43rd Foot]], [[47th Foot]], [[78th Fraser Highlanders|78th Foot]], and [[28th Foot]]. The rangers and some volunteers covered the left flank. In reserve behind the right flank stood the [[35th Foot]], while the 3rd battalion of the 60th formed the left flank reserve. The infantry were supported by 20 cannons and two howitzers.<ref name="Brumwell, pp. 256-257">Brumwell, pp. 256–257</ref> One sergeant recorded that the British army was "a poor pitiful handful of half starved [[scurvy|scorbutic]] skeletons."<ref>Brumwell, p. 153</ref>
 
===North flank===
Observing that the French army was still deploying, Murray resolved to strike his enemies before they were ready. As the British advanced, Lévis pulled his three formed right wing brigades back into the Sillery Woods. At this time, the French left wing had not yet deployed. The British light infantry drove some French grenadiers out of a windmill on the right flank. Pursuing, they soon ran into trouble. The French left wing troops aggressively attacked and scattered the light infantry. Murray committed the 35th Foot from his reserve and restored the right flank of the British line.<ref name="Brumwell, p. 257"/> However, a bitter struggle for possession of the windmill continued.<ref>Brumwell, pp. 259–260</ref>
 
===Decision===
The British left flank troops captured some redoubts, but then Lévis launched a powerful counterattack with his right wing. Murray sent in his final reserve, the 3/60th to stop this attack. He also pulled out the 43rd Foot from his center, which Levis had mostly ignored, and moved it to support his left flank. However, the British left flank finally gave way after suffering heavy losses, and the line collapsed from left to right. Lévis later claimed that he tried to cut the British off from Quebec, but a mischance allowed his enemies to escape. Instead of attacking straight ahead, as ordered, one of his right wing brigades went astray, heading over to help the left wing.<ref name="Brumwell, pp. 256-257"/>
 
At the beginning of the action the numerous British cannon kept the French attacks at bay. The French advance gained momentum when the guns began to run out of ammunition. When Murray ordered the line forward, their ammunition carts had become bogged in the snow. The British spiked and abandoned their guns in the retreat.<ref>Brumwell, p. 261</ref>
 
==Result==
 
===Casualties===
The British army suffered 292 killed, 837 wounded, and 53 captured, for a total of 1,182 casualties. The French lost 833 men, including 193 killed and 640 wounded.<ref>Brumwell, p. 258</ref> The 15th Foot lost 138 out of 386 soldiers of all ranks, or 34% casualties.<ref>Brumwell, p. 259</ref> Three-quarters of the officers of the Fraser Highlanders (78th) were killed or wounded. This makes the Battle of Sainte-Foy one of the bloodiest engagements ever fought on Canadian soil.{{cn|date=December 2020}}
 
===Failed siege===
{{further|Siege of Quebec (1760)}}
Lévis was, however, unable to retake Quebec. The British retreated behind the city's walls, and withstood Lévis' feeble siege until the arrival of [[Royal Navy|naval]] reinforcements in May. The French fleet never arrived, because France's naval hopes were smashed at [[Battle of Quiberon Bay|Quiberon Bay]] the previous fall and the few supply ships sent from France were lost in the [[Bay of Chaleur]] in the [[Battle of Restigouche]]. [[HMS Lowestoffe (1756)|HMS ''Lowestoffe'']] raised her flag as she neared Quebec followed by [[HMS Diana (1757)|HMS ''Diana'']], and [[HMS Vanguard (1748)|HMS ''Vanguard'']] under Commodore Swanton which then [[Battle of Pointe-aux-Trembles|destroyed Levis' support ships]] on the Saint Lawrence. He quickly raised the siege and retreated to Montreal, where he surrendered in September to overwhelming British forces that [[Montreal Campaign|approached the city from three directions]].
 
==Memory==
[[File:Avenue des Braves monument.JPG|thumb|right|The ''Monument des Braves'', which commemorates the Battle of St. Foy.]]
"The Monument des Braves," in Quebec in 1863, commemorated the Battle of Sainte-Foy. It began a wave of commemorations that took place across Canada between 1850 and 1930. They were designed to create positive memories, leave out the harshness of the British conquest, and bring Anglophones and Francophones closer together.<ref>Patrice Groulx, "La Commemoration de la Bataille de Sainte-Foy: du discours de la Loyaute a la 'Fusion des Races," ["Commemoration of the Battle of Sainte-Foy: from the discourse of loyalty to the "fusion of the races"] ''Revue d'histoire de L'Amerique francaise'' (2001) 55#1 pp 45–83.</ref>
 
The battle and its aftermath, with the fruits of the French victory snatched by the arrival of British warships, was dramatized by [[Literary modernism|modernist]] poet [[F. R. Scott]] in, "On the Terrace, Quebec":
 
{{quote|<poem>
I think of the English troops
imprisoned in the broken city
in the spring of 1760
waiting the first ship.
 
Whose flag would it fly?
 
And the other army,
victorious at Ste. Foy,
still strong,
watching.
 
Suddenly, round the bend,
masts and sails
begin to finger the sky.
 
The first question is answered.
</poem>}}
 
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
<references />
 
==References==
{{Commons category}}
* Brumwell, Stephen (2002). ''Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755–1763''. New York: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-80783-2}}
*{{cite book | first=Rene | last=Chartrand | title=Canadian Military Heritage | url=http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_536.asp#endnote_19 | publisher=Casemate Publishing | year=2000 | isbn=2-920718-51-7 | access-date=2006-05-19 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010232948/http://www.cmhg.gc.ca/cmh/en/page_536.asp#endnote_19 | archive-date=2006-10-10 | url-status=dead }}
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