The Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 and the subsequent
capitulation of Quebec set the stage for an equally significant
French-British engagement in the struggle for northeastern North
America, the Battle of Sainte-Foy.
In the spring of 1760, after having suffered a brutal winter, Quebec
garrison commander James Murray's troops were vulnerable and reduced to
an army of skeletal invalids due to malnutrition and scurvy. Trapped in
hostile territory and lacking confidence in the fortifications of
Quebec, Murray planned to confront French attackers outside the walls.
Instead of waiting at Montreal for the British to attack, Montcalm's
successor, François-Gaston de Lévis, returned to the plains for a
rematch accompanied by every combatant available--French regulars,
Canadian militia and First Peoples warriors. The ensuing Battle of
Sainte-Foy was less a battle for territory than a struggle for survival
between two equally desperate adversaries. If the British lost the
battle, they would lose Quebec. If the French lost the battle, they
would very likely lose Canada--both the French and the British had their
backs to the wall.
MacLeod presents this historical event in riveting detail, from the
preparation and day-by-day actions during the engagement to the
compelling siege of Quebec by land and ship. Backs to the Wall is an
accessible and engaging account of an important episode in Canadian
history.
