A fascinating profile of two generals who shaped history.

In 1759, after the battle on the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec City, the English general James Wolfe and the French general, Louis-Joseph Montcalm lay mortally wounded, each hit by a sniper's bullet. Neither could know that the outcome on the Plains of Abraham would shape the history of both the United States and Canada.

After researching letters and journals and reading dozens of books, Joy Carroll has written a compelling account of the lives and times of the two generals which is both intimate and entertaining while maintaining the highest standards of historical accuracy. The generals shed their stuffy textbook images and emerge as real people who were brave, ambitious and colorful and coped with trials that would have broken the spirits of lesser men.

Wolfe and Montcalm is packed with fascinating accounts of the generals' mothers, lovers, friends, enemies, kings and moments of consuming passion, and the events that led up to the battle that changed the course of history. Find out what these men were really like. Read the true story of how they ended up in the French colony. How the British government failed Wolfe and the rulers of France abandoned Montcalm and how Wolfe won. Although the battle on the Plains of Abraham is the centerpiece of this work, the book also presents a rich tapestry of eighteenth century North America, France and England.

Wolfe and Montcalm is the behind-the-scenes story of the two generals, Wolfe and Montcalm who unknowingly changed the fate of a continent. With hindsight, one could say that the battle of the Plains of Abraham might have ended differently. Wolfe was lucky and took some risks; Montcalm didn't have the supoport of all his troops, (some militia units were held at Beauport by Governor Vaudreuil). Under different conditions, the French might have won.

Th generals remain dim figures to us. However, they were real men, with real problems. They were ambitious, courageous men (Wolfe was 31 and Montcalm, 47) but their attitudes toward war, for instance, was very different. Wolfe was eager and blooodthirsty, Montcalm had been wounded six times and was now cool. We do know Wolfe drank very little wine and ate little food. Montcalm loved wine and imported treats for himself. Both were passionate about the women they loved; neither was fond of gambling, though it was a current past-time.

After researching letters and journals and reading dozens of books, I was fascinated by them both and the times in which they lived. Perhaps Wolfe and Montcalm will come alive for the reader, as they have for me.

Prologue

1. Wolfe's Military Heritage
2. Horrors and Heroics
3. Montcalm's Army Career
4. Whispers at Court
5. Siege of Fort William Henry
6. Ticonderoga: Montcalm's Stunning Victory
7. Unrest in the Colony
8. The Walls of Louisbourg
9. The Worst Posting in Canada
10. The King and His Mistress
11. Hoping for Another Miracle
12. Bitter Exchanges: Townshend and Wolfe
13. Montmorency Falls: Wolfe's First Major Defeat
14. General Wolfe Is on the Recovery
15. Wolfe's Letter to Pitt
16. A Hazardous Scheme
17. Enemy Forces Seem Considerable
18. The Plains of Abraham
19. Wolfe Killed, Montcalm Fatally Wounded
20. Holding the Fort
21. A Public Scandal
22. A Final Clash
23. The Honours of War

Afterword
Bibliography
Index