In the meantime the siege of Ticonderoga was prosecuted with vigour by the troops under Lieut.-General Amherst, and on the 25th of July the garrison blew up the fort, and sailed to Crown Point, another fort on Lake Champlain, which place the French also abandoned, and retired down the lake to Isle aux Noix; Crown Point was occupied by the British on the 4th of August following.
The operations against Quebec by the troops under Major-General James Wolfe, caused the year to end in a most triumphant manner to the British Arms. The battle fought on the 13th of September, 1759, on the Heights of Abraham, in which the Major-General was killed, led to the surrender of Quebec, which capitulated five days afterwards.
While the above operations were being performed, Lieut.-General Amherst found that the command of Lake Champlain was still an object of some difficulty, although the retreat of the French from Crown Point and Ticonderoga had left him master of Lake George. In October the troops embarked in boats, and proceeded a considerable distance along the lake, but the season became too advanced for operations, which were postponed to the following year, and the force returned to Crown Point and Ticonderoga for winter-quarters.
1760
The French endeavoured to regain possession of Quebec, and after the battle of Sillery fought before that place on the 28th of April, 1760, in which, from their superiority in numbers they had the advantage, trenches were immediately opened by them before the town. The arrival of the English fleet in May dissipated all fears for the safety of Quebec, and nothing now remained to cloud the prospect of the reduction of Canada, by the united efforts of three British armies, which, by different routes, were marching to attack those parts of the country that remained in the power of France.
A large army was collected at Oswego by Lieut.-General Amherst, which the FORTY-SIXTH regiment joined in the afternoon of the 6th of August. The whole army embarked on the 10th of August, and the grenadiers, amounting to about six hundred men, were embodied, and placed under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Eyre Massey of the FORTY-SIXTH regiment. Dispositions were afterwards made for the attack of Fort Levi, on L'Isle Royale, and after two days' sharp firing, the fort surrendered on the 25th of August, of which Lieut.-Colonel Massey, with three companies of grenadiers, took possession.
After spending some days in repairing this post, and in fitting out the vessels for passing the troops down the river St. Lawrence, the most difficult part of which was now to be encountered; notwithstanding all precautions, nearly ninety men were drowned in passing the dangerous falls, and a great number of vessels broke to pieces. After a tedious voyage the British came in sight of the Island of Montreal on the 6th of September.
The troops were immediately landed, and all dispositions were made for attacking the place, and so excellently was the plan concerted, that Brigadier-General the Honorable James Murray landed from Quebec on that very day, and Colonel Haviland with his force from Isle-au-Noix on the following day.
The Marquis of Vaudreuil, the French Governor-General, saw himself entirely enclosed, and was compelled to surrender the garrison of Montreal on the 8th of September; thus was completed the Conquest of Canada, which vast country has since continued under the dominion of Great Britain.
1761