The Campaign of 1760 in Canada | Page 8

The sandy ground protected us from the effect of their shells, which
they threw upon us in great numbers, with a continual fire from their
gun batteries.

After sixteen days' siege with a most violent cannonade, without a
moment's interruption, M. Nogaire, an officer in the Regiment of Royal
Roussillon, came to us from Montreal, having crossed directly through
the woods, with some Indians for his guides, with two letters from De
Bougainville, one of which was from him to Vaudreuil, and the other
from M. de Levis. It was a very critical conjuncture, having only two
days' provision for the garrison, which had subsisted until the arrival of
the English troops by means of fishing-nets, that river abounding with
the most delicious fish, with seven or eight oxen, which had been kept
as a reserve and killed by the enemy's cannon. M. de Vaudreuil's letter
contained a permission to M. de Bougainville to capitulate or retire
from the island if it was possible. M. de Levis' letter was a positive
order to defend that post to the last extremity. De Bougainville,
notwithstanding his genius, good sense and learning, with personal
courage, and who lacked only taste for the study of the art of war to
distinguish himself, was nevertheless put to a nonplus how to act from
the contradictory orders he received. In this dilemma he shewed me the
letters, asking at the same time my advice; and my answer was:--"That
in two days famine must oblige us to surrender to the enemy at
discretion. That the reinforcements of a thousand men at Montreal
might be of the greatest importance, and help to make a good
countenance when the English army had advanced in the neighborhood
of it. That it was M. de Vaudreuil who commanded-in-chief in Canada,
and not M. de Levis; and that there was yet a possibility of retiring with
the garrison towards the north side of the island, where the swampy
ground upon the border of the river had hindered the English from
establishing a post." De Bougainville immediately decided for a retreat,
which was executed and combined with equal justness; and the success
answered exactly to the prudence, wisdom and good conduct that De
Bougainville exhibited in preparing for it. It was then about ten in the
morning when Nogaire arrived with the Indians, who--not accustomed
to such a terrible fire as was at that moment poured forth by the English
batteries, very different from their way of fighting behind trees--were
not at all at ease, and furiously impatient to get out of the island. The
hour of retreat was settled for ten that night.
The north shore of Isle aux Noix, on the opposite side of the river, was

marshy to the distance of three hundred paces from the river, covered
with small trees where there was a rising ground, and there was no
English post nearer to it than at the Prairie de Boileau, distant half a
mile down the river, so that the locality where the river was fordable
was a little below the north staccados. De Bougainville adopted every
prudent measure imaginable to achieve success. He ordered all the
boats to be mended and put in condition to be used at a moment's
warning. He also ordained that the boats, bark canoes, and punts hewn
out of a large tree, be removed a certain distance from the river side,
lest some soldier should desert and apprise the English of his design,
such as had happened from the posts near Quebec. He commanded that
all the garrison should be in order of battle at ten at night, all observing
a profound silence, without the least clashing of arms or other noise,
and be in readiness to march. He ordered M. le Borgne, an officer in the
colonial troops, to remain on the island with a detachment of forty men,
to keep up a smart fire from our battery, which consisted of seven or
eight pieces of cannon, during the time we were employed in passing
the river, in order to hinder the English from hearing us in our
operations, and to continue firing whilst ammunition lasted, and to
conceal our retreat as long as it was possible to do so.
We began to cross the river in two lighters, with some small boats,
about ten at night. They plied continually to and fro until midnight,
when all had crossed the river without the enemy perceiving or even
suspecting our operation, although so near to us were their posts on
their left that we heard distinctly their voices. All was executed without
the least noise, disorder, or confusion--a rare occurrence on such an
occasion. Le Borgne acted well, and at the same time economized his
ammunition so well that he had wherewith to fire