Quebec:The Story of Three Sieges: A Military History - Tapa dura

This book chronicles the three very different sieges of Quebec and sheds new light on these pivotal eighteenth-century conflicts. This book is being published to mark the 250th anniversary of the siege of Quebec. But unlike other books on this celebrated event, this account is set against a much wider canvas. The book is divided into three parts: each telling the story of one of the three eighteenth-century sieges of Quebec. There will be illustrations and maps included. By chronicling the events of three very different sieges, across two separate eighteenth-century conflicts, Dr Manning offers an exciting new perspective on events. He does not just concern himself with the celebrated siege by Wolfe in 1759. The importance of Quebec and the role it played during both the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence is fundamental. The geographical position of the city is emphasised to show how the city played such a vital part in eighteenth-century conflicts. The power of the city to draw historical figures such as Benedict Arnold and George Washington is described. The British attached enormous importance to its capture of North America from the French, all this being explained in the fuller context of The Seven Years War. But at all times the author concentrates on the detail of military strategy. The final battle on The Plains of Abraham is chronicled by a detailed analysis of Wolfe's genius and the reasons for his military success. The conflict was however far from over. At the battle of St Foy in 1760, the French beat the British and laid siege to Quebec once again. They failed however and the intervention of The Royal Navy in May then proved decisive as the British were finally able to force the French Army back to Montreal and capture the city. But Britain's relations with her new North American colonial subjects quickly turned sour, leading directly to the outbreak of war between Britain and her American subjects. The final siege of Quebec was by the Americans in 1776. It failed and the future of Canada as a separate political entity was assured. This is a thrilling tale told with consummate skill and real narrative pace.

Dr Stephen Manning is Honorary Research Fellow in the University of Exeter History department. He specializes in Victorian Military History and lectures widely, most recently at The Royal Engineer's Museum and The National Army Museum.