Battle of the Plains of Abraham

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was a battle between French and British soldiers on September 13, 1759. It was part of the French and Indian War, which was part of the Seven Years' War.

The battle took place on a plateau close to the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec City. The plateau was on land that was once owned by a farmer named Abraham Martin. For that reason, the land was named “the Plains of Abraham.”

Each side had about 4500 troops in the battle. The French soldiers, led by Louis de Montcalm, wore blue uniforms. The British soldiers, led by James Wolfe, wore red. Both leaders were young men. Both died in the battle.

The French had a fort on the Plains of Abraham. From rumors and spies, they knew that the British were coming. However, when the British arrived in June, the French were not prepared and did not have all of their troops with them. Many of the French troops were not trained as well as the British troops.

The British started a siege, which continued for three months. On September 13, the French attacked. The British resisted the attack. Eventually, the British took control of the battle. The French retreated and surrendered on September 18, 1759.

The war continued in 1760, and the British captured Montreal. New France was defeated, which took Canada away from France and made it part of the British Empire. However, in North America, France still controlled Louisiana, which was not conquered by the British and never became part of the British Empire.