The Battle for Quebec, by Mason & Mays

The Battle for Quebec, by F. van Wyck Mason
dustjacket cover & illustrations by Victor Mays
North Star Books (Houghton-Mifflin) Boston 1965

Full disclosure: This was one of my favorite books, when I was about ten or twelve. The cover promised action, it was about a period of horse-and-musket warfare I was somewhat familiar with due to another of my favorite books, the area of the campaign was very near the area where I grew up, and the general tone went well with my public school sensibilities regarding the North American contribution to "modern warfare".

I just reread this book, and I have to say that enjoyed it even more, now that I have Wikipedia, and the Interlibrary Loan system, and the power of the 24-hour forum, to corroborate some of the facts, and to explain some of the specifics of the era.

F. van Wyck Mason, who wrote a variety of these "Books for Boys" campaign histories, has a particular style, but since I'm so familiar with the book, I barely notice it. I read this book, and liked it so much, at such a formative age, that Mason probably contributed heavily to my own weird sentence constructions.

The tragic hero of the piece, of course, is Wolfe, but Mason makes Montcalm a no-less sympathetic gentleman enemy, often mirroring their action within a chapter.

The real heroes of course, are the wide variety of forces, and their counterparts, that contribute to the long siege and final assault that culminated in the actual battle of the title, from British tars to Jacobite Highlanders to Light Infantry to Rangers to Grenadiers. French Maritimes and Canadian Militia. Huron, Iroquois, Ottawa, or Algonquin confederations that sweep down out of the forests to decide battles and fade away as quickly.

I've wondered before if a man wasn't as sick, or as desperately honorable as Wolfe, if he would've attempted to defy the lessons learned earlier in the war about utilizing linear battle tactics in 18th Century North America. Having his troops perform an overnight assault in secrecy, and form up between the walls of the citadel and the rear guard was certainly a desperate measure.

That it succeeded is kind of amazing.

I won't spoil the book for you otherwise. It'll take you about three hours to three days to read it. And it has a certain cinematic charm. I'll read it again, no doubt.

I should mention that the cover and the superb interior wash illustrations by the great Victor Mays greatly contribute to the mood and drama of the book, and its continued allure for me.

One of the formative "Books for Boys" of my youth, and one which I really enjoyed rereading.

"Standard" 28mm FIW Miniature Figures

I'm going to add some more info to this post, which is a list of sources, (and the shopping list), for "standard" 28mm FIW-compliant figures. Entire lovely ranges from Conquest and Front Rank, Woodland Indian Warriors galore from Perry and Crusader, some "personality pack" entries from Eureka, and a (near?)-future release of yet more AWI Woodland Indians in the Wargames Factory plastic figures ever-popular war party bargain box. I also noted some structures and possible sprues among the accessories at Perry, as well. Links, et cetera, to follow.

"Standard" 28mm FIW Miniature Figures

Conquest FIW Range

Front Rank FIW Range (available from the Warstore, Triangle)

Perry (AWI) Warriors (ditto?)

Crusader (AWI) Woodland Indians (US distributor?)

Eureka FIW Packs

Wargames Factory AWI Plastics (militia: compliant? natives: soon?)

Perry (Plastic) Structures or Accessories?

Homesick and More Artist Appreciation

I was watching a PBS special about the Adirondacks...

Saw some paintings by Winslow Homer...

and A. F. Tait...

And also found some other unattributed stuff, such as:

So, even though it's not exactly FIW-era, it still gives an excellent idea of the nature of the countryside, and the extent to which the residents hold the place dear.

Apparently Winslow Homer is my favorite artist. Based on the "hunting dogs" picture in our living room when I was little, A. F. Tait was my father's favorite artist. (Either him or the guy who did the Zane Grey paperback novel covers in the 70s.)

For my fellow lovers of the Adirondacks. At look at the enduring "nautical" spirit of a mountainous, "landlocked" place, the land of swamp and marsh and pond, the land of creek, stream and lake. Cheers.

Where, Again, Exactly?

A small list of a few of the many semi-obscure places where French and Indian War-era forts or their remnants can still be found in Upstate New York (that I remembered), with a brief note about which trade route they were supposed to be guarding.

Drainage/Trade Route

Place name: Fort(s) - Strategic Importance

Hudson River/Lake George/Lake Champlain/St. Lawrence River Trade Route

Lake George: William Henry - Lake George, southern end

Lake Champlain: Carillon/Ticonderoga - Lake Champlain, narrows at south end

Crown Point: St. Frédéric/Crown Point - Lake Champlain, narrows at south end

St. Lawrence Trade Route

Ogdensburg: Lévis, de La Présentation - St. Lawrence River near/at Oswegatchie River

 

Lake Ontario/Oswego River/Oneida Carry/Mohawk River/Hudson River Trade Route

Wood Creek: Stanwix - Connection (Great Lakes/St. Lawrence & Mohawk/Hudson systems)

Oswego: Ontario, Oswego - Oswego River entrance at east end of Lake Ontario

 

Points Beyond/Western Great Lakes/Niagara Portage/Lake Ontario/Points Beyond

Youngstown: Conti, Denonville, Niagara - Niagara Portage at west end of Lake Ontario

 

 

 

The French Forts of New York State

A list, with pictures, of some of the French forts of New York.

Fort de La Présentation at Ogdensburg, on the St. Lawrence River

Fort Lévis at Ogdensburg, on the St. Lawrence River

 Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga), on Lake Champlain

 

Fort St. Frédéric at Crown Point, on Lake Champlain



 Fort Conti/Denonville/Niagara at Youngstown, on Lake Ontario

For my edification, and further investigation.

The Ubiquitous Beaver

Interesting that so much of the four-way (nine-way?) conflict between Algonquin and Iroquois, French and British (Huron? Siouan? Dutch? Swedish? Spanish?) interests in 18th Century North America should be centered around the humble beaver, giant amphibious rodent, once living in huge numbers across the continent, and hunted to near extinction, much like its Eurasian cousin.

The Subway Plaque Commemorating a Famous Furrier

An Interesting Behavior: Dear Enemy Effect

Below is a very enlightening passage, which helped me to understand the broader 18th century economics involved in the beaver felt hat trade:

From: A Brief History of the Beaver Trade

In the seventeenth and eighteenth  centuries, beaver hats were  produced for sale domestically in  the French and British markets,  as well as for export.  The French  domestic market included  military  and naval contracts, as  well as consumer products sold on  the general market.  The majority  of their exports were shipped to  French colonies in the Caribbean,  Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Spanish  South America.^[6]  Britain's  exportation of beaver hats picked  up in the eighteenth century, after  the acquisition of much of the  Hudson Bay Territory of French  Canada following the War of  Spanish succession In the 1720's,  the British exported to their own  Caribbean colonies in Jamaica:  two dozen beaver hats and one  dozen half beaver hats); three  dozen half beavers to Bilbao; three  dozen beaver hats to Barbados;  and three dozen beaver hats and  three dozen felts to Calais.  By the  1730's, Britain "exported formerly by the dozens but now by the hundreds of beaver and half beaver hats to the British West Indies."^[7]  On the European continent, Britain was able to infiltrate the Iberian market.  From 1700 to 1750 the revenue from beaver hats shipped to Spain and Portugal, and then on to their colonies, increased from £44,000 to over £263,000.^[8]  Of Britain's fur exports, 85% were comprised of beaver hats, 45% of which were exchanged with Spain and Portugal for bullion.  Additional evidence regarding the sale of beaver hats in Europe demonstrates greater English sales in Holland and Germany, with French advantages in Switzerland, the Baltic, and smaller markets in Spain and Italy.^[9]

Of course a nice picture is always welcome:

Posted here purely because I like the style, giant beavers of the primeval past:

A toast to the industrious beaver, and the many lessons to be learned.

One last thought. Do an image search for "Beaver Lake" and check out how many states are represented, as well as how many provinces. Looking for the one (one?) in Minnesota (Seven Beaver Lake), I quickly found one in New York, North Carolina, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado, British Columbia... That's a testament to ubiquity right there.

Cheers.

Wiki Articles: The Little Ice Age, Felt Hats, Canoe Routes and Indigenous Empires

This page lists links to the many Wikipedia articles (and other interesting sites), that I will need to reread to develop an overall idea of the relationship of the Little Ice Age, the Beaver Felt Hat, the North American Fur Trade and the Canoe Routes of the Traders (Native American and otherwise) to the continual 18th Century struggle between what Wells called "Princes, Parliaments and Powers."

Expect a list of the many European and North American wars of the era, including an examination of the creation of the Iroquois Empire, the claims made for lands contained within it by the competing colonial entities of the time (from New France to British America to the new United States), as well as the many tribes and peoples displaced from it, along with their economic activities and way of life.

For now we'll start with cold winters, warm hats, important rivers, and very big canoes.

The Little Ice Age

North American Fur Trade

Beaver Felt Hats

North American Beaver

Canoe Routes of Early Canada

• St. Lawrence River basin
• Lake Champlain-Hudson River basin
• Upper Ohio River basin

Oneida Carry

Mohawk River

Ottawa River

Ohio River

Great Trail

Iroquois

Algonquin

Wyandot (Huron)

Economy of the Iroquois

Coreur des bois

Voyageurs

Beaver Wars

French and Indian Wars (plural)

List of Engagements Involving French Colonial Empire

List of Conflicts in 18th Century British America

18th Century Military History of Canada

Robert Rogers' Rules of Ranging

Long-Range Recon Patrol (History)

Canada, Colony of New France

The Royal Province of James II, Duke of York

Charlotina, Proposed Colony of British America

Ohio Country

Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands (US)

Mixed Plains Ecozone (Canada)

Here's the interesting quote of the day:

"The birch bark canoe was used in a 6,500 kilometres (4,000 mi) supply route from Montreal to the Pacific Ocean and the Mackenzie River, and continued to be used up to the end of the 19th century."

From this entry:

Canoe: History

And, since no post seems complete without some pictures, here are a few of canoes in use:

  

Reading and commenting on all of that material will take a while, but for now we have a list of the pertinent articles collected in one place, for ease of use. Similar posts to follow.