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.