Maj. Gen. James Peter Wolfe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wolfe

Major General James P. Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada. The son of a distinguished general, Lieutenant-General Edward Wolfe, he had received his first commission at a young age and saw extensive service in Europe where he fought during the War of the Austrian Succession. His service in Flanders and in Scotland, where he took part in the suppression of the Jacobite Rebellion, brought him to the attention of his superiors. The advancement of his career was halted by the Peace Treaty of 1748 and he spent much of the next eight years in garrison duty in the Scottish Highlands.

The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756 offered Wolfe fresh opportunities for advancement. His part in the aborted attack on Rochefort in 1757 led William Pitt to appoint him second-in-command of an expedition to capture Louisbourg. Following the success of this operation he was made commander of a force designated to sail up the Saint Lawrence River to capture Quebec. After a lengthy siege Wolfe defeated a French force under Montcalm allowing British forces to capture the city. Wolfe was killed at the height of the battle due to injuries from three musket balls.

Wolfe's part in the taking of Quebec in 1759 earned him posthumous fame and he became an icon of Britain's victory in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion. He was depicted in the painting The Death of General Wolfe. This painting became very famous around the world. Wolfe was posthumously dubbed "The Conqueror of Quebec", and also "The Conqueror of Canada" since the capture of Quebec led directly to the capture of Montreal which ended French control of the country.

Major General James P. Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada. The son of a distinguished general, Lieutenant-General Edward Wolfe, he had received his first commission at a young age and saw extensive service in Europe where he fought during the War of the Austrian Succession. His service in Flanders and in Scotland, where he took part in the suppression of the Jacobite Rebellion, brought him to the attention of his superiors. The advancement of his career was halted by the Peace Treaty of 1748 and he spent much of the next eight years in garrison duty in the Scottish Highlands.

The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756 offered Wolfe fresh opportunities for advancement. His part in the aborted attack on Rochefort in 1757 led William Pitt to appoint him second-in-command of an expedition to capture Louisbourg. Following the success of this operation he was made commander of a force designated to sail up the Saint Lawrence River to capture Quebec. After a lengthy siege Wolfe defeated a French force under Montcalm allowing British forces to capture the city. Wolfe was killed at the height of the battle due to injuries from three musket balls.

Paintings of, The Death Of General Wolfe, by: Benjamin West, depict the general's place of death on the battle field. However, General Wolfe was moved to a field tent before he died. For many years the identity of the young lieutenant depicted on the right in the paintings was unknown. Eddy Note Book records reveled that he was a temporary Aid Decamp of Gen. Wolf, Lt. Abial Peirce, (who later advanced in rank) from Middleboro Massachusetts. Lt. Wood was present at the general's death, and heard his final words. The general heard, They flee! and asked, Who flee? When General Wolfe heard, the French, his response was, I die happy. Troops from colonial Massachusetts, and other areas were pressed into service. Troops in the field kept daily records in Eddy Note Books, if they could write. (History of Middleboro Massachusetts, by: Thomas Weston.)

Wolfe's part in the taking of Quebec in 1759 earned him posthumous fame and he became an icon of Britain's victory in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion. He was depicted in the painting The Death of General Wolfe. This painting became very famous around the world. Wolfe was posthumously dubbed "The Conqueror of Quebec", and also "The Conqueror of Canada" since the capture of Quebec led directly to the capture of Montreal which ended French control of the country.

More...Major General James P. Wolfe

General Wolfe, the victor of Quebec, was born in Westerham, Kent, in 1727 but his family moved to Greenwich when he was a young boy. Like his father, who was also a general, James Wolfe is buried in the crypt of St Alfege Church , one of an extraordinary cast of characters buried in the crypt or in the graveyard.

Wolfe became an army officer at the age of 13, and was only 16 when his horse was shot from under him at the battle of Dettingen in Germany. The battle against the French for control of the village was successful. Wolfe’s regiment was recalled to Britain in 1746, to help tackle the Jacobite uprising led by Charles Edward Stuart (‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’), and Wolfe took part in the Battle of Culloden.

In 1759 Wolfe led the assault on the French-held city of Quebec. Scaling the cliffs and taking the French by surprise, the British drove the French off the Plains of Abraham with musket volleys and a bayonet charge. Wolfe was fatally wounded but heard news of the victory before he died, a scene captured in the painting in St Alfege Church by Edward Penny.

General Wolfe became a hugely popular national hero. To avoid his funeral becoming a massive public event, he was buried at a night in the family vault in the crypt of St Alfege in November 1759, alongside his father who had died earlier that year. There is a statue of General Wolfe at the top of the hill in Greenwich Park, a gift from the Canadians in 1930.

https://www.st-alfege.org/Groups/299333/General_James_Wolfe.aspx

Other References

• "James Wolfe", Westminster Abbey