Quebec 1759: The battle that won Canada (Campaign)

Recently I had read "War That Made America - A Short History of the French and Indian War" by Fred Anderson. I was particularly taken with chapter 21 - "The Plains of Abraham". A pivotal battle, two seasoned commanders, events hinge on apparent chance and then both leaders are killed in battle - an amazing story told extremely well. I made a mental note to check Osprey Publications to determine if they have a title related to this battle.My search was fruitful and I purchased "Quebec 1759 The Battle That Won Canada" by Stuart Reid. Utilizing extensive illustrations the author introduces us to the principal French and British officers; provides detailed descriptions of the various forces and their uniforms and equipment. The focus in this book is the military events, who were the belligerents, what equipment they use, where they camped, how many soldiers each army fielded, how many cannons they employed...you get the idea. This is not a geo-political analysis describing why the British traveled to Quebec in 1759 and fought the French. That very interesting story is told in "War That Made America - A Short History of the French and Indian War" mentioned above.Readers new to Osprey titles should be aware all books from this published are similar in size to a National Geographic magazine with a thicker paper cover. The page count of this title was 98 and contained many period artwork and drawing reproductions, several full color painting created especially for this title and 3 double pages maps showing troop placements and battle progress.

Very useful book describing the battles for Quebec. This is an Army centric overview but I wish there had been more information about the specific roles that the Royal Navy played. This could be described as one of the first joint operations in the last four hundred years.I have visited Quebec City and not much remains of the original site.

"Quebec 1759" is an Osprey Campaign Series entry, and the second Osprey look at the key battle in North America of the Seven Year's War. The book follows the standard Osprey format in presenting a concise account of the campaign. It opens with an introduction and a comparison of the opposing commanders and their armies and plans. Succeeding chapters cover the British campaign against Quebec, leading up to the decisive battle on the Plains of Abraham in September 1759, and concluding with the relief of the British Army in spring 1760, themselves besieged in the captured fortress.The book offers a good selection of period illustrations, maps, diagrams and photographs, and the narrative is workmanlike. Author Stuart Reid spends perhaps too much time on his own opinions about the campaign, including British Commander General James Wolfe's disputes with his own subordinates. In the process, Reid essentially accuses Wolfe of psychosomatic illnesses. A more common explanation is that Wolfe suffered from, among other things, kidney stones, an exquisitely painful and debilitating ailment that can be brought on by extended stress. Worth a look as an introduction to the topic.

While I was reading the book, I was suprised at how little the French side was covered. It was as though the French didn`t even fight, and just let the British bow them over. I felt that a bit more balanced coverage of the campaign would have been better. Having only the colors of the French metropolitian regiments shown as a representation of the French forces was too little. Of all of the Osprey books that I have bought, this one is probobly the one that I am most disappointed in. It was a fair account of the British side, but even that, I found it annoying that the depection of a member of the 13th Regt as a stand in for other regiments in the campaign was a bit off. There are plenty of North American British reenactors of regiments in that campaign which could have been used. I`m currently a Masters student and if I had submitted something like this for a paper, I would probobly fail.

Good read, many details but even with so much information, you will be searching for more afterwards. It's probably because it is mainly focused on the battle itself. Before and after the battle would be great chapters to add.

This book is a much better review of the Quebec 1759 campaign. It gives a balanced account covering both sides in detail. Be it a history student, wargamer or military modeller, it gives the information that you would need.

While credible in basics, this work does little to fully explore the battle. It is sadly deficient in enumerating the activities and names of French regulars and militia. It does bless the reader with photographs of the fix-bayonet sequence of period British regulars (whatever that has to do with anything).Not equal with other Osprey volumes (René Chartrand's Monongahela for example).

Great book