QUEBEC, BATTLE OF

(Dec. 31, 1775), in the U.S. War of Independence, unsuccessful American attack on the British stronghold. In the winter of 177576, American Revolutionary leaders detached some of their forces from the Siege of Boston to mount an expedition through Maine with the aim of capturing Quebec. On Dec. 31, 1775, under Gen. Richard Montgomery and Col. Benedict Arnold, an inadequate force of roughly 1,675 Americans assaulted the fortified city, only to meet with complete defeat. Montgomery was killed, and large numbers of colonials were captured. Demonstrations against Canada were soon discontinued, and Arnold withdrew the remnant of his army in May 1776. (Sept. 13, 1759), in the French and Indian War, decisive defeat of the French under the Marquis de Montcalm by a British force led by Maj. Gen. James Wolfe. After the fall of Louisbourg, Cape Breton Isl., in 1758, Quebec became the main military target of the British offensive. The following June, young Wolfe led a British force of 250 ships carrying 8,500 regulars to take up strategic positions in the St. Lawrence River. Protected by high jagged cliffs, Quebec resisted a two-month siege by land and water. Finding a narrow, hidden path, Wolfe secretly disembarked more than 4,000 men the evening of September 12, forcing a confrontation on the Plains of Abraham. The next day the French defenders were routed in this battle, in which both commanders were lost. This battle led to the fall of Montreal the next year and the final British victory.