The 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic set out for her maiden voyage.  Everyone thought they were quite safe.  Some even had the audacity to say that God could not sink the Titanic.  However, things did not happen quite how they thought.  During the night of April 14, the Titanic hit an iceberg.  The Carpathia's warning to them that they were nearing an iceberg had been ignored.  The ship's first mate quickly made the ship go in reverse away from the iceberg, but it was too late.  The Titanic already had numerous holes along the starboard side below the waterline.  Water started rushing into the holes.  Unfortunately, there were only enough lifeboats for half of the passengers.  The sailors quickly started loading the women and children onto the lifeboats.  They had not planned for the ship sinking, so the untrained sailors sent some of the lifeboats off only half full.  Many of the men bravely stayed on board, letting the women and children survive.  When the ship was nearly completely sunken, the band played "Nearer My God to Thee."  68% of the passengers were lost, even with the Carpathia coming and rescuing the survivors.  Those who pridefully said that not even God could sink the Titanic were proven wrong.  Just as God stopped the building of the Tower of Babel, he stopped the people from boasting about the Titanic being unsinkable.

~ Aidan

The 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Sainte-Foy

The Chevalier de Levis gives the signal to charge the British

Please accept my congratulations upon your splendid victory, my dear general. I am the more delighted with it because it affords an instance of cleverly-executed movements in the field, incredible diligence on the march, and noteworthy intrepidity-- Colonel Louis Antoine de Bougainville, writing to the Chevalier de Levis

On this day, two hundred and fifty years ago, the French troops in Canada gained their last great victory at the Battle of Sainte-Foy. This battle, through a French victory, has been used to tarnish the reputation of the Chevalier de Levis, new commander-in-chief after the death of Montcalm. But was Levis foolhardy? Was this battle unsound and unwise?

Levis made a risky decision to attack Quebec before the British army came out of winter quarters. His famished troops slogged their way through the snow and ice from Montreal to Quebec.

On the British side, Brigadier General James Murray commanded the starving and shivering British garrison of Quebec.

When Levis and his army appeared on the horizon, Murray decided to attack. He dragged heavy artillery through the slush onto the Plains of Abraham, while his soldiers followed. The British were outnumbered, but Murray decided to catch and crush Levis with a swift attack. He formed up in line of battle, and his cannons opened fire. The French were taking heavy casualties from the bombardment, which began to equalize the numbers of combatants. On one flank of the armies was a blockhouse, on the other, a windmill.

Bitter fighting raged in the windmill. It was taken and retaken by British light infantry, French grenadiers, His Britannic Majesty George II’s 35th Regiment, and His Most Christian Majesty Louis XV’s Bearn Regiment, all in turn. On the other flank, Rangers manned the blockhouse, but the French wiped them out.

The French held both strong positions on the flanks, and Levis launched attacks on the British flanks. By now the Royal Artillery was out of commission, due to a lack of ammunition transport through the slush. General Murray realized the disaster, and sent his reserves into the flanks, but it was too late. The French regiments charged into the British with bayonets, and the English officers could not rally their men. In the words of Levis’ aide-de-camp, the Chevalier de Johnstone, “The enemy fled so precipitately, and in such confusion that the officers could not rally a single man.”

The British and General Murray escaped through the gates into Quebec, and both armies anxiously waited for a ship of their own nation. If one French or British frigate could arrive in the River St. Lawrence, the possession of Quebec would be sealed. At last, a British frigate arrived in the river, followed a few days later by two more. The French retreated to Montreal, where the last vestiges of Louis XV’s colony in North America were lost on September 8th with the surrender of Montreal.

This battle is seen as unwise because Levis did not retake Quebec (for more information, see the post on Battle of Quebec). But it is clear that had one French ship arrived, the Battle of Sainte-Foy might have been more decisive even than Wolfe’s victory on the Plains of Abraham. And had the French frigate arrived, the independence of America might have been delayed, or even prevented all together. For without a British victory in the Seven Years’ War, there would have been no pretext to tax the American colonies. And without the taxation without representation of the British Parliament, there would have been no reason to revolt against the tyranny of England. But God in His Providence was using a battle in the snow in a little-known hamlet called Sainte-Foy, and the speedy voyage of the Royal Navy to the relief of the British garrison, ultimately, to bring America her freedom that she might shine forth the light of His Word. May we shine forth God’s light in this now-darkened country in which we live.

~Jordan

Yorktown!

Yorktown

This day is the 228th anniversary of the most famous battle of the War for Independence--Yorktown. The Yorktown campaign began when Lord Cornwallis advanced into Virginia from the Carolinas. The Marquis de Lafayette was sent, with a small army, to distract and occupy the British. As a result of Lafayette's clever strategies, Cornwallis encamped at Yorktown. A map will show you that Yorktown is located along the Chesapeake Bay and the James River. Cornwallis' hope was that the Royal Navy would sail down the James, pick up him and his troops, and drop them off at New York City to join General Clinton. The British Navy was sent to Yorktown, but so was Admiral de Grasse and his fleet of French ships. The fleets met on September 5th, and fought a hard battle. The French won and blockaded Yorktown.









Now Cornwallis was trapped both by the French Navy and the Allied army, which had marched down secretly from New York. However, he hoped that either General Clinton would send help or his cavalry commander, Banastre Tarleton, could escape from his post across the James River. However, the French and Americans blockading Tarleton had other plans and beat back Tarleton's attack in the Battle of the Hook (October 3rd).

The Americans had powerful French artillery to pound Cornwallis' fortifications. Washington fired the first shot, which ushered in a tremendous bombardment. The Americans fired heavily for days, and the British attempted to reply with their cannons. The allies were constructing a second siege line, but two small forts, called redoubts, blocked their way. The Americans and French stormed the redoubts and finished their siege line. When it was completed, they unleashed their cannon fire at point-blank range.

Cornwallis realized he had to run. His plan was simple: ferry his soldiers across the James River, join Tarleton, attack to end Tarleton's blockade, and congratulate themselves for getting out of this mess. In the evening, his boats were ready, but (providentially) a storm blew in that night. Only a few soldiers made it across the river until Cornwallis called it off.

Shortly thereafter, Cornwallis sent to negotiate surrender terms, and, on October 19, the British army in Yorktown surrendered. While this was not the final battle, it was the last major battle and also marked the beginning of the end of the War for Independence.

~The Historiographer

Celebrating God's Providential Hand at The Battle of Quebec on Its 250th Anniversary!

+ Map of the Battle of Quebec

Today is the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Quebec! The Battle of Quebec was a relatively short, one-hour battle which sealed the fate of New France (now Canada). God’s Providential hand was clearly evident in this battle, especially in the perilous ascent of the British army up the cliffs to the Plains of Abraham. Historian William Potter chose this battle as one of his topics in “Providential Battles: Twenty Battles that Changed the World” (available at http://www.visionforum.com/).

The French cause in the New World was rapidly growing dim. Forts Duquesne, Ticonderoga (known to the French as Fort Carillon), Louisburg and other French possessions had fallen into British hands. Only Quebec and Montreal were left under command of the French. The British determined to take Quebec, and appointed Major General James Wolfe as commander of the expedition.

The British army encircled Quebec, but the French inhabitants could sustain a long siege- especially because French vessels were bringing them provisions. Wolfe attempted a landing on July 31, but the French, under the Marquis de Montcalm, beat them off. The British sustained around 500 casualties, while the French only lost about 60. Montcalm’s troops were jubilant at this victory. Some even thought that this would be the end of the British attempt to take Quebec. Montcalm, however, was more cautious. He kept his horse saddled and ready for battle, because he thought that the British would attack again. Events proved him right.

St Anse de Foulon, an opening at the cliffs, was the British landing target. It was defended by about 100 Canadian militiamen under the French veteran, Captain de Vergor. Some of Montcalm’s officers implored him to guard this critical point with more soldiers, but he merely replied that 100 soldiers would hold off an attack until morning.

On September 12, his sentries heard boats. Vergor, however, had been told that a supply convoy was expected that night. No one has yet explained why it was cancelled and why Captain Vergor was not warned. Another French officer usually patrolled the cliffs on horseback, but one of his horses was stolen and his two others were lame, so he decided (apparently) that he could take a break for one night. One regiment of French troops was also guarding the Plains of Abraham, but Governor Vaudreil had pulled them back to Quebec. Thus, when the British landed, they had no enemies on the plains except the 100 militia. Is it not odd that both the French officer and the French regiment were not able to patrol the Plains on the very night the British landed?

A suspicious French sentry challenged the boats, but an unknown officer of the 78th Highlanders answered him in French, thus dismissing any suspicion. The British had, as a matter of fact, landed at the wrong place. Instead of the opening, the English landed at the base of the cliffs. Twenty-four men fought their way up the cliffs and onto the road, keeping a sharp lookout for any Frenchmen. There were none on the road, so the rest of the British army quickly surprised and captured Vergor and his militiamen. One of them escaped and ran for Quebec, to warn the Marquis de Montcalm. Montcalm’s aide-de-camp thought that the man had gone mad, dismissed him, and promptly went back to sleep. The British had staged a diversion at Beauport, which occupied Montcalm’s attention.

It was only on the morning of the 13th that General Montcalm learned the truth: the British had successfully landed and were now on the Plains of Abraham. He determined to attack the British, for, “If we give him [the enemy] time to establish himself, we shall never be able to attack him with the troops we have.” The French army sent to meet the British numbered about 5,000 men while the British had about 4,500 soldiers. Montcalm formed his lines up in proper European battle formation. (Consult the map as to how the armies were arranged.)

Montcalm had 5 regular regiments, and two battalions of militia. He put the militia on his flanks and his regular regiments in the center. Near the center of the battlefield was a slight hill. The French troops drifted around it, thus weakening the center. The center, however, would take the brunt of the British volleys.

The French Canadian militia and British troops were fighting hard on the left flank, but the main bodies of each army were waiting for the enemy to make their move. At last, General Montcalm ordered a volley at too far a distance to be effective. After the volley, the French regulars charged the British, who let them approach quite close. At 35 yards or so away, the British unleashed an almost point-blank volley into the French lines. Another British volley served to destroy the French lines, who fled back to Quebec. But for the Canadian militia skirmishing and covering the retreat, the battle might have ended worse for the French regulars.

General Wolfe, who was with the front lines of the British, was shot three times, the last one being mortal. As he lay on the ground, a soldier called, “See them run!” “Who?” asked General Wolfe. “The French,” was the reply. “Now, God be praised, I will die in peace,” said General Wolfe, and died shortly thereafter. After General Wolfe died, his brigadier general, George Townshend, took command of the British, and had to beat off a powerful French attack under Colonel Bougainville. Had the French under Bougainville arrived sooner, the British would have been squeezed between the Colonel’s column (who attacked the British rear) and Montcalm’s army. Even had Bougainville attacked harder when he arrived, the French might have carried the day. However, all of this is conjecture since the British soundly beat Colonel Bougainville’s column, who retreated.

General Montcalm was also wounded, but he lingered until the morning of the 14th. He remarked that he was glad that he would not see the surrender of Quebec. Governor Vaudreuil also did not see the surrender of Quebec, but for different reasons. He and much of the army fled Quebec after this battle. The Governor relocated to Montreal, but he could not escape when the British took that city, only a year or so later. This battle sealed the fate of Quebec, and the French, under the Governor’s deputy, who was left in the city, surrendered only a few days later.

The Chevalier de Levis attacked the British a year later in the Battle of Sainte-Foy. This was the last major battle of the French and Indian War, but it is often overlooked. In a fierce battle, de Levis drove the British out of everywhere except the city itself. The Chevalier did not have the resources to undertake a siege, and a British fleet was coming, so he departed his position surrounding the city.

God’s Providential Hand is clearly evident in this critical battle. Why should that French officer’s horses have been out of commission on the day the British landed? Why should Captain Vergor not have been notified at the change in plans regarding the convoy? Why should the French regiment have been moved off the Plains of Abraham that night? Why should Bourgainville not have arrived sooner? Why should all of these events favored the British if God’s hand was not in it? God was clearly aiding the British Army to take Quebec, and ultimately Canada.

~The Historiographer

Major General James Wolfe

General the Marquis de Montcalm

Brigadier General George Townshend, Wolfe's deputy commander


General Montcalm rallying his troops


General Wolfe's army ascends the Plains of Abraham

(Please go to Jordan's blog for an expanded version of this article!)