The seven Irish regiments embarked upon transport vessels at Cork on May 5 for the convoy to North America. These troop ships arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in early July 1757. The French stronghold at Louisbourg on Cape Breton in the Gulf of St. Lawrence emerged as the vital military objective of the British forces. Only after the capture of this fortress could a British offensive be safely sent further up the St. Lawrence River to strike at the heart of New France. The amphibious assault and seizure of Louisbourg, which had been hardened against attack by extensive defensive preparations, hinged on establishing a clear superiority in land and sea forces. By late 1757, this prerequisite military buildup had not yet taken place. The British fleet at Halifax remained inferior to the French naval squadrons that retained command of the sea around Louisbourg.9
Meanwhile, the 17th and other regiments, deployed from both Ireland and England, made use of the time to practice maneuvers that would be employed during the projected confrontation. The combined British force occupied winter quarters at Halifax that year. Command and staff personnel changes also occurred during this interim period. Colonel Forbes became adjutant general of the general staff, leaving Lt. Col. Arthur Morris as acting commander of the 17th Regiment.10
While allowing the Royal Navy to concentrate more of its fleet in North American waters, the British expeditionary force under Gen. James Abercromby finalized its invasion plans. The strategy to be undertaken in America contained three campaigns. First, Gen. Jeffery Amherst with fourteen thousand British regular troops and two thousand provincial soldiers would besiege Louisbourg. Concurrently, Abercromby, aided by Gen. George Howe with ten thousand regulars and twenty thousand provincials, would advance upon Ticonderoga and Crown Point and push forward if possible to Montreal and Quebec. Additionally, nineteen hundred regulars and five thousand provincials were to repair Braddock’s loss and wrest Fort Duquesne from the French. Forbes, who received a promotion to brigadier general, led this last operation.11
By the spring of 1758, the British had amassed enough military resources to put their war plan into action. The French garrison at Louisbourg numbered three thousand regulars and some five hundred Swiss mercenaries, Canadians, and Indians. In addition, six ships of the line and five frigates in the harbor guarded the fortress. The British force at Halifax, consisting of eleven regular and two provincial regiments totaling 13,142 troops, was over three times greater than that of the French in Louisbourg. The Royal Navy component amounted to twenty-three ships of the line and thirteen frigates.12
An imposing fleet of 155 warships and troop transports put to sea from Halifax on the evening of May 28, 1758. By June 2, the British armada reached an anchorage about seven miles from Louisbourg, but five days of dense fog and stormy weather frustrated subsequent plans to land. Finally, at daybreak on June 8, the warships commenced firing on the French emplacements. Fifteen minutes later, landing craft filled with British soldiers rowed for shore. Selected landing areas lay from one to three miles from the fortified city. However, French troops had prepared defensive positions to cover these likely disembarking locations and were waiting for the British invasion. The defenders held their fire until the boats were well within range; then they opened up a withering fusillade as the invaders neared the beach.13
Although the soldiers accompanying Montgomery in the assault craft were anxious to return fire and ready bayonets in preparation for landing, he enforced the standing orders: “No man fire his piece from out of the boat . . . bayonets are fixed in a moment after the men are landed.” A raging surf capsized some boats, drowning a number of soldiers before they could reach shore. Montgomery and his troops managed to land amid the pounding waves and incoming fire. As fast as the men got out of the boat, Montgomery deployed them into formation and marched forward to secure the landing area. Having failed to thwart the amphibious assault, the French outer defense fought a withdrawal action back to the safety of the Louisbourg fortress. Montgomery’s unit and the rest of the British force pursued the retreating troops until they reached a point just outside the range of the fort’s cannons. There, they prepared for a siege of the city.14
Because of continuing bad weather and heavy swells, it was June 16 before provisions for the besieging troops could be landed. Although it was possible to get some artillery ashore on June 18, intermittent bad weather continued for an extended period and hampered the siege buildup. As weather conditions improved, the British were able to bring up and emplace guns to bombard the fortress city. Under this fire cover, Montgomery urged his men on in the back-breaking task of digging trenches and building breastworks, as the British troops pushed forward a series of entrenchments in an ever-tightening ring around the city. At the same time, Montgomery had to keep his soldiers vigilant of French troops attempting to escape the encirclement.15
On July 9, a French force of about six hundred troops attempted a desperate breakout through the siege lines. The sortie struck at the grenadier company of the 17th Regiment, killing its captain and wounding a lieutenant. Raiders killed or wounded several other grenadiers before they were driven back to the city, leaving twenty French troops killed and about eighty wounded or captured. The enemy sent out a flag of truce so that they could claim their dead. After this was accomplished, the cannonading resumed. The vigor with which the British repulsed their bid for relief dampened any further plans by the French to force the siege. In addition, the British fleet stationed in the bay prevented any possibility of the besieged fortress receiving reinforcements from the sea. From the French point of view, the situation was hopeless. On July 26, 1758, the French governor agreed to an unconditional surrender of Louisbourg.16
Casualties during the entire campaign were small. Final British army losses amounted to three officers and forty-seven other ranks killed (all but twelve drowned), five lieutenants and fifty-five men wounded. Of these figures, the 17th Regiment had one captain, one corporal, and ten privates killed; one captain, one lieutenant, one sergeant, one drummer, and thirty-one privates wounded. British navy losses added eleven men killed, four officers and forty-eight men wounded. The French claimed their total casualties to be 114 killed or wounded.17
Although annalists would record the assault and siege as a relatively limited affair in terms of casualty statistics, it had a more personal meaning to the participants. The conflict presented a life or death struggle for the soldiers who suffered through it, whatever its scope. Montgomery’s first taste of combat was a gut-wrenching experience. He witnessed the sickening sight of men being maimed and slaughtered. He felt the cold fear of his own life being placed in imminent peril. Yet, he sensed that he had been entrusted with a noble mission of serving king and country, and he carried out his duties in the midst of danger.
Montgomery also learned that soldiers would normally carry out their orders and perform functions for which they had been trained, even under fire and exposure to injury or death, if properly motivated. An officer on the battlefield had to lead the troops, not merely direct them, to earn their confidence and willingness to follow. As a junior officer, he personally influenced a small number of men that represented only a fraction of the overall operation. Still, he understood that if he accomplished his assignment well, this segment combined with other integral parts of the whole effort completed in like manner could ultimately add up to a total success.
The effectiveness with which Montgomery discharged his duties at Louisbourg caught the attention of General Amherst. Rather than resorting to showy battlefield heroics to call attention to his actions, the young ensign demonstrated a quiet but unmistakable competence during combat. Thus, he proved himself to be a solid officer who could be depended upon to carry out his assigned tasks. As a result, Montgomery received a promotion to lieutenant, effective July 10, 1758.
The protracted siege of Louisbourg had occupied too much time for the expedition to continue against Quebec that summer. Nevertheless, Montgomery and his fellow British soldiers had gained some valuable combat experience. Montgomery also acquired some practical knowledge of conducting siege warfare that he would draw upon at a later date.
While
