Quebec City Obelisk Meaning
We took the train from Montreal to Quebec City and spent the
first day wandering around on our own seeking out the sights on or to see list. The next day we took a
walking tour of the city secured through the tourist office.
Governors’ Park is small and just south of Chateau Frontenac. With a knowledgeable
docent we headed for the 50-foot obelisk which we had seen the day before but
didn’t know much about. Standing in front of the obelisk she told us, “This is
unique as it pays tribute to a winning British general and a losing French
general from the 1759 battle on the Plaines of Abraham.
“General Wolfe, the
British general, is honored on the south side, and General Montcalm is honored
on the right side because that is the direction each approached the
battlefield. General Montcalm was awaiting a supply shipment from Montréal.
General Wolfe also knew this. There were several Scot soldiers in the British
army who spoke French. General Wolfe stationed warships at both the north and
south ends of the area. Thinking no one could scale the cliff in between, the
French anticipated attack from either the north or south.
“BUT, the Scots did scale the cliff and when asked, who goes there, they answered in French.
Thinking the supplies had arrived, the French let the Scots into the fort.
British soldiers were professional, well trained and disciplined. Many of the
French soldiers were farmers, inexperienced and ill equipped and many simply
ran off.
“The battle was over in 15-20 minutes but both generals died,
Wolfe on the field and Montcalm the next day. Three days later Claude Ramezay
signed the treaty and the English ruled for the next hundred years.”
The previous day we’d seen and
walked by the house where the treaty had been signed. Good docents can add a
lot to a trip and often can relate information not found in general tour
guides/books.
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