William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and the growth and division of the British Empire, 1708-1778; . e uncertain resolu-tions of a council of war, which had been so fatal atMinorca, at Rochefort, and even at Halifax, to the dis-grace of all concerned and the extreme loss of thenation. Boscawen was convinced. Here, said he, I willabide, and put them all ashore, and cover their re-treat, if they think proper to re-embark. :j: TheFrench forces, under Dracour, consisted of threethousand and eighty regulars, including two compa-nies of artillery, and five ships of the line, and sevenfrigates, with three
William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and the growth and division of the British Empire, 1708-1778; . e uncertain resolu-tions of a council of war, which had been so fatal atMinorca, at Rochefort, and even at Halifax, to the dis-grace of all concerned and the extreme loss of thenation. Boscawen was convinced. Here, said he, I willabide, and put them all ashore, and cover their re-treat, if they think proper to re-embark. :j: TheFrench forces, under Dracour, consisted of threethousand and eighty regulars, including two compa-nies of artillery, and five ships of the line, and sevenfrigates, with three thousand men on board and fivehundred and forty guns in the harbour. There weretwo hundred and nineteen cannon mounted on thewalls, and a civilian population of five thousand to de-fend in the town. A landing was effected by Wolfesbrigade without very great difficulty, and Amherst * Beatson, Naval and Military Memoirs^ iii., note I2i.\ There is an excellent description of the place and siege in Park-man, Montcalm and Wolfe, ii., ch. xix. :j: Entick, History of the Late War, iii., 224, rhe Hoii^ E DWARD B O S CAWEl^, Admiialof tlieBlue Squadron- 1761] Pitts War Ministry, 131 laid siege to the fortress; Wolfe silenced the Islandbattery which protected the entrance to the harbourand the French sank four large ships to preventBoscawen from entering. Two of these were burnedby seamen, who rowed into the harbour by night,and as this opened the way for Boscawen the Frenchwere compelled to capitulate July 28th. Abercrombies attack on Ticonderoga did not meetwith equal success. He himself had been appointedthrough political influence, and had neither the au-dacity nor persistence necessary for the command ofsuch an expedition. Pitt intended the real com-mand to be in the hands of the young Lord Howe,whom he described as a complete model of mili-tary virtue, whose brave and gay spirit made himthe idol of the entire army. Wolfe called him thenoblest Englishman that has appeared in m
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