During the night the enemy, after a violent barrage, set fire to the upper town in the neighbourhood of Mme. La Gue. A north-west wind carried the flames to the cathedral after having burned thirteen houses. For the rest of the night the enemy aimed a great many bombs, fireballs, and mortars toward the fire. Happily the fire was contained at the houses destroyed in the first outbreak, and that saved the bishop’s house and the seminary. We had to remove the powder and bombs from our gun battery there, which could have been ignited by the cinders which fell around it in abundance.
At the first light of dawn, a frigate of 26 guns and a gunboat headed for the narrows hoping to get through under cover of the fire, but they were spotted from the ramparts and we gave them such a barrage that they headed back to anchor among the fleet.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Live-blogging the siege of Quebec+250 #21
Monday, July 23, 1759: Foligné, the French sea officer detached to command a gun battery in the town, describes the latest damage from the British siege guns:
