edit: never mind, the link I found after posting (linking to the "real steep cliff") seems to have the answer. They actually meant to land upstream (West) initially, but this alternate plan allowed him to bring in more troops.
Hi everyone,
I was born in Quebec city, and this has always puzzled me.
In this map, we see that Wolfe came from the West to Anse au Foulon, where he had his men climb a really steep cliff. Had they been spotted at that point, they would have clearly been pushed back.
Quebec city is located on a large plateau. This google map shows current "Boulevard du Versant Nord", which follows the cliff to the West and North of the city.
Why did they elect to climb on the plateau so close to the city walls, when they could have climbed about 10 km to the West? I mountain bike there all the time and the cliff is much easier to climb (and far from the city walls)
Additional question: How did Wolfe get his ships West of Quebec city in the first place? To achieve that he had to sail just below the battery of cannons of the city.
Thanks!
I may have something to contribute to the reading you are doing of the tactical advantages of Wolfe's ascension at Anse au Foulon.
I've had quite a few discussions about that very topic with my thesis supervisor, who had produced the geological map of the Québec City area (I did my own thesis on rocks in the NE extension of these). Wolfe did not select just any spot to climb the cliffs. He litterally found the one weakness in the cliffs, a narrow zone where the crumbly shales which make up the cliffs are crossed by a series of folds and faults. The fault system also coincides with a contact between a unit of shales with more solid impure limestones. It is where the stairway down the cliffs is currently located. These structural weaknesses made that area more prone to weathering and erosion, and consequently it offers an easier gradient to climb, with a flattish debris talus at the base and a shallower slope for the rest of the climb. It is one of those cases where geology affects the territory oin such a way that it changes the course of history.
One must also keep in mind that the current thick cedar forest in the Cap Diamant was not there; those started popping up in the early to mid 1900's, and were seeded from hedges at the top of the cliff. However, because of the shallower slope and gradient, there was some kind of tree cover in the gully climbed by the british. There might as well have been a sign at Anse au Foulon saying "this way to the surprise attack spot".
