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Moving under the cover of darkness on the night of September 12/13, Wolfe's army ascended the heights and formed on the Plains of Abraham. Caught by surprise, Montcalm rushed troops to the plains as he wished to engage the British immediately before they could fortify and become established above Anse-au-Foulon. Advancing to attack in columns, Montcalm's lines moved to open the Battle of Quebec. Under strict orders to hold their fire until the French were within 30-35 yards, the British had double-charged their muskets with two balls. After absorbing two volleys from the French, the front rank opened fire in a volley that was compared to a cannon shot. Advancing a few paces, the second British line unleashed a similar volley shattering the French lines. In the fighting, Wolfe was hit several times and died on the field, while Montcalm was mortally wounded and died the next morning. With the French army defeated, the British laid siege to Quebec which surrendered five days later.
Triumph at Minden & Invasion Averted
Taking the initiative, Ferdinand opened 1759 with strikes against Frankfurt and Wesel. On April 13, he clashed with a French force at Bergen led by the Duc de Broglie and was forced back. In June, the French began moving against Hanover with a large army commanded by Marshal Louis Contades. His operations were supported by a smaller force under Broglie. Attempting to out-maneuver Ferdinand, the French were unable to trap him but did capture the vital supply depot at Minden. The loss of the town opened Hanover to invasion and prompted a response from Ferdinand. Concentrating his army, he clashed with the combined forces of Contades and Broglie at the Battle of Minde on August 1. In a dramatic fight, Ferdinand won decisive victory and forced the French to flee towards Kassel. The victory ensured Hanover's safety for the remainder of the year.
As the war in the colonies was going poorly, the French foreign minister, the Duc de Choiseul, began advocating for an invasion of Britain with the goal of knocking the country out of the war with one blow. As troops were gathered ashore, the French made efforts to concentrate their fleet to support the invasion. Though the Toulon fleet slipped through a British blockade, it was beaten by Admiral Sir Edward Boscawen at the Battle of Lagos in August. Despite this, the French persevered with their planning. This came to an end in November when Admiral Sir Edward Hawke badly defeated the French fleet at the Battle of Quiberon Bay. Those French ships that survived were blockaded by the British and all realistic hope of mounting an invasion died.
Hard Times for Prussia
The beginning of 1759 found the Russians forming a new army under the guidance of Count Petr Saltykov. Moving out in late June, it defeated a Prussian corps at the Battle of Kay (Paltzig) on July 23. Responding to this setback, Frederick raced to the scene with reinforcements. Maneuvering along the Oder River with around 50,000 men, he was opposed by Saltykov's force of around 59,000 Russians and Austrians. While both initially sought an advantage over the other, Saltykov became increasingly concerned about being caught on the march by the Prussians. As a result, he assumed a strong, fortified position on a ridge near the village of Kunersdorf. Moving to assault the Russian left and rear on August 12, the Prussians failed to scout the enemy thoroughly. Assaulting the Russians, Frederick had some initial success but later attacks were beaten back with heavy losses. By evening, the Prussians were forced to begin departing the field having taken 19,000 casualties.
While the Prussians withdrew, Saltykov crossed the Oder with the goal of striking at Berlin. This move was aborted when his army was forced to shift south to aid an Austrian corps that had been cut off by the Prussians. Advancing into Saxony, Austrian forces under Daun succeeded in capturing Dresden on September 4. The situation further worsened for Frederick when an entire Prussian corps was defeated and captured at the Battle of Maxen on November 21. Having endured a brutal series of defeats, Frederick and his remaining forces were saved by a deterioration of Austrian-Russian relations which prevented a combined thrust at Berlin in late 1759.
Over the Oceans
In India, the two sides spent much of 1759 reinforcing and preparing for future campaigns. As Madras had been reinforced, the French withdrew towards Pondicherry. Elsewhere, British forces conducted an abortive attack on the valuable sugar island of Martinique in January 1759. Rebuffed by the island's defenders, they sailed north and landed on Guadeloupe late in the month. After several-month campaign, the island was secured when the governor surrendered on May 1. As the year came to a close, British forces had cleared the Ohio Country, taken Quebec, held Madras, captured Guadeloupe, defended Hanover, and won key, invasion-thwarting naval victories at Lagos and Quiberon Bay. Having effectively turned the tide of the conflict, the British dubbed 1759 an Annus Mirabilis (Year of Wonders/Miracles). In contemplating the year's events, Horace Walpole commented, "our bells are worn threadbare ringing for victories."
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