Battle of Quebec (1690)

Battle of Quebec
	Part of the War of the Grand Alliance,; King William's War
	; The batteries of Quebec bombard the New England fleet
Date	16–24 October 1690
Location	Quebec City, Canada, New France
Result	French victory
Belligerents
England Massachusetts Bay Colony;	France Colony of Canada;
Commanders and leaders
Sir William Phips	Louis de Buade de Frontenac
Strength
2,300 provincial soldiers; 60 natives; 6 field guns; 34 warships	Marines, 2,000 militia
Casualties and losses
At least 150 killed,; large number wounded,; 1,000 dead on return voyage; 5 guns lost	7 killed; ~12 wounded

The Battle of Québec was fought in October 1690 between the colonies of New France and Massachusetts Bay, then ruled by the kingdoms of France and England, respectively. It was the first time Québec's defences were tested.

Following the capture of Port Royal in Acadia, during King William's War, the New Englanders hoped to seize Québec itself, the capital of New France. The loss of the Acadian fort shocked the Canadiens, and Governor-General Louis de Buade de Frontenac ordered the immediate preparation of the city for a possible siege.^[2]

When the envoys delivered the terms of surrender, the Governor-General famously declared that his only reply would be by "the mouth of my cannons."^[4] Major John Walley led the invading army, which landed at Beauport in the Basin of Québec. However, the militia on the shore were constantly harassed by local militia until their retreat, while the expedition's ships, commanded by Sir William Phips, were nearly destroyed by cannon volley fire from the top of the city.

Both sides learned from the battle: the French improved the city's defences, while the New Englanders realized they needed more artillery and better support from England to take the city.^[4]

^ Stacey, C.P. (1979) [1966]. "Phips, Sir William". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ ^a ^b Eccles, W.J. (1979) [1966]. "Buade, Louis de, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
^ Eccles (1964), p. 184.
^ ^a ^b Chartrand (2005)

[DCB_Phips-1] Stacey, C.P. (1979) [1966]. "Phips, Sir William". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[DCB_Frontenac-2] Eccles, W.J. (1979) [1966]. "Buade, Louis de, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.

[FOOTNOTEEccles1964184-3] Eccles (1964), p. 184.

[Chartrand-4] Chartrand (2005)

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