WOLFE, JAMES (1727-1759), was born at Westerham, Kent, on Jan. 2, 1727. He was the elder son of Lt.-col. Edward Wolfe, an experienced soldier, who afterwards rose to the rank of lieutenant-general, and of Henrietta, daughter of Edward Thomp son, of Long Marston, Yorks. He received his brief education at private schools, the first at Westerham, the second at Greenwich. From his earliest years he was determined to be a soldier, despite his weak health, which just prevented him from sailing as a volun teer with the ill-fated Cartagena expedition of 174o. In 1741 he received a commission in the Marines, but, having transferred into the line, he was sent to Flanders in the spring of 1742 as an ensign in the 12th Foot. Until the close of the War of the Austrian Succession, he was continuously on active service, being present at the battles of Dettingen, Falkirk, Culloden and Laffeldt, where he was wounded. His zeal, intelligence and gallantry won him the regard of his superiors, notably the duke of Cumberland. In 1743 he was appointed adjutant of the 12th; next year he re ceived a captain's commission in the 4th; in 1745 and 1747 he served as brigade-major; while in Scotland he was aide-de-camp to Gen. Hawley.
In 1749 Wolfe, with the rank of major, was appointed acting commander of the loth Foot, whose lieutenant-colonel he became in the following year. He was with this regiment for eight years, during which it was stationed at several towns in Scotland and, from 1753, at various places in the south of England.
In 1757 Wolfe was appointed quartermaster-general in Ireland, but before entering upon his duties he was chosen by Pitt for the same position in the expedition against Rochefort. Though the enterprise failed utterly, Pitt and the English public had sub stantial grounds for their belief that it would have succeeded if plans for landing suggested by Wolfe had been acted upon by the commanders-in-chief. Wolfe was consequently selected to serve as brigadier under Amherst in the force which was to attempt the capture of Cape Breton and Quebec in 1758. At the siege of Louisbourg he played a conspicuous and brilliant part.
Meanwhile, Wolfe had been made colonel of the 67th, but soon after his return home Pitt gave him the command of the expedi tion which was to renew the attempt to take Quebec. He was to have the local rank of major-general, and, though technically under Amherst, to enjoy full discretion in his conduct of opera- 4 tions. Leaving England in Feb. 1759, Wolfe mustered his troops,
rather more than 9,00o in number, at Louisbourg; and thanks to the marvellous seamanship and the unselfish co-operation of Ad miral Saunders, they arrived without mishap before Quebec in the last week of June. Wolfe's first intention was to land above, though near, the town, so as to attack the weak fortifications from the plains of Abraham; but the plan was abandoned, prob ably owing to the misgivings of Saunders. The British, however, seized the heights on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, opposite Quebec, which they were thus able to bombard, and established a camp at the mouth of the Montmorency river, between which and the city, Montcalm had entrenched nearly all his army. Per plexed by Montcalm's deliberate inactivity, Wolfe, on July 31, made an ill-conceived, unsuccessful and costly assault on the French lines. Wolfe, at this crisis, felt it his duty to consult his three brigadiers. When they counselled a landing to the west of Quebec, he readily concurred, and in a few days more than 3,00o men were transferred to ships above the town. Instead, however, of landing I o m., or even 20 m. above Quebec, as the brigadiers thought of doing, Wolfe resolved to take a force downstream and disembark it secretly at the Ause du Foulon, a cove only II m. from the city. This operation he successfully carried out in the early hours of Sept. 13. Montcalm was con strained to make a precipitate attack on Wolfe's force, and, as Wolfe had expected, the terrible efficiency of the British musketry decided the issue in a few minutes. Wolfe himself, however, was mortally wounded by a musket-ball, and died just after the French line gave way. Quebec fell five days later; and its capture, if the British could hold it, meant the conquest of Canada.