This is my first enstallment of this series, “Heroes and Heroines of Character” and the first historical fiction piece I have written in a long time. Please be patient with me and forgive me if my historical facts get mussed up in the fiction. The setting is in Canada in the French and Indian War. General Wolfe and General Montcalm are real characters and the battle of Quebec really happened but everything else in fictitious. Enjoy!
…Isaac shivered. The cold wind seemed to wrack his small body and he wondered why he was here, why he had volunteered for this. He looked up at the heights of Abraham and shivered again, this time from fear. Would this even work?
Isaac had grown up on a farm in Vermont one of the new American colonies. His mother had been pregnant with him as thier family went to the New World. He had been born here and never knew anything else. Isaac was small for his age and with four older brothers and two younger sisters he was often left behind from the “mans work” and instead helped his mother with small tasks.
Sometimes Isaac complained to his mother that he got left behind on all the big adventures but his mother always told him, “Isaac Goss, don’t you ever think that. Just like Isaac, the blessed son of Abraham you are a boy with promise and just like Abraham you will go places you never thought you would.”
Isaac never knew what that meant but he nodded his head to please his mother. His mother though meant every word she said and looking past the small, “runty” boy he was she saw promise and a smart mind. The area of Vermont the Goss family lived in had no school and Mother took to teaching Isaac his letters and numbers and soon Isaac was a good reader and had a good head for logic, reason and strategy. He grew into a thin, spry, nimble boy who loved to run and climb and wrestle. Often he beat his strong older brothers in friendly wrestling matches because of his wits.
Then something happened that would change Isaac… forever. His older brother Lincoln went to fight in the French and Indian War. Lincoln had been Isaacs favorite brother always keeping an eye out for him. Without Lincoln, Isaacs other brothers took to teasing him a little more and calling him ‘squirt’.
By now Isaac was a very capable 14 year old and he decided to get out of there. He loved his mother and father but he also wanted to prove that he could be a man and have an adventure… just like Abraham. “Mother would like that, wouldn’t she?” he thought to himself. The next night Isaac crept through the window and ran away. He only packed a bit of bread and meat from supper.
Isaac walked until he go to a camp where he asked for an officer to speak to. A man came out and introduced himself as Officer Johnson. “Who are you here for, boy?” he asked. “None but myself, sir. Can I join?” Here Officer Johnson stopped him and laughed. “You? Why you are just…(chuckles)…a little squirt! I can get you a spot as a water boy, nothing better, nothing….for the like of you!” Isaac bristled at the answer but seeing an oppurtunity he accepted the job as a water boy and went to help the other water boys.
The next few weeks were long. Isaac marched with the army and along the way heard news of exciting battles..victories and defeats. But once again Isaac never seemed to be part of the adventures. So the weeks passed. He would be dismissed from one camp and recruited at another always as a water boy. He was almost always hungry and cold. One friendly soldier gave him a coat and from then on he was a little warmer but he still wondered why he had come and why he had left his cozy family.
Late one night he was asking for a job at a nearby British camp and finally he didn’t hear the dreaded words, “water boy… squirt!”. Instead he heard… “Hmm, while General James Wolfe needs an assistant boy. Run along to his tent and ask him if he need you, if not…. get lost.” Isaac pleased at the change of jobs ran along to the tent and went inside.
General Wolfe was sitting at a desk, writing something. Candles flickered around the room and Isaac embraced the warmth. He cleared his throat and the General turned around. “Who are you? What do you need?” Isaac was surprised, General Wolfe looked younger than he had expected. “If it pleases you, sir. I was told to find you and see if you would have need of an assistant boy.” General Wolfe smiled, “I do in fact. What is your name?” Isaac responded “Isaac sir.” “Well, Isaac you are hired.”
The next few days were full of hard work. General Wolfe kept Isaac busy bringing him meals, washing his clothes, shining his shoes and uniform and somethimes even penning letters or ledgers for him. Isaac grew to admire General Wolfe, he had a wise mind, a discerning eye and laughing eyes. He was a man who was used to being obeyed though. Once Isaac slept out in the cold because he had not obeyed an order to the extent General Wolfe wanted it done. Isaac got to be around generals and officers and was thrilled to learn about strategy and battle plans.
One day an order came in for General Wolfe to lead a force to capture Quebec, an important city. General Louis Montcalm was over the city and was confident as he had smashed the English many times before. General Wolfe was brilliant though and looked forward to the challenge. Late at night, Isaac would hear General Wolfe, awake, thinking up strategy and the next day he would hold a meeting to discuss his ideas. Isaac was always shooed away from the meetings but one time he managed to sneak into the tent. He overheard some of the conversation.
“What are we going to do?”
“This is a very important battle you know.”
“…element of surprise.”
” which way…?”
“the only way is up.”
“but can we do it?”
“…. we have to.”
An announcement was made to move out and the army started the march toward Quebec. Isaac runnning alongside his masters horse wondered what plan they would use. The only way is up? What did that mean? Soon they were in sight of the city and General Wolfe called a stop. While the other soldiers pitched tents and made fires General Wolfe stood looking out toward the city. Isaac approached him cautiously. “Which way is up, sir?” The general smiled grimly and waved him to his side. “You heard that didn’t you? Well, Isaac the only way is to go up the heights of Abraham.” Isaac looked in awe. The heights of Abraham was a huge cliff that jutted out. It lay between them and the city.
That night, the plan was told to everyone and the soldiers moved out. It was the dead of night and Isaac shivered, his small body ached with numbness as the chill wind wracked his small frame. He was determined to be part of this adventure though. General Wolfe had given him a knife and a small pistol. They reached the edge of the cliff and every man looked up and shook his head with wonder but obeying thier general, they started the climb.
It was rough. Real rough. Isaac’s every bone ached and shook and twice he almost fell but thankfully all the times climbing with his brothers as a boy paid off and though it was difficult it was not impossible. He stopped to rest on a small ledge and looked around him. Men, like little bugs were slowly crawling on the wall. He looked down and instantly wished he hadn’t. If only Linclon was here or Father or even his other brothers. They would have done so much better at this. Isaac thought it ironic that he was climbing the heights of Abraham. Like Isaac, he was a child of promise and here like Abraham he was far from home climbing his adventure. Like Abraham he needed faith, Isaac sent up a quick prayer that went something like this:
“O God, don’t let me die.”
Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they reached the top and entered the town. The battle was fierce but swift and they had the element of surprise. General Montcalm the haughty French general was killed and after that the battle was definitely in their favor. In horror Isaac watched as a bullet hit his own beloved general. He ran over to him and said, “They run!” “Who runs?” General Wolfe asked weakly. “The enemy, sir!” he cried in triumph yet with tears flowing as he watched General Wolfe smile weakly in victory then close his eyes in surrender to the Almighty.
The End
“Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.”
Proverbs 20:18
The main character quality was strategy although I am sure you detected more.
What other character qualities did you notice?
Do you think that General Wolfe’s strategy was good? Why?
Do you think his strategy is why they won the battle?
Let me hear your thoughts!