“Friday, 24th August.—­Began to march and burn as yesterday, till we came to Ange Gardien where our detachment and Captain Ross, who had been posted for some days at Chateau Richer, joined Colonel Murray with the three companies of Grenadiers of the 22nd, 40th and 45th Regiments, where we are posted in four houses which we have fortified so as to be able, we hope, to stand any attack which we can expect with small arms.

“Saturday, 25th.—­Busy felling the fruit trees, and cutting the wheat to clear round us.

“Sunday, 26th.—­The same.

“Monday, 27th August.—­I hear Brigadier Murray has returned with his detachment, having had all the success expected of the detachment.  We received orders to march to-morrow to Chateau Richer.  Some men were observed skulking in the corn, round the houses we possessed; upon which, some of our people fired from one of the houses, when the whole took the alarm and continued firing from the windows and loopholes for about ten minutes.  For my own part I can’t say I could observe any of the Enemy, but as we had one man killed, and most of the men affirmed they saw men in the Corn, I can’t doubt but there were a few of the Enemy near us.”

So the record goes on.  On August 30th the detachment was busy fortifying itself in the Church at Chateau Richer near Quebec.  On the next day orders came to burn the houses there but not the church and return at once to Montmorency.  At Ange Gardien, on the way, General Murray, after whom Murray Bay is named, joined them with his detachment.  As they marched along the force burned all the houses and was soon back in camp at Montmorency.  They had left a trail black with desolation between that point and Cap Tourmente.  Captain Gorham completed the tale of woe by destroying Baie St. Paul and Malbaie.  Hardly a house was left between Montmorency and the Saguenay.

But all this was only side-play.  The crisis of the campaign was now near.  On September 3rd Wolfe abandoned the camp at Montmorency.  Fraser writes:  “The Army at Montmorency decamped this day, and crossed to the Island of Orleans, and from thence to Point Levy, without molestation from the French, tho’ they must have known some time ago that we intended to abandon that post.”

Wolfe was now massing as many troops as possible above Quebec on the south side of the river.  On September 6th, 600 of the Highlanders, together with the 15th and the 43rd, marched six miles above Point Levi and there embarked on board the ships.  Fraser says:  “We are much crowded; the ship I am in has about six hundred on board, being only about two hundred and fifty tons.”  On the 7th and 8th it rained and the men must have been very uncomfortable in their narrow quarters.  For some days still they remained in this condition.  Meanwhile were issued to the men careful instructions as to what they should do.  The army was to drop down the river in small boats, and to attempt to make a landing on the north shore.