Publisher's Synopsis
As a young grenadier serving in His Majesty's 78th Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders), Sergeant James Thompson took part in the capture of Louisbourg in 1758, the battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec in 1759 and the battle of Sillery the following year. Later he experienced the American blockade of Quebec by Generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold during the Revolutionary War. Thompson remained in Quebec the rest of his long life, and in his work with the engineers' department he was involved in the construction of the temporary Citadel and improvements to the fortifications. His collected anecdotes form one of the most interesting personal accounts of soldiering during the Seven Years' War, and his journal offers an authentic first-hand view of life in Quebec in the years that followed. An astute observer with an eye for a humorous story, by the time he reached old age he was sought out by governors general and royalty to recount his stories of earlier times. In this book, editors Earl Chapman and Ian McCulloch not only present Thompson's anecdotes in one volume for the first time (including newly discovered anecdotes never before published), but they also present a wealth of explanation and historical background that helps to bring the period to life and places Thompson's experiences in context. This book is published in collaboration with the Stewart Museum, The Fort, Île-Ste-Hélène, Montreal, and the 78th Fraser Highlanders.
