Back

Quebec batteries firing on Phipp’s ships during October 1690

Caption: Quebec batteries firing on Phipp’s ships during October 1690

Part of Quebec's defences is shown firing upon the invaders’ ships during October 1690. The upper town was protected by a good wall with intermittent batteries and more defensive works up near the Chateau Saint-Louis near Cape Diamond. In the lower town, there were two strong French shore batteries armed with heavy 18 and 24-pounder naval cannons along the city’s harbour. On the landward side, a line of earthworks punctuated with 11 redoubts enclosed the city from the western side. This 19th century print is inaccurate in some details, such as the Château Saint-Louis which only had one storey in 1690, but gives a good sense of the general action. (National Archives of Canada, C6022)