Wolfe, James

Wolfe, James (1727–1759) British army officer. Born in Westerham, Kent, England, in 1727, James Wolfe entered the British military service as a lieutenant in his father's regiment of marines in 1741. He commanded a company in Flanders, was appointed brigade major in 1745, and served at the Battle of Culloden that same year. He then returned to fight in the Netherlands where he was wounded at Laeffelt. In January 1748, he obtained a majority in the 20th Regiment of Foot. Since the regiment's colonel, Lord Charles Cornwallis, was often absent, Wolfe, who was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1749, frequently commanded the regiment and introduced a system of tactics which remained in use for some time. In June 1757, he was made quartermaster general of Newcastle's expedition against Rochefort, France, and was subsequently rewarded for his service with brevet promotion to colonel. In 1758, William Pitt offered Wolfe a brigade command in Sir Jeffrey Amherst's expedition against Louisbourg. Wolfe subsequently distinguished himself during the landing and successful siege of the French fortress. After the capture of Louisbourg, Wolfe was sent to destroy French fishing camps in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, after which he returned to England. Although he had never held an independent command, in 1759 Wolfe was selected by Prime Minister William Pitt to command the British expedition against Quebec. Wolfe's initial assault on the Marquis de Montcalm's position at Montmorency (July 31, 1759) failed, but in August he moved his forces up the river to a point above the city, and in the early morning hours of September 13, 1759, seized the Plains of Abraham, forcing Montcalm into an attack which failed. Both Montcalm and Wolfe were mortally wounded during the brief engagement.