The 1758 siege of Louisbourg was the most extensive siege operation ever attempted by the British forces in North America up to that time. Louisbourg represented a major threat to Anglo-American plans to invade Canada. By-passing it would leave an immensely powerful enemy base astride the Anglo-American lines of communication - Louisbourg had to be taken. The capture of Louisbourg would eliminate France's most important naval base in North America and clear the route to Quebec. The British army that besieged Fortress Louisbourg was larger than the one that was to lay siege to Quebec the following year. The land forces were led by Maj Gen Jeffery Amherst with skill and competence. Amherst also saw the extraordinary talents of youngJames Wolfe as a Brigade Commander and he gave him every opportunity to shine. Wolfe repaid him by performing brilliantly from the day of the landing. René Chartrand's text explains the background to the siege including the earlier naval operations, and the expulsion of the Acadian French populace from Nova Scotia in 1755 which resulted in unprecedented levels of "partisan" warfare on the western borders of Nova Scotia. The siege itself was a tremendous pounding match. Faced with strong beach defences and rough weather, it took six days to land the troops and was only achieved by a stroke of daring on the part of a young Brigadier named James Wolfe who managed to turn the French beach position. The course of the siege will be examined in detail, highlighting the key moments including silencing the Island Battery, taking Green Hill, etc. The story is largely based on first-hand accounts from the journals of several participants including Amherst and of French Governor Drucour's, whose excellent account has never been published.

• Origins of the campaign
• Opposing plans
• Naval operations 1756-1757
• Opposing commanders (British & French)
• Opposing armies (British & French)
• The siege of 1758
• Naval and military preparations
• The siege day by day
• The landing
• Taking Lighthouse Point
• Bombardements begins
• Wolf takes Green Hill
• The French Sally
• Artillery duels
• French ships damaged
• Breaches and fire
• The surrender and Cambis' Regiment Mutiny
• Aftermath
• The fortress of Louisbourg today
• Chronology
• Index

• One of the most important campaigns of the war in North America: only by taking Louisbourg could the Anglo-Americans hope to take Quebec and conquer New France.
• The first detailed account of the 1758 siege, fully illustrated with many especially commissioned colour maps and illustrations.
• Revealed Wolfe and Amherst's exceptional talents as commanders.
• Other related titles include Campaign 76 Ticonderoga 1758; Order of Battle 3 Quebec 1759; Men-at-Arms 296 Louis XV's Army 1.

Auteur
René Chartrand was born in Montral and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant for cinema and historic sites restorations. He has written numerous articles and books including almost 20 Osprey titles and the first two volumes of Canadian Military Heritage. Also a student of wines, he currently lives in Hull, Quebec, with his wife and two sons.
Illustrateur
Patrice Courcelle was born in northern France in 1950 and has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. Entirely self-taught; he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of public and private collections. His dramatic and lucid style has won him plenty of admiration in the field of military illustration.