Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Levis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Levis (August 20, 1719 – November 20, 1787), born near Limoux, was a French noble and a Marshal of France. He served with distinction in the War of the Austrian Succession, and served as a capable second in command to Louis Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm. Born in Canada, Vaudreuil was very fond of Canadian militia and seasoned French frontier soldiers.
In 1756, the Marquis de Vaudreuil was informed that King Louis XV of France was sending the Marquis de Montcalm to take over the French forces at Fort Carillon. Vaudreuil wrote back to Louis stating that there was no need to send another general. Vaudreuil disliked the tactics of most "municipal" French generals, and when Montcalm, despite Vaudreuil's statement, arrived, the two men developed a dislike for each other. Montcalm brought with him the Chevalier de Lévis, a skilled young general, with him. The fact that Levis was an able commander in rugged terrain pleased Vaudreuil, so Levis managed to stay on good terms with both men.
Vaudreuil's orders for Montcalm were for him to march his men down to Lake George, and then they were to establish defenses. Levis stayed behind with about 500 French metropolitan troops and then a large force of seasoned French-Canadian militia. When the defenses were half done, Montcalm sent a messenger to Vaudreuil, telling him to send Levis. Levis marched his army of about 2,000 soldiers down to Lake George. When they arrived at Fort Carillon in 1757, Montcalm had just learned of an English attack on the fort.
When the British ran in to some Canadian militia, a small clash ensued. Major Lord Howe, the beloved British second in command, died in the skirmish. The Canadians ran back to the fort. By now the British were in plain sight, and they attacked. Charge after charge, the French beat back the British. Finally, the British retreated. The Battle of Carillon was one of the most decisive French victories in the war.
In 1759, Montcalm was ordered to defend Quebec from a British attack. The young British commander, James Wolfe, attempted to trick the French into letting them pass. When the British rowboats rowed on to the beach, a young French guard shouted "Qui vive?" (who's there) and the British commander shouted "la Francais" (the French). The French officer was not tricked by this, and sounded the alarm. By the time the soldiers came, the British were gone. But this foiled the British surprise plan.
When the British attacked Quebec, Montcalm was not ready for the attack, but he got his army ready and charged. In the fierce battle that followed, both Montcalm and Wolfe died. Following Montcalm's death at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, Levis was appointed commander of French forces in North America.
Wintering at Montreal, Lévis managed to rally his troops and train them for a Spring offensive aimed at recapturing Quebec in 1760. Marching downstream with the first breaking of the ice, Lévis met the forces of James Murray at the Battle of Sainte-Foy, where Lévis' army won a striking victory; nevertheless, the lack of artillery precluded any assault on the fortifications of Quebec and Lévis held back, awaiting reinforcements from Europe. With the arrival of a British squadron, Lévis was obliged to retreat to Montreal, where he eventually surrendered to Amherst's army, which had advanced down the Saint Lawrence River that summer, in early September.
Levis returned to France, and King Louis XV made him the Duc de Levis. Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Levis, lived the rest of his life quietly in retirement. He died in 1787 in Arras, France.
[edit] References
- Carillon 1758, Osprey Publishing,
- Quebec 1759, Osprey Publishing
