CWOJackson
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Possible remains unearthed from 1759 battle on Plains of Abraham
View attachment 49906
QUEBEC — Archeologists believe they have made a "major" discovery of remains dating back to the famed 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.
The human bones and other artifacts were found last week during excavations conducted ahead of the expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts located on the battlefield where one of the most important battles in Canadian history — the fall of Quebec — unfolded.
"All the signs point to a major archeological discovery," Rene Bouchard, head of the heritage and museology department at the province's Culture ministry, said Thursday. "There are very few concrete remnants of this period, especially so if they are still in place." Further tests and investigations will be conducted on the bones and artifacts to try and confirm the archeologists' assumptions. The remains were found near artifacts of a military building known as the Wolfe redoubt. It was built by British General James Murray in 1760, after the famous battle, because they feared a new French attack. The dwelling lasted until 1840, Bouchard noted. He said the digging area near the museum is likely to be expanded to look for more war vestiges.
"This could give us very precious indications on the defence system put in place at the time and the people associated with it," he said. The Sept. 13, 1759 battle — won by British general James Wolfe over French general Louis Joseph Montcalm — was a key victory for Britain in extending its empire across North America. Historians know that most of both countries' combatants who died in the battle were buried in a cemetery next to Quebec City's General Hospital, located in the lower part of town. Bouchard said if the remains do date back to 1759, they will likely be reburied in that cemetery.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/trav...1759+battle+Plains+Abraham/5514166/story.html
View attachment 49906
QUEBEC — Archeologists believe they have made a "major" discovery of remains dating back to the famed 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City.
The human bones and other artifacts were found last week during excavations conducted ahead of the expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts located on the battlefield where one of the most important battles in Canadian history — the fall of Quebec — unfolded.
"All the signs point to a major archeological discovery," Rene Bouchard, head of the heritage and museology department at the province's Culture ministry, said Thursday. "There are very few concrete remnants of this period, especially so if they are still in place." Further tests and investigations will be conducted on the bones and artifacts to try and confirm the archeologists' assumptions. The remains were found near artifacts of a military building known as the Wolfe redoubt. It was built by British General James Murray in 1760, after the famous battle, because they feared a new French attack. The dwelling lasted until 1840, Bouchard noted. He said the digging area near the museum is likely to be expanded to look for more war vestiges.
"This could give us very precious indications on the defence system put in place at the time and the people associated with it," he said. The Sept. 13, 1759 battle — won by British general James Wolfe over French general Louis Joseph Montcalm — was a key victory for Britain in extending its empire across North America. Historians know that most of both countries' combatants who died in the battle were buried in a cemetery next to Quebec City's General Hospital, located in the lower part of town. Bouchard said if the remains do date back to 1759, they will likely be reburied in that cemetery.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/trav...1759+battle+Plains+Abraham/5514166/story.html
