Earthen fort

On top of the cliff in the park at the falls you can see the remains of the earthen fort built by General Wolfe in 1759. Previous attempts to capture the city at the landings below Quebec city had failed and he was driven back and defeated at Montmorency Falls by General Montcalm. The culmination of the following three-month siege by the British, came on September 13, 1759 in a battle that lasted less than an hour (17 minutes according to wikipedia!) when General Wolfe and his men staged a succesful attack by climbing the cliffs below the Plains of Abraham. Both Generals died of wounds inflicted at the battle. Wolfe's death is depicted in this painting by Benjamin West.