The Conquest of New France; A Chronicle of the Colonial Wars — Story, Setting & Ideas

Religious Strife and Imperial Ambition

Wrong identifies religious difference as a potent cause of strife that had not existed in earlier centuries. He points out that from 1660 to 1688, the Stuart rulers of England were subservient to the Bourbon King of France and shared his Catholic faith, but after the fall of the Stuarts, the new King William of Orange was denounced as both a heretic and a usurper. This shift unleashed a savage fury in America unknown in Europe. The author ties this religious animosity directly to the conduct of war: French attacks on the English in America became more brutal, and the conflict took on a character of ideological as well as territorial conquest. The narrative suggests that the colonial wars cannot be understood apart from the religious transformations of the mother countries.

The Tragic Quest for the Western Sea

One of the most striking episodes in the excerpts is the story of the La Vérendrye brothers, Pierre and François, who sought the Western Sea. Wrong recounts how they endured immense hardship, only to see others secure the rewards. Their appeals fell on deaf ears, and they sank into obscurity. François was killed in the siege of Quebec in 1759, and Pierre perished in the wreck of the Auguste amid the howling of the tempest. Wrong's language is stark: 'Tragedy, unrelenting, had pursued him to the end.' The narrative also describes the Chevalier de Niverville's expedition, which may have discovered the Rocky Mountains, and the reluctant Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, who turned back, offering excuses about Indian 'treason' and 'perfidy.' Saint-Pierre's dramatic threat to blow up Fort La Reine with a lighted torch underscores the precariousness of French outposts.

Contrasting French and English Approaches

Wrong draws a clear contrast between French and English methods in the West. The French, he writes, were driven by dreams of empire and exploration, pushing far inland to tap the fur trade at its source. The English, by contrast, were 'more prosaic': the Hudson's Bay Company traders worked under a monopoly but were content to wait for trade to come to them. By 1740, however, Indians were showing English traders articles supplied by the French, revealing that the French were cutting off the stream of furs that had long flowed to the Bay. This economic competition, as much as military conflict, shaped the struggle for North America. Wrong's account emphasizes that the French built far-flung outposts like Fort La Jonquière, but their efforts were often undermined by poor leadership and the harsh realities of the wilderness.

Wrong's chronicle is a work of synthesis, drawing on a wide range of sources to tell a story that is both military and exploratory. Readers should note that the excerpts provided are incomplete; the full text includes chapters on the victories of Montcalm, the strategy of Pitt, and the fall of Canada. The author's perspective is that of an early twentieth-century historian, and his judgments reflect the assumptions of his time. Pay attention to how he balances the narratives of French and English actors, and how he uses specific incidents—like the La Vérendrye tragedy—to illustrate broader themes of ambition, failure, and the relentless advance of British power.

Reading about the La Vérendryes’ lonely treks made me think of my grandfather’s old atlas, and how he’d trace those faint frontier lines with a finger. That same ache of distance and time returned while reading True Stories of the Great War, Volume 6 (of 6) Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses — Story, Setting & Ideas, where every voice feels equally far off, yet oddly close.