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Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe
Ugly, gangling, and tormented by agonising illness, Major General James Wolfe was an unlikely hero. Yet in 1759, on the Plains of Abraham before Quebec, he won a battle with momentous consequences. Wolfe's victory, bought at the cost of his life, ensured that English, not French, would become the dominant language in North America. Ironically, by crippling French ambitions on that continent, Wolfe paved the way for American independence from Britain.
Just thirty-two years old when he was killed in action, Wolfe had served in the British army since his mid-teens, fighting against the French in Flanders and Germany, and the Jacobites in Scotland. Already renowned for bold leadership, Wolfe's death at the very moment of his victory at Quebec cemented his heroic status on both sides of the Atlantic. Epic paintings of Wolfe's dying moments transformed him into an icon of patriotic self-sacrifice, and a role model for Horatio Nelson.
Once venerated as the very embodiment of military genius and soldierly modesty, Wolfe's reputation has recently undergone sustained assault by revisionist historians who instead see him as a bloodthirsty and priggish young man, a general who owned his name and fame to one singularly lucky - though crucial - victory.
But was there more to James Wolfe than a celebrated death? In Paths of Glory, the first full-length biography of Wolfe to appear in almost half a century, Stephen Brumwell seeks to answer that question, drawing upon extensive research to offer a reassessment of a soldier whose short but dramatic life unquestionably altered the course of world history.
Just thirty-two years old when he was killed in action, Wolfe had served in the British army since his mid-teens, fighting against the French in Flanders and Germany, and the Jacobites in Scotland. Already renowned for bold leadership, Wolfe's death at the very moment of his victory at Quebec cemented his heroic status on both sides of the Atlantic. Epic paintings of Wolfe's dying moments transformed him into an icon of patriotic self-sacrifice, and a role model for Horatio Nelson.
Once venerated as the very embodiment of military genius and soldierly modesty, Wolfe's reputation has recently undergone sustained assault by revisionist historians who instead see him as a bloodthirsty and priggish young man, a general who owned his name and fame to one singularly lucky - though crucial - victory.
But was there more to James Wolfe than a celebrated death? In Paths of Glory, the first full-length biography of Wolfe to appear in almost half a century, Stephen Brumwell seeks to answer that question, drawing upon extensive research to offer a reassessment of a soldier whose short but dramatic life unquestionably altered the course of world history.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Stephen Brumwell
10 books22 followersStephen Brumwell is an award-winning writer and historian with a specialist interest in eighteenth-century Britain and North America.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 8, 2019
A thorough, accessible, and engaging biography of General James Wolfe, with the battle at Québec being the main highlight. Brumwell’s research is thorough and he fully explores the life and controversies of this man, and he does a fine job fleshing out Wolfe as a real person with real human qualities.
Wolfe had seen action at Culloden and considered his service in North America as “the dirtiest and the most insignificant and unpleasant” position he could have found himself in, as well as a generally hopeless enterprise. Brumwell also explores how Wolfe contributed to his profession as a whole, something previous historians have tended to overlook.
While historiography on Wolfe has tended to go back and forth, Brumwell presents a more nuanced portrait of the man and concludes that Wolfe was a fine soldier if not a great commander, who had a good degree of both luck and daring. While not a particularly appealing character and not always exercising good judgement, Wolfe was always a man of action and he was a superb trainer of soldiers. While many historians have caricatured Wolfe’s siege of Québec as a death wish, Brumwell suggests instead that he simply wanted to make Québec his last campaign and that he was planning to retire once the war was over, which makes more sense given that Wolfe was engaged to be married at the time.
An excellent biography of Wolfe. Brumwell is well-versed in the subject matter and his use of the sources is judicious. Some more maps would have helped, though.
Wolfe had seen action at Culloden and considered his service in North America as “the dirtiest and the most insignificant and unpleasant” position he could have found himself in, as well as a generally hopeless enterprise. Brumwell also explores how Wolfe contributed to his profession as a whole, something previous historians have tended to overlook.
While historiography on Wolfe has tended to go back and forth, Brumwell presents a more nuanced portrait of the man and concludes that Wolfe was a fine soldier if not a great commander, who had a good degree of both luck and daring. While not a particularly appealing character and not always exercising good judgement, Wolfe was always a man of action and he was a superb trainer of soldiers. While many historians have caricatured Wolfe’s siege of Québec as a death wish, Brumwell suggests instead that he simply wanted to make Québec his last campaign and that he was planning to retire once the war was over, which makes more sense given that Wolfe was engaged to be married at the time.
An excellent biography of Wolfe. Brumwell is well-versed in the subject matter and his use of the sources is judicious. Some more maps would have helped, though.
December 20, 2022
James Wolfe is a fascinating figure whose life bridges two distinct worlds. Reviled in the land he conquered, he was feted across the interconnected and newly imperial British Atlantic Basin. Whilst sure of British superiority in theory, he was quick to adapt to the strange conditions of the new world. Whether it was revolutionary tactical military developments or scientific endeavors, Wolfe’s youth aided him in his openness to innovations. Time hasn’t been kind to Wolfe, the creation of a Canadian state sought to deemphasis his foundational role in the Anglo-sphere. Sites and figures associated with the British Conquest are largely ignored in terms of adoration, by authorities in modern day Quebec. After the dissolution of the British empire, many scholars fixated on his campaigns of infrastructure destruction and civilian displacement. Wolfe’s death on the Plains of Abraham mark a drastic and irrevocable change, that will sweep across the Western hemisphere. It’s waves will both sever long held ties and convulse the old world in turn. James Wolfe doesn’t deserve ignominious exile, instead his short life deserves to be marked as a truly great turning point in history.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews