sh army had advanced in the neighborhood of
it. That it was M. de Vaudreuil who commanded-in-chief in Canada, and
not M. de Levis; and that there was yet a possibility of retiring with
the garrison towards the north side of the island, where the swampy
ground upon the border of the river had hindered the English from
establishing a post." De Bougainville immediately decided for a
retreat, which was executed and combined with equal justness; and the
success answered exactly to the prudence, wisdom and good conduct that
De Bougainville exhibited in preparing for it. It was then about ten
in the morning when Nogaire arrived with the Indians, who--not
accustomed to such a terrible fire as was at that moment poured forth
by the English batteries, very different from their way of fighting
behind trees--were not at all at ease, and furiously impatient to get
out of the island. The hour of retreat was settled for ten that
night.

The north shore of Isle aux Noix, on the opposite side of the river,
was marshy to the distance of three hundred paces from the river,
covered with small trees where there was a rising ground, and there
was no English post nearer to it than at the Prairie de Boileau,
distant half a mile down the river, so that the locality where the
river was fordable was a little below the north staccados. De
Bougainville adopted every prudent measure imaginable to achieve
success. He ordered all the boats to be mended and put in condition to
be used at a moment's warning. He also ordained that the boats, bark
canoes, and punts hewn out of a large tree, be removed a certain
distance from the river side, lest some soldier should desert and
apprise the English of his design, such as had happened from the posts
near Quebec. He commanded that all the garrison should be in order of
battle at ten at night, all observing a profound silence, without the
least clashing of arms or other noise, and be in readiness to march.
He ordered M. le Borgne, an officer in the colonial troops, to remain
on the island with a detachment of forty men, to keep up a smart fire
from our battery, which consisted of seven or eight pieces of cannon,
during the time we were employed in passing the river, in order to
hinder the English from hearing us in our operations, and to continue
firing whilst ammunition lasted, and to conceal our retreat as long as
it was possible to do so.

We began to cross the river in two lighters, with some small boats,