""War continuing, Canada would always finish by being taken sooner or later. We know beyond a doubt that the court of England, impelled by the frenzy of the nation, is resolved to invade it at whatever cost. That court has the means and will use them to the last farthing." 1
Such was the lament of a French official after the fall of Louisbourg, Canada's greatest fortress at that time. The Seven Years' War had been raging for three, and in its struggle with Great Britain for control of North America, France had suffered a major reverse. If the nation's fortunes were to be retrieved and a successful end to the conflict ensured, it would have to be accomplished elsewhere.
King Louis XV and his principal minister, Étienne-François, Duke of Choiseul, believed the solution lay in a large-scale invasion of England. Though it would entail fearsome expense, it was more likely than any other avenue to bring about negotiations. The plan was ambitious, calling for 20,000 men to descend on Scotland, while a force of equal size would cross the Channel and take London. To control those waters and secure a landing, at least 35 ships of the line were to assemble at Brest on the Brittany coast…."
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Amicalement
Armand
paints brigs for the British fleet.
