Nicholas Rodger's account describes how British ships forced their way above Quebec and threatened French communications, opening alternatives to a frontal assault. Much of the upriver bank offered easier landing places, but Wolfe chose a difficult approach at night beneath a hundred-foot cliff. Naval skill and good fortune brought the troops ashore at the right point, with the French sentries having been withdrawn shortly beforehand. Grenadiers and light companies climbed to the Heights of Abraham. Montcalm had fortifications, superior numbers and troops positioned to threaten the British rear, yet chose an immediate battle because he distrusted the Canadian militia. Both commanders died in the fighting, and Quebec surrendered soon afterwards.
Chapter · 52:35-56:06
Quebec in 1759: naval mobility, luck, and command mistakes
The Quebec campaign shows how upriver naval movement created landing options, while risky choices and French command errors decided the outcome.