Wolfe expected to find six battalions, a few companies of marines, four or five thousand Canadians and some Indians. He had great disdain for the Montcalm's French army in Quebec City. He called them "five feeble French battalions mixed with undisciplined peasants" (Wrong, p. 216).

Montcalm had his force on the north side of the St. Lawrence River. The city was barricaded and the St. Charles River (to the east) was closed with logs chained together. Montcalm's army numbered more than 16,000. Ten thousand were militia, four thousand regulars of the line, and a thousand each of colonials regulars, seamen, and Indians. A total of two thousand of these were kept at the garrison of Quebec - the rest were available to Montcalm to defend the city from the English. Wolfe's army was less than 9,000.

Although Montcalm had twice the man-power of Wolfe available to him, it seems as if he decided, due to the surprise element of Wolfe's landing and ascent to the Plains of Abraham, to use only 4500 men. These men were unfamiliar with the "European" style of fighting in a line whereas Wolfe's army was well trained in this combat.

 Works Cited