The Passing of New France | Page 7

grain in hand
which they could ship to Canada at once. The next step was to get an
order from the king to buy this food to be shipped to Canada. This
order was secured through influential friends in Paris, and, of course,
the price paid by the king was high. The food was then sent back to
Canada, again in the king's ships. Then Bigot and his friends in Canada
put it not into the king's but into their own stores in Quebec, sold it to
the king's stores once more, as they had sold it in France, and then
effected a third sale, this time to the wretched French Canadians from
whom they had bought it for next to nothing at first. Thus both the king
and the French Canadians were each robbed twice over, thanks to
Vaudreuil's complaisance and Bigot's official position as also

representing the king.
Bigot had been some time in Canada before Vaudreuil arrived as
governor in 1755. He had already cheated a good deal. But it was only
when he found out what sort of man Vaudreuil was that he set to work
to do his worst. Bigot was a knave, Vaudreuil a fool. Vaudreuil was a
French Canadian born and very jealous of any one from France, unless
the Frenchman flattered him as Bigot did. He loved all sorts of pomp
and show, and thought himself the greatest man in America. Bigot
played on this weakness with ease and could persuade him to sign any
orders, no matter how bad they were.
Now, when an owl like Vaudreuil and a fox like Bigot were ruining
Canada between them, they were anything but pleased to see a lion like
Montcalm come out with an army from France. Vaudreuil, indeed, had
done all he could to prevent the sending out of Montcalm. He wrote to
France several times, saying that no French general was needed, that
separate regiments under their own colonels would suffice, and that he
himself could command the regulars from France, just as he did the
Canadians.
But how did he command the Canadians? By law every Canadian had
to serve as a soldier, without pay, whenever the country was in danger.
By law every man needed for carrying supplies to the far-off outposts
could also be taken; but, in this case, he had to be paid. Now, all the
supplies and the carriage of them were under Bigot's care. So when the
Canadians were called out as soldiers, without pay, Bigot's gang would
ask them if they would rather go and be shot for nothing or carry
supplies in safety for pay. Of course, they chose the carrier's work and
the pay, though half the pay was stolen from them. At the same time
their names were still kept on the muster rolls as soldiers. This was the
reason why Montcalm often had only half the militia called out for him:
the other half were absent as carriers, and the half which remained for
Montcalm was made up of those men whom Bigot's friends did not
think good enough for carriers.
But there were more troubles still for Montcalm and his army. As
governor, Vaudreuil was, of course, the head of everything in the

country, including the army. This was right enough, if he had been fit
for his post, because a country must have a supreme head, and the army
is only a part, though the most important part, in war. A soldier may be
also a statesman and at the head of everything, as were Cromwell,
Napoleon, and Frederick the Great. But a statesman who is not a soldier
only ruins an army if he tries to command it himself. And this was
precisely what Vaudreuil did. Indeed, he did worse, for, while he did
not go into the field himself, he continued to give orders to Montcalm
at every turn. Besides, instead of making all the various forces on the
French side into one army he kept them as separate as he could--five
parts and no whole.
It should be made clear what these five parts were. First, there were the
French regulars, the best of all, commanded by Montcalm, who was
himself under Vaudreuil. Next, there were the Canadian regulars and
the Canadian militia, both directly under Vaudreuil. Then there were
the French sailors, under their own officers, but subject to Vaudreuil.
Montcalm had to report to the minister of War in Paris about the
French regulars, and to the minister of Marine about the Canadians of
both kinds. Vaudreuil reported to both ministers, usually against
Montcalm; and the French naval commander reported to his own
minister on his own account. So there was abundant opportunity to
make trouble among the four French forces. But there was more