Major General James P. Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) is a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada.
The son of a distinguished general, Lieutenant-General Edward Wolfe, he receives his first commission at a young age and sees extensive service in Europe where he fights during the War of the Austrian Succession.
His service in Flanders and in Scotland, where he takes part in the suppression of the Jacobite Rebellion, bring him to the attention of his superiors.
The advancement of his career is halted by the Peace Treaty of 1748 and he spends much of the next eight years in garrison duty in the Scottish Highlands.
Already a brigade major at the age of eighteen, he is a lieutenant-colonel by the age of twenty-three.
The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756 offers Wolfe fresh opportunities for advancement.
His part in the aborted attack on Rochefort in 1757 leads William Pitt to appoint him second-in-command of an expedition to capture Louisbourg.
Following the success of this operation, he is made commander of a force designated to sail up the Saint Lawrence River to capture Quebec.
After a lengthy siege, Wolfe defeats a French force under Montcalm allowing British forces to capture the city.
Wolfe is killed at the height of the battle due to injuries from three musket balls.
Wolfe's part in the taking of Quebec in 1759 earns him posthumous fame and he becomes an icon of Britain's victory in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion.
He is depicted in the painting The Death of General Wolfe, whch becomes very famous around the world.
Wolfe is posthumously dubbed "The Hero of Quebec", "The Conqueror of Quebec", and also "The Conqueror of Canada" since the capture of Quebec leads directly to the capture of Montreal, which ends French control of the country.
