walker expedition quebec british attempt attack quebec queen anne war north american theatre war spanish succession failed shipping disaster saint lawrence river august seven transports wrecked soldiers drowned disaster time worst naval disasters british history expedition planned administration based plans originally proposed decided mount expedition major shift british military policy emphasizing strength sea expedition leaders admiral brigadier general chosen politics connections crown plans kept secret admiralty despite secrecy french agents able discover british intentions warn authorities quebec expedition expected fully boston capital colonial massachusetts city unprepared arrived massachusetts authorities scramble provide months supplies admiral walker difficulty acquiring experienced pilots accurate charts navigating waters lower expedition reached incident conditions tricky currents strong winds combined drive fleet northern shore saint lawrence near place called ships wrecked following disaster walker abandoned expedition objectives returned england expedition failure continued implement blue water policy background late war spanish succession mixed force british regulars american colonists captured french fort port royal northwestern coast present day nova_scotia leader expedition brought news victory london represented london lobbied expedition quebec british government turmoil august ministry lord fell queen anne replaced political opponent duke fallen favour wanted change britain military strategy implementing blue water policy emphasized strength sea cost reduced army sought blunt continuing influence victory ends authorised expeditions land sea capture quebec fell ill work organisation secretary state future lord basic plan followed proposed campaign season main thrust naval expedition carrying combined force regular army forces provincial militia rear admiral white sir given overall command expedition brigadier command land forces walker promoted admiral march led squadron expedition west indies earlier war failed produce significant results chosen friendship sympathies probably chose hill favour court brother presumably echoing opinions husband wrote hill good soldier regiments force flanders added britain build force land troops force sailed ports southern england april destination tightly guarded secret walker immediately informed destination lords admiralty informed sufficient supplies typical voyage european waters attempt spies boston arrived boston early june news details expedition plans meeting provincial governors quickly arranged connecticut naval expedition include provincial militia raised new_england colonies led provincial force raised provinces connecticut pennsylvania hudson_river montreal provincial forces walker expedition led governor nova_scotia consisted men massachusetts smaller contingents new_hampshire rhode_island fleet arrived boston june troops disembarked island present day location logan international airport size force according historian formidable crossed atlantic english flag fleet left insufficient supplies organizers expected fully boston number soldiers sailors outnumbered population boston time proved task laws passed prevent merchants price sufficient provisions eventually acquired additional laws passed residents found fleet apparently attraction colonial life sufficient significant problem weeks expedition boston expedition boston walker attempted enlist pilots experienced navigating dismay forthcoming captain reputed colony best claimed river mouth walker intended rely principally picked plymouth prior fleet departure deeply writing ignorant pretending idle drunken fellow come good design following report walker forced captain captain captured french sloop serve navigator charts walker accumulated notably short details area mouth saint lawrence journal sir kept expedition quebec walker acquired walker interviewed participants expedition vague tales relieve concerns expect river concerns prompted largest heaviest ships cruising duty transferred flag gun disaster july fleet set sail boston consisted mix british colonial ships including ships war bomb vessels transports carried troops sailors august fleet reached coast nova scotia piloted fleet cape morning august expedition enter saint lawrence river wind began blow hard northwest walker forced seek shelter morning 20th wind southeast able advance slowly past western died thick fog shore fleet 22nd wind southeast intermittent breaks fog sufficient sight land point fleet west point saint lawrence miles wide narrowed noticeably point river sharp turn running nearly north south area near called includes number small islands including numerous rocky consulting pilots walker gave signal head fleet roughly southwest walker thought mid stream issued order fact seven leagues miles north proper course grasp strong currents steered ships northwest aided easterly wind fleet gradually closing north south shore near captain reported walker land sighted presumably dead ahead walker assumed fleet approaching south shore ordered fleet wear bring went bed manoeuvre fleet northerly heading minutes later army captain named claiming breakers ahead walker dismissed advice man returned insisting admiral come deck certainly lost walker came deck dressing gown saw ship driven western lee shore east wind french navigator came deck explained walker walker immediately ordered anchor cables cut beat wind escape danger warships windsor difficulty ended anchored night situation surrounded breakers night walker heard sounds distress times fog lifted ships seen distance ground rocks new wrote hear sinking drowning departing souls wind subsided shifted northwest fleet managed stand away shore took days discover extent disaster fleet searched survivors seven transports supply ship lost walker initial report soldiers perished later reports revised number including women attached units estimates sailors perished disaster rescuing walker hill held war council august interviewing number pilots including council decided reason ignorance pilots expedition aborted openly blamed walker disaster late disaster humble opinion difficulty navigation wrong course steered carried north shore fleet sailed came anchor harbour sydney nova scotia september council held discuss attack french given season insufficient supplies area rumours strong defences council decided making attack sailed england return land expedition learned naval disaster near aborted expedition reported angry tore wig threw ground expedition fortunes improve return voyage walker written new_york requesting available supply ships join unbeknownst transports joseph mary neptune wrecked coast october men lost fleet returned portsmouth october walker flagship blew days later possibly improper handling gunpowder walker lost number papers result claimed journal lost blast despite magnitude expedition failure political consequences relatively mild failure early setback blue water policy called aggressive use navy england enemies bay continued implement withdrawing resources european military campaigns project organised current government interested deeply reasons failure walker received queen hill given new commands walker eventually wrote detailed frank account expedition based memory surviving journals papers reprinted graham walker stripped rank amid larger change power including accession king george died popular sentiment england tended fault colonies failing properly support expedition citing reasons sentiments rejected colonies governor instead blamed walker relations military leadership colonial populations army stay outside boston difficult relations civilians military political conflicts preceded american revolutionary war hill officers wrote ill nature people government doctrine manners commented brought control colonists grow stiff day colonists noted disgust fact walker hill escaped expedition failure french actions authorities france alerted early march organising expedition quebec knew composition hill force apparently unaware destination july governor general new france sent ostensibly oversee prisoner exchange early june secret instructions try convince authorities support expeditions sent england coincidentally arrived boston june day apparently unsuccessful attempts influence british colonial opinion suspicious behaviour eventually arrested copies secret instructions found aboard captured french vessel brought boston held boston november governor warned august expeditions quebec montreal organised called militia rallied local indians prepared defences best putting colony war mid october word reached quebec large ships approaching tensions turned french board scout sent september watch british fleet scout reported finding wreckage seven ships estimated bodies locals wreckage colony organised formal salvage operation recovered items like anchors chains tents cannons items recovered auctioned fleet fleet listed order sail drawn admiral walker ships generally sailed abreast
Quebec Expedition