rly scurvy. By April, only about three thousand troops were fit to fight. Efforts had been made to improve the defenses. G eneral Murray was unaware of the advancing French army being so near, though the rumors of a spring offensive had circulated all winter. He had in mid April, been informed by three deserters from the French regulars, that indeed, the whole Canadian army would soon attack. Though in preparation, on Monday, the 21, he had ordered the evacuation of all civilians from Quebec, still, the weather was not yet right for an attack. But on April 27, a guard aboard the war sloop RaceHorse, heard what sounded like a man in distress. When the ships commander, Captain Macartney, was informed of this, he ordered a boat be sent to investigate. The sailors found a man clinging to a large floe of ice. Once he had been taken aboard and somewhat revived, he found to be a sergeant of the French artillery. His floating battery had been overturned in the storm, leaving him the only survivor . At 3am, he was taken to General Murray, where before he died, informed him that Lvis was near-by with a large force. Murray at once ordered his command to take their posts. At dawn, he set out with five regiments of light infantry, the grenadiers, and ten pieces of artillery. Soon after reconnoitering the French positions, he ordered his men to take up positions in the row of houses that lined the road on both sides of St. Foy church. Once these positions were secure, the cannon were brought to bear on the French outpost visible at the edge of the Sillery forest. The village of St. Foy was situated on a low hill overlooking to the west, the Cap Rouge River, and opposite it, the hill descends to a swamp called Suete Marsh. The road to from St. Foy to Quebec accends a greater incline called Cte Ste. Genevive. Now that Murray had gained control of the high ground at St. Foy, Lvis would have to change his plan of attack. He chose to wait until night fall...
