Search results for ""author dr stephen manning""

This book chronicles the three very different sieges of Quebec and sheds new light on these pivotal eighteenth-century conflicts. This book is being published to mark the 250th anniversary of the siege of Quebec. But unlike other books on this celebrated event, this account is set against a much wider canvas. The book is divided into three parts: each telling the story of one of the three eighteenth-century sieges of Quebec. There will be illustrations and maps included. By chronicling the events of three very different sieges, across two separate eighteenth-century conflicts, Dr Manning offers an exciting new perspective on events. He does not just concern himself with the celebrated siege by Wolfe in 1759. The importance of Quebec and the role it played during both the Seven Years War and the American War of Independence is fundamental. The geographical position of the city is emphasised to show how the city played such a vital part in eighteenth-century conflicts. The power of the city to draw historical figures such as Benedict Arnold and George Washington is described. The British attached enormous importance to its capture of North America from the French, all this being explained in the fuller context of The Seven Years War. But at all times the author concentrates on the detail of military strategy. The final battle on The Plains of Abraham is chronicled by a detailed analysis of Wolfe's genius and the reasons for his military success. The conflict was however far from over. At the battle of St Foy in 1760, the French beat the British and laid siege to Quebec once again. They failed however and the intervention of The Royal Navy in May then proved decisive as the British were finally able to force the French Army back to Montreal and capture the city. But Britain's relations with her new North American colonial subjects quickly turned sour, leading directly to the outbreak of war between Britain and her American subjects. The final siege of Quebec was by the Americans in 1776. It failed and the future of Canada as a separate political entity was assured. This is a thrilling tale told with consummate skill and real narrative pace.

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The breech-loading, single-shot .458in Martini-Henry rifle has become a symbol of both the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the numerous battles in Egypt and the Sudan in 1884–85, but continued to be used by both British and colonial troops well into the 20th century. Its invention and introduction into British service were in direct response to the success of the Prussian Dreyse needle gun, which demonstrated that the breech-loading rifle offered faster loading, improved accuracy and superior range; significantly, the weapon could be loaded and fired from a prone position, thus offering the rifleman greater security on the battlefield. Due to the longevity of service, many Martini-Henry rifles survive today, both in museums and in private collections, and the weapon is highly prized by shooting enthusiasts. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and an array of arresting first-hand accounts and written by an authority on warfare in the Victorian era, this engaging study tells the story of the powerful Martini-Henry and its impact on the battlefield, from the Anglo-Zulu War to the opening months of World War I.

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