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Westward of the Citadelle are the rolling grasslands of the National Battlefields Park , a sizeable chunk of land stretching along the cliffs above the St Lawrence. The park encompasses the historic Plains of Abraham , which were named after Abraham Martin, the first pilot of the St Lawrence River in 1620. The Plains were to become the site on which Canada's history was rewritten. In June 1759 a large British force led by General Wolfe sailed up the St Lawrence to besiege General Montcalm in Quebec City. From the end of July until early September the British forces shuttled up and down the south side of the river, raking the city with cannon fire. Montcalm and the governor, Vaudreuil, became convinced that Wolfe planned a direct assault on the citadel from Anse de Foulon (Wolf's Cove), the only handy break in the cliff face - opinion confirmed when lookouts observed a British detachment surveying Cap Diamant from across the river in Levis. Montcalm thus strengthened the defences above Anse de Foulon, but made the mistake of withdrawing the regiment stationed on the Plains themselves. The following night the British performed the extraordinary feat, which even Wolfe had considered "a desperate plan", of scaling the cliff below the Plains via Anse de Foulon, and on the morning of September 16 Montcalm awoke to find the British drawn up a couple of kilometres from the city's gate. The hastily assembled French battalions, flanked by aboriginal warriors, were badly organized and rushed headlong at the British, whose volleys of gunfire mortally wounded Montcalm. On his deathbed Montcalm wrote a chivalrous note of congratulations to Wolfe, not knowing that he was dead. Quebec City surrendered four days later. The park's Discovery Pavilion , below the tourist office at 835 ave Wilfrid-Laurier est (May-Oct daily 11am-5.30pm except Mon Sept-Oct), has maps, information panels and a short film. The dead of 1759 are commemorated by a statue of Joan of Arc in a beautifully maintained sunken garden just off ave Wilfrid-Laurier at Place Montcalm by the Ministry of Justice. More conspicuous, standing out amid the wooded parklands, scenic drives, jogging paths and landscaped gardens, are two Martello towers, built between 1805 and 1812 for protection against the Americans. Martello Tower 2, on the corner of Wilfrid-Laurier and Tache, is only open to school groups, whilst Martello Tower 1 (June & Sept to mid-Oct Sat & Sun 10am-5.30pm; late June to early Sept daily 10am-5.30pm; $3.50), further south in the park, has superb views of the St Lawrence from its rooftop lookout. The views are almost as good from the base of the tower, and you don't have to pay for an unmemorable exhibition in order to reach the top; children get to dress up in costumes for the optional tour. Further west, outside the Musee du Quebec, there's a monument to General Wolfe, whose body was shipped back to England for burial, pickled in a barrel of rum. Beyond the park's western peripheries, cannons ring the perimeter of a large playing field and there's another lookout point above where Cote Gilmour winds down the cliffs at Anse de Foulon.
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