The Conquest

Tensions Among the French Staff

Mutual Dislike Between Colonial and Metropolitan Officers

Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, Comte de Bougainville (1729-1811)

Caption: Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, Comte de Bougainville (1729-1811)

In the fall of 1756, Montcalm, in a secret letter, complained to the Minister of War that Governor General Vaudreuil and his colonial officers knew nothing about warfare. Vaudreuil, for his part, responded to the Minister of the Navy that the French metropolitan officers showed contempt for the Canadians and that they had a cavalier way of treating colonial officers. This animosity quickly spread, and soon two camps had emerged within the staff: the French officers around Montcalm, and the Canadian officers led by Vaudreuil.