More than 200 reenactors bring history to life on the Plains
Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
cassandra@qctonline.com
“The British are coming!” “The Americans are coming!” From Sept. 6-7, near Martello Tower 1 on the Plains of Abraham, the National Battlefields Com- mission (NBC) reenacted four sieges of Quebec City and invited 200 reenactors to set up camp and sleep on the Plains of Abraham.
“It is amazing. I walked my dog around the Martello Tower on the morning of Sept. 5, and nothing was there. I came back yesterday, and today, I have travelled through time and space,” said Mathieu Lemelin. “It is quite a sight to see so many reenactors dressed in period clothing – and not just the British and French soldiers, but also the Americans!”
Rest assured, these Americans reenacted the Siege of William Phips in 1690 and the American invasion of 1775 – not the theoretical invasion that could make Canada the 51st state. They came in peace to reenact two failed attempts to take Quebec City. Between shooting practices with blanks, they cheerfully shared their knowledge of history and acknowledged that Quebec City was not easily conquered – at least until the British arrived in 1759 to win the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. The French retaliated to win the bloodiest battle on Canadian soil, the Battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760. During the American Revolutionary War, the Americans tried and failed to conquer all of British North America.
For passionate armchair historians and reenactors, learning about history from books and movies is important, but nowhere near as interesting as a reenactment. For two days and through the rain, over 200 men, women and children from all over Canada and the United States camped on the Plains of Abraham for the annual Battlefields – Quebec City Under Siege reenactment. The bad weather did force the event to end earlier than scheduled on Sept. 6; however, it stopped in time for the reenactors to have a dry sleep on the Plains of Abraham.
“The event has become, over the years, a must-see for the public at large and for history buffs,” said Stéphanie Roy, director of museum affairs at the NBC. The public attended in great numbers to watch reenactors fire blanks from muskets and cannons – always a crowd pleaser – and learn about games, food, tools and medicine used in the British, French, Continental Army and First Nations camps at the time.
This event echoes the current temporary exhibit on display at the Plains of Abraham Museum, Quebec 1775-1776: Blizzards and Battle, on display until January 2026.
“As well as being one of our biggest events to organize annually, and this edition being particularly enormous with all the tents and community tables and fire pits, it is also one of our most popular,” said NBC outreach program manager Virginie Arsenault. “We are very pleased with the outcome.”
This event concludes the NBC summer events program. To learn more about upcoming activities and events this fall and winter, visit plainsofabaraham.ca/activities-events.