Wolfe
Wolfe names 2 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Wolfe JAMES, an English military officer
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
JAMES, an English military officer; born in Westerham vicarage, Kent, Jan. 2, 1727; was educated at Westerham and Greenwich. From the first he was bent upon following his father's profession of arms; and, balked by illness at 13 of a share of the unfortunate Cathagena expedition, in 1742 he received an ensign's commission in a foot regiment. In 1743 he took part in the famous battle of Dettingen, boy though he was, as adjutant of his regiment; in 1744 he obtained his captaincy; and in 1745-1746 he served against the Scotch, being present at the battles of Falkirk and Culloden. Again abroad on service in 1747, he was wounded, though not seriously, at the battle of Lawfeld, and so distinguished himself that he was publicly thanked by the Duke of Cumberland. From 1749 to 1757, with occasional interruptions, such as a six months' residence in Paris, he was engaged in garrison duty in Scotland and England; his interesting correspondence with his mother shows that he had no great liking for the former country and its inhabitants. In the mismanaged expedition against Rochefort (1757) Wolfe acted as quartermaster-general. The total failure of the operations brought disgrace to nearly all concerned; but it became known that had Wolfe's counsels been followed the result would almost certainly have been different. Pitt's attention was now first decisively drawn to him as an officer of whom great things might be expected; and in 1758, with the full rank of colonel, he was appointed to the command of a brigade in the expedition against Cape Breton under General Amherst. A brilliant success was obtained in the capture of the strong fortress of Louisberg, after a seven weeks' siege, and he became popularly known as the "Hero of Louisburg." Pitt was now organizing his grand scheme for expelling the French from Canada; he sought for merit wherever it was to be found; and the expedition which had for its object the capture of Quebec, the enemy's capital, he confided to Wolfe's command, allowing him, as far as possible, a carte blanche in the choice of his subordinate officers. Advanced to the rank of Major-General, and commanding 9,000 men, Wolfe sailed from England on Feb. 17, 1759, and on June 26 landed his forces on the Isle of Orleans, opposite Quebec. The system of defense adopted by his adversary, the skillful and wary Montcalm, was such as to offer no point of advantage. The season wore fast away during which operations could be continued; but at last, having dropped down the river, and scaled the cliffs at a point insufficiently guarded -a feat of such frightful risk as in war has scarcely a parallel-at daybreak of Sept. 13, Wolfe found himself on the RAW MAJOR-GENERAL JAMES WOLFE Plains of Abraham, where, his supplies thus cut off, Montcalm had no choice but to give battle. After a short struggle the French were driven from the field in rout; Montcalm 500 impetroupon weber for was one of killed; lowed five days after and its fall decided the fate of Canada. Wolfe died in the hours of victory, Sept. 13, 1759. In person he led the right, till thrice wounded, he was carried to the rear. He lived to hear the cry, "They run; see how they run!" and expired with the words, "Now God be praised, I will die in peace." His body was taken home and buried in Greenwich church, and a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey. WOLFENBÜTTEL, an old town of Brunswick, Germany; on the Oker; 7 Brunswick. One of the old churches contains many of the tombs of the princes of Brunswick. The old castle now accommodates a seminary for teachers and a theater. The library opposite, built in 1723 in the form of the Pantheon at Rome, became famous for its literary wealth and for the fact that Lessing was its librarian. It was Lessing who edited the "Wolfenbüttel Fragments," professedly from anonymous MSS. under his his charge, but really from the pen of his friend Reimarus, which startled the theological world of Ger- The Pantheon building had bemany. come so rickety and dangerous that it had to be taken down, being superseded in 1887 by a handsome new edifice. There are in the town manufactures of copper goods, flax, cloth, cork, leather, preserves, tobacco, etc. The place is very ancient, and dates from 1046; it was besieged and taken in 1193 and 1542; and during the Thirty Years' War a battle was fought here. Pop. about 20,000.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
wulf, James (1727-1759), an English general. He was a native of Kent. He was educated at Greenwich. At the age of twenty-five he entered the English army as an ensign in a regiment of infantry. Two years later he was the captain. He took part in the battles of Falkirk and Culloden, and was engaged subsequently in garrison duty on the Scottish border. Pitt recognized the young soldier's ability and sent him to America under Amherst with the rank of brigadier-general. Wolfe was instrumental in the capture of the fortress of Louisburg in 1758. He became known at home as the hero of Louisburg. In the following campaign Pitt again advanced Wolfe above his seniors, made him a major-general, and intrusted him with the general conduct of operations against Quebec. The story of scaling the heights in the darkness, of occupying the Plains of Abraham, the battle with Montcalm on the following morning, and Wolfe's expiration in the arms of victory is a familiar one. A tall granite obelisk has been erected to the memory of the two generals. It stands on the field of battle. Wolfe had the honor of winning Canada for his country. His remains were carried home to England and buried at Greenwich. A memorial was erected in his memory in Westminster Abbey . See Quebec ; St. Lawrence; Gray ; West
Wolfe CHARLES, an Irish poet
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
CHARLES, an Irish poet; born in Dublin, Ireland, Ireland, Dec. 14, 1791; was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and it was while there that the poem which has secured his fame, "Ode on the Burial of Sir John Moore," was published in the "Newry Telegraph" (1817). He was also the author of several other poems, and his "Remains" were published at Dublin (1825). He died at the Cove of Cork (now Queenstown), Ireland, Feb. 21, 1823.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The bare facts as Collier's set them down in 1921 still hold: the night ascent of the cliffs, the short fight on the Plains of Abraham on 13 September 1759, the deaths of both Wolfe and Montcalm, the burial at Greenwich. Aiton's 1910 account slips in saying Wolfe entered the army at twenty-five — he was in fact a boy of fourteen or fifteen when he got his ensign's commission in 1741–42, as Collier's has it. What has moved is the tone: Aiton's line that "Wolfe had the honor of winning Canada for his country" is no longer a sentence one can write neutrally, and historians now give equal weight to his burning of Canadian farms along the St Lawrence that summer. When the 250th anniversary came round in 2009, a planned re-enactment on the battlefield was cancelled after objections in Quebec.
Written for this edition, 2026.