Which British general died after winning the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham? James Wolfe.
Major-General James Wolfe commanded the British force that defeated the French outside Quebec City on September 13, 1759. The battle followed a long British siege and a daring night movement up the cliffs beside the Saint Lawrence River. Wolfe’s troops reached the Plains of Abraham and formed a disciplined line before the French could fully organize.
The battle was brief but decisive. Wolfe was hit three times by musket fire and died on the field as the British victory became clear. French commander Louis-Joseph de Montcalm was also mortally wounded and died the next day, making the battle unusual for the deaths of both opposing commanders.
Wolfe’s victory enabled the British capture of Quebec and helped bring about the fall of New France. A common mix-up is to credit Jeffery Amherst, who led the later 1760 campaign against Montreal; Amherst was not the commander at the Plains of Abraham.