Founded in 1608, Québec City was designed as a military defence post for the French colony. Québec City’s military vocation continued for several more decades during the English Regime, which began in 1759. After the War of 1812, British authorities reinforced the city’s defences, earning it the nickname “the Gibraltar of North America.” Québec City’s military role gradually diminished thereafter, but the city retained a military omnipresence. Several artworks of the period bear witness to this.
Robert Auchmuty Sproule, after Alexander Jamieson Russell
The old barracks, known as the Dauphine Redoubt, are located in a row of defence buildings originally used to house the French military. After the Conquest, the Redoubt was home to visiting British regiments. Following the American War of Independence, the barracks then served as apartments for Royal Artillery officers. Here, we see them bustling with activity, with soldiers immersed in manual labour.
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