Well-connected with the Harley Ministry , Hill 's star continued to rise . When Henry St John in 1711 revived a plan for the capture of Quebec , Hill was proposed as commander-in-chief to gain the Queen 's favor . 5 000 troops under Hill 's command , in thirty transports escorted by ten ships of the line under Sir Hovenden Walker , embarked for Quebec , but eight transports with 800 men were wrecked in the Saint Lawrence River on 11 August 1711 owing to fogs and gales . Hill and Walker , after a Council of War , abandoned the enterprise without firing a shot and returned to England . Jonathan Swift , a confidant of Hill , noted that Hill 's friends privately blamed him for his irresolution and lack of leadership . Hill 's Tory connections , however , allowed him to escape any check in his career arising from this disaster
embarked for Quebec
Quebec Expedition
John Hill (courtier)