This mortar formed part of the defences of Louisbourg during the British siege of 1758. Made of cast iron, it could propel a 60-kilogram shell for up to four kilometres. Exploding mortar shells could shatter ships and buildings. Flying shell fragments could kill or wound anyone standing nearby.

This sword belonged to Lieutenant Pierre Raby of the Régiment de Guyenne, which served at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Officers like Raby often preferred short, light swords which would not become entangled in the branches and brush of Canada's forests.

Sergeant James Thompson of Fraser's Highlanders carried this claymore (broadsword) at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Scottish claymores are deadly weapons that can inflict horrifying wounds or kill with a single blow.

Many French regulars at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham were armed with Model 1754 muskets. French and British military muskets weighed about four kilograms. A trained soldier could fire two to three shots per minute. A well-aimed shot could hit a person at 50 metres. Armies advanced to close range before opening fire.

Bayonets turned muskets into spears. Fastened to the muzzle end of a musket by a locking ring, they provided soldiers with a close-combat weapon.

The Canadian militia and First Peoples often brought their hunting weapons to the battlefield. Hunting weapons were lighter than military firearms, but more fragile. This one weighs about three kilograms.

British soldiers at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham carried Long Land Pattern Muskets.Regulars fought in close formation to compensate for the short range and inaccuracy of their weapons. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder and fired simultaneously. Most musket balls missed their targets. Yet a single volley from disciplined troops could shatter an enemy army.

Faced with a bayonet charge, a shaken army would flee before the bayonets came close enough to hurt them. A resolute army would open fire and shoot down their opponents.