SHOOTING AT THE SAINTS
It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps was the commander of the British fleet. He was given orders to anchor outside Quebec. His orders were to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city.
Phipps' navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships' cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out,
But when the land forces eventually arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints."