George Monro (officer)

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George Monro (* 1700 in Clonfin , Ireland , † November 3, 1757 in Albany (New York) ) was a British officer from a Scottish family living in Ireland . He was best known for his unsuccessful defense of Fort William Henry in 1757 in the Seven Years War . James Fenimore Cooper dealt with the defense of the fort and the subsequent massacre of the occupation by the Indians allied with the French in his novel " The Last of the Mohicans ". Cooper called him "Munro".

Life

George Monro was born in 1700, the third child of Margaret Bruce and Colonel George Munro of Auchinbowie . On August 9, 1718 he became a lieutenant in the 35th Regiment of Foot (Otway's Regiment). Nine years later he was promoted to captain, in 1747 to major and on January 4, 1750 to lieutenant colonel .

Together with the regiment, Monro was moved to North America in 1756. There he took command of Fort William Henry in March 1757. From the beginning of August 1757, the fort was besieged with a crew of around 2300 men by a French-Indian army of around 7600 men under Louis-Joseph de Montcalm . It was only after Daniel Webb's relief was no longer expected that Monro was forced to negotiate on August 9, 1757. On August 10, 1757, the withdrawing crew was attacked by the Indians allied with the French and about 80-180 people were killed. Monro returned to Albany on August 17, 1757. He was supposed to be promoted to colonel for his service in the siege, but he died of heart failure on November 3, 1757.

George Monro left two sons and a daughter. The daughters "Alice" and "Cora" mentioned in Cooper's novel are a literary invention.

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personal data
SURNAME Monro, George
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British officer
DATE OF BIRTH 1700
PLACE OF BIRTH Clonfin , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH November 3, 1757
Place of death Albany (New York)