Richard Montgomery

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Richard Montgomery

Richard Montgomery (born December 2, 1738 in Swords , Ireland , † December 31, 1775 in Québec ) was an American general in the American War of Independence .

Life until the American Revolution

Richard Montgomery was born the son of Member of the British Parliament , Thomas Montgomery. He was educated at St. Andrew's and Trinity College in Dublin.

He became an officer in the British Army in 1756 and fought in Canada and the Caribbean during the Seven Years' War . He was involved in the siege of Louisbourg (1758) and the conquest of Havana (1762). In 1762 he reached the rank of captain in the British armed forces. After the peace treaty , his regiment was transferred to New York in 1763 and back to England two years later. There he had contacts with members of the Whigs party , who advocated a more liberal policy and greater independence for the colonies. In 1772 he left the army and emigrated to New York. There he settled on a 270,000 m² farm he had bought and married Janet Livingston, sister of the politician Robert R. Livingston , a member of the committee that later drafted the Declaration of Independence for the United States and the Declaration of Independence for New York State also signed. After the marriage, he settled on his wife's farm. In 1775 he was elected to the New York Colony Legislative Assembly .

Montgomery in the Revolutionary War

Due to his military experience he was appointed brigadier general of the Continental Army at the beginning of the War of Independence (1775–1783) .

General Montgomery's troops depart at Crown Point from Sydney Adamson (1902)
Death of Montgomery at the Battle of Quebec by John Trumbull (1786)

Montgomery was charged with the invasion of Canada in place of the sick Major General Philip Schuyler and promoted to Major General. In parallel to his advance, Benedict Arnold was to invade Canada on behalf of George Washington . Montgomery was to advance along Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River , while Arnold would advance from Maine to Québec.

Montgomery was able to reach Montreal on November 13th and take it against weak British resistance. He then advanced as planned on Québec. Arnold had reached the Abraham Plains near Québec on November 13th and asked the city to surrender. So the forces of Arnold and Montgomery were able to unite and attack the city in the Battle of Québec . Around 4 a.m. Richard Montgomery opened the battle with a surprise attack, but got caught in heavy British grape fire and fell. Montgomery is believed to be the first and highest-ranking general in the American armed forces to ever be killed in battle.

Honors

The British found his body and buried him with full honors. In 1818 the body was transferred to New York, where it found its final resting place in St. Paul's Chapel .

Montgomery County, Maryland and Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville , Montgomery County are named after him. Also Montgomery County (Arkansas) , Montgomery County (Georgia) , Montgomery County (Illinois) , Montgomery County (Indiana) , Montgomery County (Iowa) , Montgomery County (Kansas) , Montgomery County (Kentucky) , Montgomery County (Mississippi) , Montgomery Counties, Missouri, Montgomery County, New York , Montgomery County, North Carolina, Montgomery County, Ohio , Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and Montgomery County, Virginia . According to him, Montgomery (Alabama) , the capital of the state of Alabama named.

The Liberty freighter Richard Montgomery was named after him.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Homepage of Richard Montgomery High School
  2. ^ Montgomery County , Encyclopedia of Arkansas
  3. ↑ Montgomery County (Georgia) homepage
  4. ^ Homepage of Montgomery County, Illinois
  5. ^ Homepage of Montgomery County, Indiana
  6. ↑ Montgomery County (Iowa) homepage
  7. ↑ Kansaspedia
  8. ^ Homepage of Montgomery County in Kentucky.
  9. ↑ Montgomery County (Mississippi) homepage
  10. ↑ a b c Charles Curry Aiken, Joseph Nathan Kane: The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, Area, and Population Data, 1950-2010 . 6th edition. Scarecrow Press, Lanham 2013, ISBN 978-0-8108-8762-6 , p. 213 .
  11. ↑ History of the County on the Montgomery County (New York) homepage
  12. ↑ NCpedia
  13. ↑ About us . Homepage of Montgomery County, Virginia
  14. ^ Richard Montgomery. In: Encyclopedia of Alabama
personal data
SURNAME Montgomery, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American general in the Revolutionary War
DATE OF BIRTH December 2, 1738
PLACE OF BIRTH Swords , Ireland
DATE OF DEATH December 31, 1775
Place of death near Québec