Thomas Gage (General)
Thomas Gage (* 1719 in Firle , Sussex , England ; † April 2, 1787 , Isle of Portland , England) was a British general and Commander in Chief of the North American Forces from 1763 to 1778 during the beginning of the American Revolutionary War .
Life
Gage was born in 1719 in Sussex, the second son of Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage , in a Norman family that could trace their ancestors back to the conquest of England. He joined the army in 1741 and served in Flanders and in the Culloden campaign . In March 1751 he became a lieutenant colonel in the 44th foot regiment.
From 1754 Gage served in America and took part in General Edward Braddock's unsuccessful expedition the following year . In 1758 he married Margaret Kembel in New Jersey. That same year he became a colonel in a new regiment and served in Jeffrey Amherst's campaign against Montreal . He became governor of Montreal and was promoted major general in 1761.
In 1763 he succeeded Amherst as Commander in Chief of the British Armed Forces in America. In 1770 he became lieutenant general. In 1774 he was named the martial law governor of Massachusetts , replacing the civilian governor Thomas Hutchinson . In this role, he was entrusted with the enforcement of the Boston Harbor Act. Difficulties in carrying out his duties during this period of serious unrest culminated in 1775, and the April 19 incidents at the Battle of Lexington initiated the American War of Independence. After the Battle of Bunker Hill , Gage was succeeded by William Howe and he returned to England. He was promoted to general in 1782 and died in 1787.
In the Disney film Johnny Tremain (1957) directed by Robert Stevenson based on the novel by Esther Forbes , Thomas Gage is played by Ralph Clanton .
literature
- SF Wise: Gage, Thomas . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Volume IV . University of Toronto / Université Laval, 1979
- Thomas Gage . In: Encyclopædia Britannica Online
Web links
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Governors of the Plymouth Colony (1620–1686 / 1689–1692) |
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Province of Massachusetts Bay Governors (1692–1775) |
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gage, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British General and Commander in Chief of the British Forces during the American War of Independence |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1719 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Firle , Sussex , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 2, 1787 |
| Place of death | Isle of Portland , England |