Quebec: 31 December 1775
Swirling snow broke the cold night’s darkness. Desperately cold and weary men stood in the courtyard, their nervous eyes scanning the dark walls for the enemy they knew was waiting. Their leader stepped forward. Eyeing a two-story blockhouse barring their way, he had not a moment to lose, nor a moment’s hesitation. He drew his sword and led the troops toward it, shouting, "Come on, my good soldiers, your general calls upon you to come on."
First Fallen
The Continental Army had several general officers die in or as a direct result of combat during the American War for Independence. Generals High Mercer, Johann de Kalb, and Kazimierz Pulaski often come to mind. David Wooster not so much. And one, Major General Joseph Warren, curiously fell serving as a private soldier at Bunker Hill in 1775. Although Warren was a militia general and not leading troops, he deserves to be named. But who was the first American general to fall at the head of a body of American troops?
Son of Ireland
Not surprisingly, after all, we are in the month of the Feast of Saint Patrick, he was a son of Ireland by the name of Richard Montgomery. Born at Swords, County Dublin, Richard Montgomery entered the world of Ulster-Scots privilege on 2 December 1738. The family roots were in Donegal but his wing of the Montgomery clan was now ensconced in the Dublin-London axis. His father was a member of parliament. His brothers would also engage in the then-common British mix of politics and military service. Young Richard would also take that route, but with some interesting twists and turns along the way. Typical of his class, he entered Trinity College in Dublin but left before finishing to accept a commission in the 17th regiment of Foot purchased by his father in 1756. And why not? What better way to make a name and advance than following the colors?
Fighting France
The French and Indian War (Seven Years War) became the training ground for Montgomery, as it would for many on both sides who would fight in the American war for Independence. Ensign Montgomery was about to enter a whirlwind of action and adventure. His regiment was shipped to Halifax, Nova Scotia where it joined a large British army marshaling for in the siege of Louisbourg, a fortress on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Island. This massive fort had played a key role in all the struggles for North America. Now, two of Britain’s best generals, James Abercromby and Jeffery Amherst had the forces to do it. On June 8, 1758, the attack began. Montgomery landed on the beach under heavy fire and ordered his troops to advance with fixed bayonets. The French outposts were collapsed and the siege began. The siege was successful and General Amherst was impressed by Montgomery's action during the siege and promoted him to lieutenant.
Struggle for New York
The Louisbourg campaign was followed by serious fighting in the wilds of central New York the following month and the 17th and Montgomery were in the thick of it. The waterways (Lake Champlain and George, the Richelieu, and Hudson Rand Mohawk Rivers) between central New York and Canada provided a strategic thoroughfare through the mountains. Fans of The Last of the Mohicans can appreciate the setting: rugged slopes, large, dark, and deep lakes, swollen rivers, and verdant valleys. The key installations of Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) and Crown Point became the fulcrum of death. Yet it proved a beautiful place for men to blast and carve each other to pieces. Montgomery’s skills were honed here. He learned patrolling, picketing, and close combat.
The British would eventually force the French to withdraw to the northern tip of Lake Champlain. The strategic advantage was theirs. The 17th regiment spent 1759 in the Mohawk Valley under the command of General Monkton, who appointed Montgomery adjutant on 15 May - a sure mark of his distinction and potential. In August 1760, the 17th regiment set out for Montreal as part of a three-pronged attack to take the city. Montgomery’s regiment seized Isle aux Noix and Fort Chambly and then joined the British regiments outside of Montreal, which the Marquis de Vaudreuil, Canada's French governor, soon surrendered. But the war was far from over.
French West Indies
The fall of Montreal gave the British control of North America, so now they could turn their attention to the West Indies, where there were valuable sugar islands to be had. The 17th sailed south after Canada was secured. There were French and Spanish islands to conquer. The British seized a beachhead on the key French island of Martinique and then unleashed an offensive that overran the French outer defenses. The French survivors went scurrying into the capital, Fort Royal. This time, before the British could even launch an assault, the French surrendered. The rest of the French islands of the French West Indies, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent, quickly followed. On 6 May 1762, Lieutenant Colonel John Campbell promoted Montgomery to captain and gave him command of a company in the 17th.
Fighting Spain
Pontiac's War
Things did not quiet down in North America after France’s surrender. Angered the French ceded their lands to the British and the land-hungry colonists, the tribes exploded into action in April 1763. The Ottawa chief, Pontiac, organized 18 tribes in a deluge of attacks on British military and civilian settlements. Eight British forts fell and two more were abandoned. General Amherst ordered the 17th to Albany in June 1763 to assist in combating the outbreak of hostilities. This would bring experience in Indian-fighting but more importantly, the beginning of a life-long love.
Romantic Interlude
Sailing up the North River to Albany, Montgomery’s vessel ran aground near Clermont Manor, NY, home of the politically powerful Livingston family. The family entertained the ship's officers while their ship was being repaired. This was serendipity for the bachelor Montgomery, who met Janet, the 20-year-old daughter of wealthy and powerful Robert Livingston. It is unclear if love bloomed at first sight, but Janet noted Montgomery was not with the same party of officers when they returned to New York following the campaign. So the young Irishman clearly made an impression.
Indian Fighter
The 17th spent 1764 in garrison duty at Fort Stanwix. While there, Montgomery applied to Colonel Campbell and General Thomas Gage to return to England on leave to recover from ill-health that resulted from service in the Indies. Gage approved his leave, but on the proviso that he could go only after the upcoming expedition.
In July, Montgomery’s regiment joined John Bradstreet’s expedition to Fort Niagara, providing security for Royal Indian Agent Sir William Johnson’s conference with the Great Lakes tribes. By August, the regiment was marched through woods and fields to Fort Detroit, the target of Pontiac’s attacks. Montgomery’s company was put to work moving earth, logs, and stone to improve the beleaguered fort’s defense works. His leave was still on hold.
The following month, Montgomery got a break, General Bradstreet took him to Sandusky, for a meeting with the Shawnee and the Delawares. After successful parleys with the Iroquois, Bradstreet released Montgomery, who would deliver dispatches to Gage before departing for England. Back in London, Montgomery was soon caught up in political circles.
English Interlude
His health restored, he associated with Whig Members of Parliament, who generally supported the colonists in their demands for more political freedom. Several of their leading lights, Isaac Barre, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox befriended the young officer. Political discussions with these and others brought him to question the government policies. When the 17th Foot returned to England in 1768, he was put in charge of recruiting men to fill the ranks depleted by war and disease. Montgomery suffered romantically, however, when an arranged engagement was ended because his fiancé proved unfaithful.
After months and years of action in the field, it is common for the humdrum of the peacetime army to grate on men of ambition. So it was for Montgomery. In 1771, he learned he was passed over for promotion, possibly due to his Whig politics. He sold his commission for about £1,500 in 1772 and sailed for America in July. Spurned by a woman and the army, Montgomery had sworn to never marry or take up arms again. His goal was to become a gentleman farmer in the new world.
Colonial Life
Montgomery settled in a part of America he knew well: New York. Perhaps recalling his interlude on the Hudson, Montgomery renewed his acquaintance with the wealthy young Janet Livingston. He bought a farm at King's Bridge, 13 miles north of New York City. While adjusting to his surroundings, Montgomery's "renewed acquaintance" blossomed into something more. Janet later recounted that his "politeness led him to make me a visit." The courtship led to an engagement and the following July the confirmed bachelor was in wedded bliss.
Honeymoon on Hudson
Montgomery leased his farm to a tenant and settled in a cottage gifted to them by Janet’s grandfather, Judge Beekman. The cottage was situated on the Post Road in Rhinebeck. Montgomery purchased some of the surrounding lands and began building out the farmstead and laying the foundation for a larger home called "Grasmere." Montgomery told Janet he was never happier but insisted it could not last. For her part, Janet had a dream in which Montgomery was killed in a duel by his brother. He was resolved to short-lived happiness and insisted it be left to God. So the couple enjoyed their happiness. But not for long.
Times of Upheaval
As the colonies began to question Parliament’s authority, political unrest turned to resistance. By 1775, Montgomery began to turn against the British government, which he viewed as oppressive. Being tied to one of New York’s most patriotic families did not hurt either. The former British Army captain now saw himself as an American instead of an Englishman.
Provincial Politician
In May, Montgomery represented Dutchess County in New York’s new Provincial Congress. Although Montgomery had not sought political involvement, he had quickly become a well-respected local leader and was obliged to attend the session in New York City, some 80 miles south of Rhinebeck.
At the first session in May, Montgomery joined the other 97 delegates, in approving a resolution legitimizing its authority. Yet he was still only a “moderate" patriot. Although he viewed the British Government wrong in its policies, he still wanted honorable reconciliation. But the faction still loyal to George III was on the wane. Few of those delegates even showed. But Montgomery stayed. He would fight for his rights as a Briton and an American. Because of his military experience, Montgomery was placed on a committee charged with planning defense works around New York and organizing and supplying the new provincial militia.
War for Independence
After the appointment of George Washington as Commander-in-Chief of the newly formed Continental Army on June 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress asked the New York Provincial Government to select two men for service in the army. One would be a major general, the other a brigadier general. The assembly favored wealthy and well-connected Philip Schuyler as the major general, despite his lack of military experience. The more highly-qualified Montgomery was made a brigadier general. Montgomery expressed reluctance to return to military life. Perhaps his premonition returned to haunt him. But he agreed to serve.
Montgomery's thoughts on serving are expressed in a letter, "The Congress having done me the honor of electing me brigadier-general in their service, is an event which must put an end, for a while, perhaps forever, to the quiet scheme of life I had prescribed for myself; for, though entirely unexpected and undesired by me, the will of an oppressed people, compelled to choose between liberty and slavery, must be obeyed."
America Turns North
In June 1775, newly proclaimed commander-in-chief, General George Washington assigned Montgomery as deputy commander under Phillip Schuyler who received orders to invade Quebec and bring Canada into the war on the American side. A force was assembled at Fort Ticonderoga and Schuyler left to take command of the army leaving Montgomery in Albany to make final arrangements for the invasion. Janet followed him as far north as Saratoga, where he promised he would do his duty and preserve his honor.
Plans, Logistics, and Delay
Schuyler spent the summer organizing for the invasion. At this point, Washington decided to dispatch Colonel Benedict Arnold to lead another invasion force to invade Quebec from Maine and join Schuyler's army outside Quebec City. Schuyler left most of the tedious work of military administration to Montgomery. Instead, he engaged in politics, his strong suit. Schuyler advocated for more men and supplies and negotiated to keep the Iroquois neutral during the campaign.
A Time for Action
Meanwhile Montgomery, in receipt of intelligence that the British were preparing to put armed vessels on Lake Champlain, quickly sped north to confront the threat. Without seeking permission from Schuyler, he sailed up the lake with 1,200 men. Montgomery wrote a dispatch to Schuyler, explaining the situation. He knew the season for war was drawing to an end. Time was an issue, and it was not on the American side.
