Autumn Winds
Brigadier General Richard Montgomery pulled at his leather glove as the line of poorly fed and armed men marched north. The winds were picking up and the skies looked like slate. His gaze shifted to the dense forests to the north – Canada. We must strike quickly or these lads will leave their bones here.
Isle of Hope
On 4 September, Schuyler joined Montgomery with an additional 800 men. So now he had 2,000 poorly trained and equipped men. And Schuyler was ill. Still, the old new Yorker ordered the army to advance to a small island on the Richelieu River called Île aux Noix. There was little time to waste, so on 6 Sep Montgomery led a force north to their first objective, Fort St Johns, which protected the approach to Montreal. Paddles and oars skimmed the dark waters, each stroke taking the army, and Montgomery, closer to their fate. They carried more than bullets in their pouches. Schuyler, whose health was poor and would not be able to lead the expedition, had drafted a proclamation declaring the Canadians "Friends and Countrymen", and beseeching their support in driving the British from the territory. They would be disappointed in this hope. Montgomery’s probing attack failed. Although he was able to drive off an ambush force of some 100 Indians under Captain Matthew Mead, Schuyler feared the fort could not be taken by storm and recalled Montgomery to the isle, which the Americans fortified.
Fort St. Johns
Montgomery decided to make another go at Fort St. Johns, but this attack fared no better. In a comedy of errors, the two pincers of the American assault stumbled into each other in the dark and soggy woods. Each thought they had encountered the British and both forces fled. A blazing mad Montgomery was able to stop the flight and redirect them at the fort.
His men advanced under withering British grapeshot fire and the assault on the British breastworks was driven back. Montgomery planned another attack on the fort. But half the New England troops fled. Montgomery, believing his force could no longer take the fort, retreated to Île aux Noix. When Schuyler’s illness forced him to return to Fort Ticonderoga, command of the late-to-start and ill-equipped operation was now his.
On September 16, Montgomery launched another expedition against the British fort. This time he had 1,400 men plus a naval component consisting of two small ships and ten Bateaux with 350 troops. The latter would counter the HMS Royal Savage. Montgomery arrived with the main force the following day. A month-long siege began, with the defenders outmanned and the attackers outgunned. The British garrison of 725 men was commanded by Major Charles Preston, who just three years earlier was Montgomery's superior officer in the British Army. After initial skirmishing, Montgomery set about to besiege the fort. It was slow going. Montgomery was everywhere at once, encouraging the building of siege lines and himself often coming under fire.
On 22 September, the fiery general was inspecting the breastworks when a cannon shot from the fort flew by, tearing his coattails and sending him tumbling off. By luck and dexterity, Montgomery managed to land on his feet. His men were watching and all were impressed by his Sang Froid. Their commander was a man of steel nerves. However, by early October, they had still not closed the ring on the fort, despite moving in more guns. A battery did sink HMS Royal Savage but Montgomery’s forces were still outgunned in most places.
In mid-October, James Livingston, who was a relative of Janet Montgomery recommended Montgomery try attacking nearby Fort Chambly, a weaker post than St. John. He agreed and launched a night attack ten miles down the river and in two days the fort surrendered 83 men and tons of invaluable powder. But the biggest prize was the colors of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, which he shipped off to the bedridden Schuyler – the first British battle flag to fall into American hands.
This raised morale and Montgomery was able to get his men to tighten the works around Fort St. John. They were also able to repulse a relief force sent from Montreal by General Guy Carleton, the British commander in Canada. By 1 November, the new batteries placed north of the fort completed the ring. They began a bombardment that smashed walls and buildings, harming few but eroding the morale of the defenders. As darkness descended on the combatants, Montgomery directed a cease-fire and sent in a flag of truce. During the night, the Americans intercepted a dispatch from Carleton ordering Major Preston to continue his defense. The next day the fort surrendered with full military honors and its garrison marched off to imprisonment. One wonders what would have transpired if the message got through.
Montreal
Montgomery’s first big prize was now within his grasp. But the elements and the ground provided the British a capable ally. His men trudged over rugged terrain covered with ice and snow. An early winter storm made the going even tougher. He urged his men on, Carleton and his army were almost in the bag. When he learned of a British plan to slip away, he sent a detachment to Sorrel. After brief fighting, the British withdrew. Smoke spiraling from the chimneys on Montreal greeted Montgomery’s men as they closed on the city. A surrender demand failed, however, and while negotiations dragged on, Carleton was able to slip down the St. Lawrence River to the safety of Quebec. On 13 November, Montgomery’s weary men entered a city bereft of defenders - a pyrrhic victory.
Back in Montreal, Montgomery insisted the captured British prisoners be treated kindly. After all, many were not long before his comrades in arms. But some of his own officers were disgruntled by this. Montgomery was dismayed at another show of indiscipline and only remonstrances from the commander-in-chief prevented his resignation.
Quebec
Determined to conclude the campaign, Montgomery sailed to Quebec City on 28 November with 300 of his best men. Four days later he joined forces with Benedict Arnold's surviving men at Pointe aux Trembles, just upriver from Quebec. Montgomery assumed command of both forces and his first act was to provide needed clothing and supplies to the worn-out “rabble in arms” that marched through the Maine wilderness. But winter was closing its arms around Canada and he had to move quickly. The following day his combined force moved down river and surrounded Quebec. On 7 December he sent a letter with an ultimatum but it was burned by Carleton. Then Montgomery tried to woo the Canadians to the cause, but his envoy was arrested. Desperate to appeal to Les Habitants (the locals), he had his proclamation fired over the city wall with bows and arrows. But they remained loyal to their new masters.
Now Montgomery had to do the dirty work of a siege. Several mortars began shelling the city but their shells caused little damage. Undaunted, Montgomery moved another battery onto the Plains of Abraham, the site of the battle that sealed the city's fate in the French and Indian War. The guns were closer to the walls but were also exposed. Still, by 15 December, Montgomery had his batteries in position. Anxious for closure, he once more asked for Carleton’s surrender. When Carleton refused, Montgomery’s batteries opened fire. The guns failed to make an impact and were immediately threatened by effective British counter-battery fire. He was forced to order them back.
With supplies dwindling, morale weakening, and winter upon them, Montgomery had no choice but to storm the city. He decided to assault the Lower Town district (Saint-Roch), on the bank of the Saint Lawrence while Arnold would storm the powerful Cape Diamond Bastion. He planned the attack during a stormy night, hoping it would cloak their attack from British eyes. An attack planned for 27 December was scrubbed when the weather cleared. He was forced to revise his plans when someone deserted to the British and exposed his plans.
Montgomery adjusted. He would try a two-prong attack on the Lower Town, from the south, and Arnold from the north. To confuse the British, Montgomery employed a deception operation. He ordered the 1st Canadian Regiment (locals who joined the American cause) to fire at one of the gates while a detachment would engage the defenders at Cape Diamond Bastion. The signal for the attack was rocket fire. Montgomery’s lackluster artillery would bombard the city during the feint attacks. This was a bold and desperate gambit. One Montgomery did not want to make, but he had no choice. As George Washington would face a year later, expiring enlistments were sapping the army, and on 1 January, many would be gone.
A Night to Remember, and Forget
Montgomery got his second snowstorm on the night of 30 December. He quickly issued the order. Shivering, but now energized, the Americans assembled in the wind and snow. The night was cold, dark, and intense. Wind howling and snow swirling. Where was the signal? At 4 am, an orange burst lit the sky. Boot steps muffled by the wind and snow, his men made their way to the lower town. But the British were alerted by the rockets and the walls were well-manned.
With their general at the van, the Americans edged down the steep and slippery cliffs and arrived just under the city walls. As though they did not have enough obstacles, a palisade at the edge of the Lower Town now blocked their way! Axemen ran to the fore and began chopping through. Then Montgomery personally led his van through the opening. Unknown to Montgomery, he was now a major general, promoted by Congress on 9 December for the victories at St. Johns and Montreal. 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."
The desperate men gripped their muskets tightly and stepped forward. Some fifty yards away, equally determined Canadian militia and British sailors in the blockhouse unleashed a torrent of musket balls and grapeshot. Montgomery was struck by grapeshot in the head and both of his thighs and died on the spot. The murderous fire took down two of his captains.
The attack crumbled with Montgomery’s death. The Americans retreated in disorder. A staff officer named Aaron Burr tried to drag Montgomery’s body back but failed. Meanwhile, Benedict Arnold's attack, which started well, also collapsed when Arnold was struck down with a ball in his leg. Many of his men were forced to ground arms before the British bayonets, including Daniel Morgan. With the guns suddenly still, the howling wind and snow sounded the end of the effort to join Canada to the American cause.
Honors in Death
Montgomery was esteemed by the British for his prior service and his treatment of the prisoners at Montreal. Carleton had him buried simply but honorably on 4 January. Some of his men, now prisoners, watched their beloved and heroic general at the solemn interment. Meanwhile Arnold, leg bandaged, took command of the shattered army. His efforts to save the lost cause would prove heroic and prodigious but futile.
First Hero – First Monument
News of Richard Montgomery’s death was a blow to the Northern Department. Schuler wrote, "My amiable friend, the gallant Montgomery, is no more; the brave Arnold is wounded; and we have met a severe check, in an unsuccessful attempt on Quebec. May Heaven be graciously pleased that the misfortune may terminate here." For a time, news of his death was hushed up to delay the blow to morale that would follow.
Washington was dismayed at the loss. So struck by Montgomery’s valiant death, Congress commissioned a monument to him and held a memorial service. He was celebrated as a hero throughout the colonies – perhaps the nation’s first national hero.
Significantly, Montgomery's death was mourned in Britain and his former Whig allies used this death of a Briton to assail British policy. British Prime Minister Lord North recognized his qualities as a man but condemned him as a rebel. But many of the London papers actually paid tribute to Montgomery.
Montgomery’s widow Janet would protect his legacy for the rest of her life. She moved to the house near Rhinebeck started with such hope before the war. She turned down a marriage proposal by former Continental general and British officer Horatio Gates. This was significant in a society where widows typically remarried.
Final Farewell
In 1818, Governor Stephen van Rensselaer of New York had Montgomery's body moved to New York. Some 5,000 mourners made up his funeral procession and on 8 July he was laid to rest for the last time right next to the Montgomery monument at St. Paul’s church. The ceremony gave some closure to Janet Montgomery, who was pleased with the honors bestowed on the soldier she loved.
In a final thought, the city of Montgomery, Alabama, named for America's first hero, unveiled a statue of its namesake in 2019 as part of its bicentennial celebration. It is somehow moving that a man who perished in the bitter cold of the north would be recognized by citizens in the deep south.
