First to Fall: Richard Montgomery

Quebec: 31 December 1775

Swirling snow shattered 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 blocking their way, he had no time to lose, nor any 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."

Richard Montgomery

First Fallen 

The Continental Army lost several general officers in or directly because 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, surprisingly fell serving as a private soldier at Bunker Hill in 1775. Although Warren was a militia general and not leading Continental troops, he still deserves recognition. But who was the first American general to fall while leading a group of American troops?

Hugh Mercer: most celebrated

 fallen general

Son of Ireland

Not surprisingly, considering the timing, we are in the month of the Feast of Saint Patrick. He was a son of Ireland named Richard Montgomery. Born in Swords, County Dublin, Richard Montgomery was born into Ulster-Scots privilege on December 2, 1738. His family roots traced back to Donegal, but his branch of the Montgomery clan was now rooted in the Dublin-London connection. His father served as a member of parliament. His brothers also pursued the common British path of politics and military service. Young Richard followed that path as well, but with some interesting twists and turns along the way. Like many of his class, he entered Trinity College in Dublin but left before graduation 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 for himself and advance than by following the colors?

Fighting France 

The French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) served as the training ground for Montgomery, just as it did for many others on both sides who later fought in the American Revolution. Ensign Montgomery was about to embark on a whirlwind of action and adventure. His regiment was shipped to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it joined a large British army preparing for the siege of Louisbourg, a fortress on the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Island. This massive fort had played a key role in every struggle for North America. Now, two of Britain’s top generals, James Abercromby and Jeffrey 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 overrun, and the siege commenced. The siege was successful, and General Amherst was impressed by Montgomery's actions during it, promoting him to lieutenant. 

Siege of Louisbourg

Struggle for New York 

The Louisbourg campaign was followed by intense fighting in the wilds of central New York the next month, with the 17th and Montgomery deeply involved. The waterways—Lake Champlain, the Richelieu, the Hudson, and the Mohawk Rivers—served as a strategic route through the mountains between central New York and Canada. Fans of "The Last of the Mohicans" can appreciate the setting, which features rugged slopes, large, dark, and deep lakes, swollen rivers, and lush valleys. The key fortifications of Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) and Crown Point became focal points of deadly conflict. Still, it was a beautiful place where men blasted and carved each other to pieces. Montgomery’s skills were sharpened here; he learned patrols, picketing, and close combat. 

Fort Ticonderoga

The British eventually forced the French to retreat to the northern tip of Lake Champlain, gaining a strategic advantage. The 17th regiment spent 1759 in the Mohawk Valley under General Monkton’s command, who appointed Montgomery as adjutant on May 15—marking his distinction and potential. In August 1760, the 17th regiment moved toward Montreal as part of a three-pronged effort to capture the city. Montgomery’s regiment seized Isle aux Noix and Fort Chambly, then joined British regiments outside Montreal, which the Marquis de Vaudreuil, Canada's French governor, soon surrendered. However, the war was far from over.

French withdrawing north on Lake Champlain

French West Indies

The fall of Montreal gave the British control of North America, allowing them to now focus on the West Indies, where valuable sugar islands awaited. The 17th regiment sailed south after securing Canada. There were French and Spanish islands to conquer. The British took a beachhead on the key French island of Martinique and then launched an attack that overwhelmed the French outer defenses. The French survivors retreated into the capital, Fort Royal. This time, before the British could even start an attack, the French surrendered. The remaining French islands in 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 assigned him command of a company in the 17th.

The British invasion of Martinique

Fighting Spain

Now Britain could turn against France's ally, Spain. Since Spanish Cuba controlled the approaches to the Indies and North America, it was a prime target. On June 6, British forces arrived off Havana's coast. Before them stood Moro Fort, the key to the Spanish defense of the city. It had to be taken. British battleships bombarded the fort, silencing all but two Spanish guns. On July 30, Captain Montgomery and the 17th Foot stormed and captured the fort. In late August 1762, Montgomery and the 17th Foot were sent to New York. The long and bloody war ended with the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763. At the time, the British triumph was resounding: a world empire! Few could have imagined that the treaty would lead to even more conflict, political unrest, and a longer war.

Pontiac's War

Things did not quiet down in North America after France’s surrender. Angered that the French ceded their lands to the British and the land-hungry colonists, the tribes erupted into action in April 1763. The Ottawa chief, Pontiac, organized 18 tribes in a wave 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 help fight the outbreak of hostilities. This would bring experience in Indian fighting and, more importantly, the start of a lifelong passion.

Pontiac's War threatened Britain's new western lands

Romantic Interlude

Sailing up the North River to Albany, Montgomery’s vessel ran aground near Clermont Manor, NY, home of the influential Livingston family. The family entertained the ship's officers while their vessel was being repaired. This was fortunate for the bachelor Montgomery, who met Janet, the 20-year-old daughter of wealthy and powerful Robert Livingston. It’s unclear if love blossomed at first sight, but Janet noticed Montgomery was not with the same group of officers when they returned to New York after the campaign. Clearly, the young Irishman made an impression.

Janet Livingston

Indian Fighter

The 17th spent 1764 on garrison duty at Fort Stanwix. While there, Montgomery requested leave from Colonel Campbell and General Thomas Gage to return to England for recovery from ill health caused by service in the Indies. Gage approved his leave, but only after the upcoming expedition.

Ottawa War Chief Pontiac

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 assigned to work on moving earth, logs, and stone to strengthen the beleaguered fort’s defenses. His leave was still on hold.

Sir William Johnson

The following month, Montgomery received a break when General Bradstreet took him to Sandusky for a meeting with the Shawnee and the Delawares. After successful negotiations with the Iroquois, Bradstreet released Montgomery, who was then tasked with delivering dispatches to Gage before heading to England. Upon returning to London, Montgomery soon became involved in the city's political circles.

General John Bradstreet

English Interlude

His health having improved, he associated with Whig Members of Parliament, who generally supported the colonists in their demands for more political freedom. Several of their prominent figures, Isaac Barre, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox, befriended the young officer. Political discussions with these and others led him to question government policies. When the 17th Foot returned to England in 1768, he was tasked with recruiting men to replace those lost to war and disease. Montgomery also experienced romantic disappointment when an arranged engagement ended because his fiancée proved unfaithful. 

Edmund Burke

After months and years of active service, the dull routine of the peacetime army often aggravates ambitious men. Montgomery was no exception. In 1771, he discovered that he had been passed over for a promotion, possibly due to his Whig politics. He sold his commission for about £1,500 in 1772 and set sail 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 time on the Hudson, Montgomery rekindled his relationship with the wealthy young Janet Livingston. He purchased a farm at King's Bridge, 13 miles north of New York City. As he adjusted to his surroundings, Montgomery's "renewed acquaintance" blossomed into something more. Janet later recalled that his "politeness led him to make me a visit." The courtship led to an engagement, and by the following July, the confirmed bachelor found himself in wedded bliss.

Montgomery settled along the North (Hudson) River

Honeymoon on Hudson

Montgomery leased his farm to a tenant and moved into a cottage gifted to them by Janet’s grandfather, Judge Beekman. The cottage was located on the Post Road in Rhinebeck. Montgomery purchased some of the nearby lands and began building the farmstead, laying the groundwork for a larger home called "Grasmere." Montgomery told Janet he was never happier, but believed it couldn't last. For her part, Janet had a dream in which Montgomery was killed in a duel by his brother. He was determined to enjoy their brief happiness and insisted it be left to God. So, the couple enjoyed their wedded bliss. But not for long.

The Montgomery Cottage

Times of Upheaval

As the colonies began to question Parliament’s authority, political unrest evolved into resistance. By 1775, Montgomery began to oppose the British government, which he saw as oppressive. Being connected to one of New York’s most patriotic families also helped. The former British Army captain now viewed himself as an American, not an Englishman. 

Parliament

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. He was obliged to attend the session in New York City, some 80 miles south of Rhinebeck.

New York was rife with political strife

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 as 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 up.  But Montgomery stayed.  He would fight for his rights as a Briton and an American. Due to his military experience, Montgomery was appointed to a committee tasked with planning defense works around New York and organizing and supplying the new provincial militia.

War for Independence

After George Washington was appointed 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, and the other a brigadier general. The assembly favored the 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.

Phillip Schuyler

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 appointed Montgomery as deputy commander under Philip 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.

Albany, NY circa American Revolution

Plans, Logistics, and Delay

Schuyler spent the summer preparing for the invasion. By this time, Washington decided to send Colonel Benedict Arnold to lead another force in invading Quebec from Maine and joining Schuyler's army outside Quebec City. Schuyler entrusted most of the tedious military administration to Montgomery. Instead, he focused on politics, which was his strong suit. Schuyler pushed for more men and supplies and negotiated to keep the Iroquois neutral during the campaign.

Colonel Benedict Arnold

A Time for Action

Meanwhile, Montgomery, upon receiving intelligence that the British were preparing to station armed vessels on Lake Champlain, quickly headed north to confront the threat. Without seeking permission from Schuyler, he sailed up the lake with 1,200 men. Montgomery sent a dispatch to Schuyler explaining the situation. He recognized that the season for war was ending, and time was not on the side of the Americans.

Next Edition: Richard Montgomery’s War

The King’s Engineer

The fight for North America during the 18th century involved a diverse group of brave and hardworking people, including frontier woodsmen, hearty yeoman farmers, professional soldiers, and clever politicians, as well as the merchants, tradesmen, and farmers who financed and supplied them. There is another crucial group that helped build an empire, especially one carved from the wilderness – the engineer. Skilled in planning, surveying, and map-making, engineers linked people to the land. Warfare in North America focused on land and was influenced by it. Geography shapes history.

Montresor would spend most of his
military career in North America

Servant of Empire

James Montresor

One such engineer was John Montresor. Montresor was the son of a British officer of French Huguenot descent, James Gabriel Montresor. John was born in 1736 at the key British base in Gibraltar. The senior Montresor served as chief engineer at that time. John attended Westminster School in England for four years (1746-1750). When he returned to Gibraltar, his father taught him the principles of engineering and took him to North America when he was appointed chief engineer for General John Braddock. 

Fighting the French and Indians

General Braddock

John Montresor was commissioned as an ensign in the 48th Regiment of Foot in March 1755 and appointed as an engineer in June. The Braddock campaign against Fort Duquesne is legendary (see Yankee Doodle Spies Blog Post: Road of Destruction). The defeat of Braddock’s column by native warriors and French soldiers at the Battle of the Monongahela, along with Braddock's death, had a chilling effect on the British effort. It also turned young George Washington into a hero. During that battle, young ensign Montresor saw action and was wounded himself during the massacre. 

Montresor was wounded at
The Battle of the Monongahela

Promoted to lieutenant, Montresor was assigned to New York, the main theater against the French. He sharpened his engineering skills by supervising the construction of Fort Edward. In 1757, he assisted Lord Loudoun (British commander in N.A.) in a failed campaign against the powerful French stronghold at Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. The failure did not damage his career. He would return!

Montresor's engineering skills helped
secure the fall of Louisbourg

The following year, John received his commission as a practitioner-engineer and resigned from the infantry. From a career perspective, he chose the less common path. Engineers were essential in modern warfare, but advancing beyond major was rare and certainly not a route to becoming a general. However, as was true then and remains true today, engineers prioritized their work over promotion. That summer, he joined General Jeffery Amherst’s army on another attempt to capture Louisbourg. As an engineer, he played a key role in the siege of the fortress, which this time was successful. Montresor stayed in Nova Scotia after the fort's fall and, in March 1759, conducted a reconnaissance around the Bras d’Or Lakes. 

British infantry scaling cliffs to
reach the Plain of Abraham during the
Battle for Quebec

Montresor’s skills were recognized, and he was soon sent to join the army under General Wolfe in what would become a successful but tragic campaign (commanders on both sides were mortally wounded) against the capital of French North America, Quebec.

British General Wolfe died in the battle for Quebec,
his opponent, General Montcalm, was also mortally wounded

Carving out a New Land

Montresor stayed in North America after the Treaty of Paris ended the war in 1763. A rugged new world needed mapping, and all kinds of infrastructure had to be planned and built—especially forts to protect the newly acquired empire. What better position for an engineer? He remained with the occupying army, working for the newly appointed governor, General James Murray, on a series of surveying expeditions in the freshly conquered territory. 

Probably the most important of these was helping Murray map the St. Lawrence River. Montresor was also involved in building forts in the new territory. His skills in French allowed him to serve in a pacification role, disarming local militias and securing the loyalty of the king’s new subjects. He also took time to explore the wilderness between Quebec and the Kennebec River (Maine). Ironically, his written records would later be used by Colonel Benedict Arnold in his campaign against Canada in 1775.

John Murray commissioned a seminal
map of the Saint Lawrence River 

Pontiac's War

In 1763, Montresor was stationed in New York, but the outbreak of Pontiac’s Indian rebellion forced him to return to Canada. There, General Jeffery Amherst assigned him a risky covert mission: to travel hundreds of miles through hostile wilderness and deliver dispatches to the commander of the besieged garrison at Detroit. His familiarity with the land made him the perfect choice to serve as chief engineer for the relief column sent to Detroit the next year. However, before heading west, Montresor took time to build forts along the Niagara River. 

Montresor braved hostile Indian territory
to complete his mission to beleaguered Detroit

On his return from the Detroit expedition, Montresor was shipwrecked on Lake Erie. After switching to another boat, the engineer Montresor took some time on his way back to practice a little hydrography, exploring the depth and width of several tributaries of the lake along the way. 

Montresor made lemonade from lemons
using even a shipwreck to explore Lake Erie

Pause and a Promotion

The arrow of Eros struck him while he was in New York. Montresor married an American woman, Frances Tucker, in New York City on March 1, 1764. It must have been a good match because they ended up raising six children. 

Frances (nee Tucker) Montressor decked out
as a British officer. 

Stationed at Fort George (formerly Fort William Henry) in 1765, he observed the rise of the political movement that would eventually lead to insurgency and open rebellion, marked by the rioting in Albany and New York City protesting the Stamp Act. Montresor traveled to England in 1766. 

After returning to America, Montresor held the rank of captain-lieutenant and served as the master of the Ordnance for America. In this role, he spent much time in the mid-Atlantic region, constructing forts mainly along waterways like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. One notable fort guarding Philadelphia on Mud Island was named after him and became the site of bloody conflict a few years later. 

Montresor drew up one of the earliest
professional maps of  The Big Apple

During the interwar period, he took time to survey the boundary between New York and New Jersey and built or upgraded forts and military bases. While in New York, he bought an island in the East River, which was named Montresor’s Island after him, though New Yorkers know it as Randall’s Island. Montresor supervised the development of a map of New York City during his time there.

Chief Engineer

In April 1775, he was in Boston when open war in North America broke out again, changing the direction of his career. He was now made the de facto chief engineer for the British forces in America, which led to his promotion to captain in January 1776. 

Captain John Montresor

For a while, he seemed to be the Forrest Gump of the British effort – seemingly everywhere and meeting everyone. He secured river crossings for the march on Lexington and Concord and helped trap the British column trying to sneak back to Boston after being stung by an angry crowd. His engineering skills were used in the defense of Boston, and he was one of the last officers to leave the besieged city.

Boston

As the chief engineer during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, he likely planned the siege works aimed at forcing Washington’s beleaguered forces out of Brooklyn. Montresor witnessed the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City the following month. He allegedly provided aid to Hale, allowing him to use his office to write final letters to his family. The British chose him to cross rebel lines to inform the Continental Army of the execution, which reportedly affected him deeply. 

Montresor witnessed Nathan Hale's Execution

He gave up his post as chief engineer and served as General William Howe’s aide de camp for a time, but Montresor was later reinstated as chief engineer. When the campaign for Philadelphia was launched in 1777, he was in the thick of the operations. He fought during the Forage War in New Jersey and served at the Battle of Brandywine later that year. He also accompanied the army to Philadelphia, where he rebuilt the garrison's fortifications and later launched a brutal series of attacks that destroyed his former Mud Island defenses, which ironically included Fort Mifflin, the fort that once bore his name. 

Plans for Fort Mifflin, once known as Fort Montresor

With the British occupation of Philadelphia, he oversaw the construction of new defenses for the American capital. Montresor also planned the building of a pontoon bridge at Gray's Ferry on the Schuylkill River. 

Fort Montressor was renamed Fort Mifflin,
giving the King's Engineer the honor of attacking
his own creation

Major Andre

A Rapid Closure

As the British occupation continued, the commander in chief, Sir William Howe, was called back to England. Montresor, Howe’s former aide, aided Major John Andre (a future spymaster) in planning an elaborate farewell celebration known as the Meschianza.  

The Meschianza included parades

This was a series of extravagant events including shows, parades, musical concerts, displays, banquets, and a ball, ending with a fireworks display worthy of Broadway or Hollywood impresarios.

Major Andre arranging a Meschianza display
with an exotic oriental theme

The spring of 1778 marked the arrival of a new commander-in-chief, General Henry Clinton, and at some point that year, Montresor was replaced as chief engineer. He returned to England in October, where he retired from the army after more than twenty years of service to the king and country, although he spent little time in the latter. 

However, the king’s engineer faced difficulties in civilian life after the army. Montresor was unhappy with how the army treated him, feeling resentful because he had not received a promotion. He blamed the Ordnance Office for this and believed that his talents and achievements went unrecognized and unrewarded.

Sir Henry Clinton replaced Howe

It is unclear exactly why he left so abruptly. Perhaps he did not get along with Clinton because of his close association with Howe. However, it might have been related to something more basic – money. There were suspicions that he misused his broad discretion in carrying out his responsibilities as an engineer. 

In that role, he managed significant funds for procuring equipment, materials, and manpower for construction projects. The lack of effective accounting practices and financial controls may have allowed him to accumulate a substantial amount of money for himself.

Montresor was a highly precise and demanding engineer, often requisitioning the best materials for his projects. During the construction of the forts around Philadelphia, he submitted invoices for extensive materials that were ultimately denied by the colonial government. His high standards may also have put him at odds with General Murray in Quebec and possibly Henry Clinton.

A Desperate End

In 1782, his accounts went through a detailed audit, which led to him being held financially responsible for £50,000 of the roughly £250,000 he claimed as chief engineer in America. Despite vigorous appeals by Montresor, he lost. The Exchequer went after his estate, seizing his London home and property in Kent, eventually recovering £48,000. Despite his service, Montresor ended up in Maidstone prison, a debtors’ prison, where he tragically died on June 26, 1799. 

Debtor's Prisons were the final destination
of the bankrupt in the 18th century

Legacy

Two of Montresor’s sons received commissions in the British Army despite their father’s challenges, allowing the family tradition of service to king and country to persist. One is struck by the significant contribution Montresor made to British success in North America during three wars and a period of consolidation between them, yet he receives little recognition. 

This was probably partly because of the low regard for the more technical branches within an army rooted in old-fashioned tradition and social hierarchy. Had he been noble by birth rather than by achievement, or part of a prestigious regiment, his mistakes might have been overlooked. And of course, as a descendant of French Huguenots, he was not English. Just saying. This isn’t to justify sloppy accounting or ignore the facts of embezzlement, just a period of social observation.  

Cypher later adopted by
the Royal Engineers

Montresor, in an engineering style, kept a meticulous journal that recorded minutiae of daily operations and conditions. Precise distances and measurements were documented, along with daily temperatures. The surviving parts of his journal show a man with great attention to detail, but it also reveals a bit of hubris. Perhaps that hubris caused friction with peers and superiors, and possibly something worse. We will never know.

Surviving Montresor journals
provide an insight into the man and his times

Gallant Old Patriot

Those of you who follow my postings on Facebook might have caught a flurry of them this week on the small  engagement that took place near Danbury, Connecticut, and the death of a "little known First Patriot, David Wooster." The American Revolution is replete with people from all walks of life who served quietly and diligently (on both sides) for the cause they believed in. This is the story of one...one of the First Greatest Generation.

Captain David Wooster

Much of David Wooster's fame came early in life during two of the many wars fought between England and France in North America.  A  Yale graduate, he had married the beautiful daughter of the president of that college but chose a life of action over books.  He took to the water (even today, Connecticut has more ports than any other state) and became an officer in that colony's coast guard.

During the War of the Austrian Succession (King George's War in America), the colonists of New England waged a bitter struggle against the French in Canada and Nova Scotia to their north. Wooster was commissioned a captain in command of a company in Colonel Andrew Burr's Regiment.  Coincidentally, Burr was the uncle of  Aaron Burr. He took part in the campaign against the mighty French fortress of Louisbourg. Captain Wooster distinguished himself enough to be named as part of the escort of prisoners back to France when the fortress finally fell.  His journey took him to Britain where his achievements were celebrated in the press. Wooster met the King and received for his service a commission in Sir William Pepperrell's Regiment (a regular British army regiment)  that included a pension for life. In 1748, the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle ended the war and Wooster returned to civilian life in Connecticut.

Jeffery Amherst at Ticonderoga,
the land between the waters

When the French and Indian War broke out, Wooster served from 1755 to the war's end in 1761, during which he was promoted to colonel and given command of the 3rd Connecticut regiment. In 1758 his regiment was at the disastrous Battle of Carillon, near the French fort of that name, at the southern extreme of Lake Champlain. There, General James Abercrombie launched a disastrous frontal attack that was torn to ribbons by Marquis de Montcalm's force of French regulars, Canadians, and Indians. This was the bloodiest battle of the French and Indian War, the British lost over  2,000 of the 3,000 casualties. But Wooster was  again in the thick of things in 1759 when General Jeffery Amherst captured the Fort Carillon and renamed it Ticonderoga, the Indian name
for that strategic place between the waters.

Rebels stopped cold at Quebec

By the time of the American Revolution, Wooster was in his mid-sixties and settled in the mercantile business in New Haven. But this First Patriot sacrificed his comfortable pension and status to serve the cause of his country at a time when most men of his age were enjoying home and hearth. Appointed general in the Connecticut militia, he planned the attack on Fort Ticonderoga that gave the newly forming rebel army its first artillery train. He was named a Brigadier General in the Continental Army and second in command of the failed rebel attack on Quebec that same year. Wooster stayed with the force during the bitter retreat to Fort Ticonderoga.  The defeat in Canada resulted in his recall from Continental command but likely his age ruled him out for further active campaigning with the field forces. But Wooster was then appointed Major General of the Connecticut Militia and commanded all militia troops in that state.

Governor William Tryon

That placed him at the center of the action for the Danbury April 1777 raid launched by New York's Governor Tryon.  At the time, an arc of territory stretching from southeast Connecticut through the Hudson Valley and Highlands was a no man's land of bitter fighting on both sides.  Danbury was a key rebel base in that struggle. Leading a force of regulars and Loyalists in a swift landing at Fairfield, Connecticut,  Tryon's column over 2,000 strong marched north towards the rebel arsenal at Danbury, looting and burning patriot homes along the way.  They reached the arsenal and destroyed it on April 26th.

 Learning of the attack, Wooster and General Benedict Arnold had rallied around 600 Connecticut militia who tried to stop the British at Ridgefield as they returned south to the coast near Compo Point. Arnold took the main body of troops to block the British advance while Wooster led a small detachment of them in the British rear. His undisciplined troops could not stand up very long against the regulars and they soon broke.  Wooster's ire was up though and he tried gallantly to rally his men.  However, a British cannon unleashed canister and a piece of metal pierced his side and struck his backbone.

Battle of Ridgefield - Arnold and Wooster
could not stop Tryon's forces

The battle continued in sporadic skirmishes as the British retreated to the coast. But they carried the gravely wounded old warrior back to Danbury. Before he died on May 2nd, his wife and son had been sent for. They arrived soon enough to receive his parting blessing. The gallant old Patriot  told them that he was dying, but "with strong hope and persuasion that his country would gain its independence."

Monument to Major General David Wooster
in Danbury, Connecticut