Okla-homey
11/13/2008, 07:28 AM
November 13, 1775: Patriots take Montreal
On this day in 1775, Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery takes Montreal, Canada, without opposition.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9109/aaaaamontgomerytop4256rt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
General Richard Montgomery. During our revolution, he helped lead an invasion of Canada, conquered Montreal on this day in 1775, but bought it trying to take Quebec.
Montgomery, along with the later to be discredited Benedict Arnold, led a two-pronged invasion of Canada in late 1775. Arnold's objective was Quebec City. Montgomery's was two-fold: Montreal first, then join Arnold for a combined effort against Quebec City.
Before joining Arnold at Quebec, Montgomery successfully took Montreal, but the Patriot assault on Quebec failed, and Montgomery became one of the first American generals of the American Revolution to lose his life on the battlefield.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/710/aaaaadeathmontgomerycolor5001b.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Death of Montgomery at Quebec, New Years Eve 1775.
Montgomery’s victory at Montreal owed its success in part to Ethan Allen’s disorganized defeat at the hand of British General and Canadian Royal Governor Guy Carleton at Montreal on September 24, 1775. Allen’s misguided and undermanned attack on Montreal led to his capture by the British and imprisonment in Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, England.
Although a failure in the short term, Ethan Allen’s attack had long-term benefits for the Patriots. Carleton had focused his attention on suppressing Allen’s attack, while refusing reinforcements to Fort St. Jean, to which Montgomery’s expedition laid siege from August 21 to November 3, 1775.
Fort St. Jean’s commander, Major Charles Preston, surrendered on November 3, fearful of the hardship the town’s civilians would face during a winter under siege. With the final fortification between Montgomery and Montreal in Patriot hands and Carleton’s defenses depleted by the conflict with Allen, Montgomery’s forces entered Montreal with ease on November 13.
After Montgomery’s success at winning Montreal for the Patriots, British General Carleton escaped Montreal and fled to Quebec City where he dug in. There he and Montgomery would, in December, again face one another in a climatic battle that would determine the fate of the Patriot invasion of Canada.
Of the 900 Americans who participated in the failed assault on Quebec City, 60 were killed or wounded and more than 400 were captured.
The remaining Patriot forces then retreated from Canada. Benedict Arnold remained in Canadian territory until the last of his soldiers had crossed the St. Lawrence River to safety. With the pursuing British forces almost in firing range, Arnold checked one last time to make sure all his men had escaped, then shot his horse and fled down the St. Lawrence in a canoe.
Carleton had successfully snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and secured Canada for the British empire.
When word of Montgomery's death in the Quebec assault reached Philadelphia, Congress voted to create a monument to Montgomery's memory and entrusted Benjamin Franklin to secure one of France’s best artists to craft it. Franklin hired King Louis XV’s personal sculptor, Jean Jacques Caffieri, to design and build the monument.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3775/aaaametropolitanthesculptorcaf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Sculptor Jean Jacques Caffieri
Upon its completion almost two years later in 1778, the Montgomery memorial was shipped to America and arrived at Edenton, North Carolina, where it remained for almost ten years while the revolution raged. Although originally intended for Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Congress eventually decided to place the memorial in New York City.
In 1788, it was installed under the direction of architect Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant beneath the portico of St. Paul's Chapel, which served as President George Washington’s church during his time in NYC when the city was the de facto capital of the infant US. It remains there to this day. Montgomery’s body, which was originally interred on the site of his death in Quebec, was moved to St. Paul’s in 1818.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2985/aaaaanyciconsoc37lv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
St Paul's Chapel as it appeared when President and Mrs Washington attended services there while they lived in NYC.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2607/aaaaastpaul26ry.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Exterior front of St Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. Sorry I couldn't find an image of the Montgomery statue.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5485/aaaaaagzchurch27254bd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The twin towers of NYC's World Trade Center used to be directly across the street from St. Paul's Chapel. The chapel structure was miraculously left standing after the collapse of the towers and quickly became the headquarters for rescue and recovery workers. The main entrance of the chapel has a Year of Ministry Timeline exhibit that dates their efforts in the first 12 months after the disaster.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7210/aaaaastpaul55pw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Post 9-11 interior rear of the chapel. Notice the banner hanging on the right side of the image.
On this day in 1775, Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery takes Montreal, Canada, without opposition.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9109/aaaaamontgomerytop4256rt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
General Richard Montgomery. During our revolution, he helped lead an invasion of Canada, conquered Montreal on this day in 1775, but bought it trying to take Quebec.
Montgomery, along with the later to be discredited Benedict Arnold, led a two-pronged invasion of Canada in late 1775. Arnold's objective was Quebec City. Montgomery's was two-fold: Montreal first, then join Arnold for a combined effort against Quebec City.
Before joining Arnold at Quebec, Montgomery successfully took Montreal, but the Patriot assault on Quebec failed, and Montgomery became one of the first American generals of the American Revolution to lose his life on the battlefield.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/710/aaaaadeathmontgomerycolor5001b.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Death of Montgomery at Quebec, New Years Eve 1775.
Montgomery’s victory at Montreal owed its success in part to Ethan Allen’s disorganized defeat at the hand of British General and Canadian Royal Governor Guy Carleton at Montreal on September 24, 1775. Allen’s misguided and undermanned attack on Montreal led to his capture by the British and imprisonment in Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, England.
Although a failure in the short term, Ethan Allen’s attack had long-term benefits for the Patriots. Carleton had focused his attention on suppressing Allen’s attack, while refusing reinforcements to Fort St. Jean, to which Montgomery’s expedition laid siege from August 21 to November 3, 1775.
Fort St. Jean’s commander, Major Charles Preston, surrendered on November 3, fearful of the hardship the town’s civilians would face during a winter under siege. With the final fortification between Montgomery and Montreal in Patriot hands and Carleton’s defenses depleted by the conflict with Allen, Montgomery’s forces entered Montreal with ease on November 13.
After Montgomery’s success at winning Montreal for the Patriots, British General Carleton escaped Montreal and fled to Quebec City where he dug in. There he and Montgomery would, in December, again face one another in a climatic battle that would determine the fate of the Patriot invasion of Canada.
Of the 900 Americans who participated in the failed assault on Quebec City, 60 were killed or wounded and more than 400 were captured.
The remaining Patriot forces then retreated from Canada. Benedict Arnold remained in Canadian territory until the last of his soldiers had crossed the St. Lawrence River to safety. With the pursuing British forces almost in firing range, Arnold checked one last time to make sure all his men had escaped, then shot his horse and fled down the St. Lawrence in a canoe.
Carleton had successfully snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and secured Canada for the British empire.
When word of Montgomery's death in the Quebec assault reached Philadelphia, Congress voted to create a monument to Montgomery's memory and entrusted Benjamin Franklin to secure one of France’s best artists to craft it. Franklin hired King Louis XV’s personal sculptor, Jean Jacques Caffieri, to design and build the monument.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3775/aaaametropolitanthesculptorcaf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Sculptor Jean Jacques Caffieri
Upon its completion almost two years later in 1778, the Montgomery memorial was shipped to America and arrived at Edenton, North Carolina, where it remained for almost ten years while the revolution raged. Although originally intended for Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Congress eventually decided to place the memorial in New York City.
In 1788, it was installed under the direction of architect Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant beneath the portico of St. Paul's Chapel, which served as President George Washington’s church during his time in NYC when the city was the de facto capital of the infant US. It remains there to this day. Montgomery’s body, which was originally interred on the site of his death in Quebec, was moved to St. Paul’s in 1818.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2985/aaaaanyciconsoc37lv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
St Paul's Chapel as it appeared when President and Mrs Washington attended services there while they lived in NYC.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2607/aaaaastpaul26ry.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Exterior front of St Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. Sorry I couldn't find an image of the Montgomery statue.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/5485/aaaaaagzchurch27254bd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The twin towers of NYC's World Trade Center used to be directly across the street from St. Paul's Chapel. The chapel structure was miraculously left standing after the collapse of the towers and quickly became the headquarters for rescue and recovery workers. The main entrance of the chapel has a Year of Ministry Timeline exhibit that dates their efforts in the first 12 months after the disaster.
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7210/aaaaastpaul55pw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Post 9-11 interior rear of the chapel. Notice the banner hanging on the right side of the image.