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  1. #1
    SoonerFans.com Elite Member Okla-homey's Avatar
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    Good Morning...US captures Montreal

    Nov. 13, 1775: Continental Forces capture Montreal


    General Richard Montgomery. During our revolution, he helped lead an invasion of Canada, conquered Montreal, but bought it trying to take Quebec.

    231 years ago, on this day in 1775, Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery takes Montreal, Canada, without opposition. Thus, on this day, it appeared the American attempt to take control of Canada would be a success.

    Montgomery’s victory at Montreal owed its success in part to Ethan Allen’s (NOT the overpriced furniture store) earlier disorganized defeat at the hand of British General/Canadian Royal Governor Guy Carleton at Montreal on September 24, 1775.


    British General Guy Carleton, he lost Montreal, but on New Years Eve 1775, bounced back, held Quebec and secured Canada for Britain.

    See, Ethan Allen’s earlier misguided and undermanned attack on Montreal by his Vermont "Green Mountain Boys" led to his capture by the British and imprisonment in Pendennis Castle in Cornwall, England.

    Although a failure in the short term, 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 (which guarded the river approach to Montreal,) 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 this day in 1775.


    Ethan Allen. Not exactly a handsome d00d.


    Ethan Allen's gravesite in Vermont. Good guy, good fighter, loved in Vermont...just kinda sketchy in the military planning department.

    After Montgomery’s success at winning Montreal for the Patriots, Carleton escaped from his American captors and fled to Quebec City. There, Carleton and Montgomery would, in December, fight a re-match in a climatic battle that would determine the fate of the Patriot invasion of Canada.

    Facing the year-end expiration of their troops’ enlistment, the Patriot forces leaders now advanced on Quebec under the cover of a blizzard at approximately 4 a.m. on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1775. IOW, they had to get it done before all the troops' enlistment ended on January 1, 1776 and they would be free to head home.

    The British defenders under Carleton were ready and "loaded for bear," however, and when Montgomery's forces came within 50 yards of the city’s southern fortifications, the British opened fire with a devastating barrage of artillery and musket fire. Montgomery was killed in the first assault, and after several more attempts at penetrating Quebec's defenses, his men were forced to retreat.


    Death of Montgomery at Quebec, New Years Eve 1775.

    Meanwhile, the other wing of the American attack, Colonel Benedict Arnold's division, suffered a similar fate during their attack on the northern wall of the city. A two-gun battery opened fire on the advancing Americans, killing a number of troops and wounding Benedict Arnold in the leg.

    Patriot Daniel Morgan assumed command and made progress against the defenders, but halted at the northern wall of fortifications to wait for reinforcements. By the time the rest of Arnold's army finally arrived, the British had reorganized, forcing the Patriots to call off their attack. Of the 900 Americans who participated in the siege, 60 were killed or wounded and more than 400 were captured.


    American Brig. General Daniel Morgan. He had once been Captain Morgan, but got promoted.

    The remaining Patriot forces then retreated from Canada and beat feet for New York. To his credit, Benedict Arnold (this was before his infamous traitorous trickeration) 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 River 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 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.


    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.


    St Paul's Chapel as it appeared when President and Mrs Washington attended services there while they lived in NYC.


    Exterior front of St Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. Sorry I couldn't find an image of the Montgomery statue.



    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.


    Post 9-11 interior rear of the chapel. Notice the banner hanging on the right side of the image.



    .
    "Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever they can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser; in fees, expenses and waste of time." -- Abraham Lincoln, (1809-1865) Lawyer and President who saved the United States.

    "Without opportunities on the part of the poor to obtain expert legal advice, it is idle to talk of equality before the law"-- Justice Chas. Evans Hughes

  2. #2
    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1 reevie's Avatar
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    Re: Good Morning...US captures Montreal

    And 230 years later we stole their so called baseball team.

  3. #3
    Emma's Daddy! SoonerStormchaser's Avatar
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    Re: Good Morning...US captures Montreal

    ...notice we promptly gave it back to them after realizing just how big a royal pain in the @$$ the French were up there (and they still hate us)!

  4. #4
    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1 HoserSooner's Avatar
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    Re: Good Morning...US captures Montreal

    Quote Originally Posted by SoonerStormchaser
    ...notice we promptly gave it back to them after realizing just how big a royal pain in the @$$ the French were up there (and they still hate us)!
    Yeah, thanks a lot.

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