Montgomery, Richard (1738-1775), was an Irish-born general who led patriot forces during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Montgomery was killed during an invasion of British-held Quebec , Canada .
Montgomery was born near Swords, County Dublin , Ireland , on Dec. 2, 1738. He attended Trinity College in Dublin from 1754 to 1756 but withdrew before graduating. He then obtained an officer’s commission in the British Army.
Montgomery fought in North America during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). He served under British General Jeffery Amherst in Canada during the siege of Louisbourg in 1758 and the capture of Montreal in 1760. Montgomery also participated in the British capture of Havana , Cuba , in 1762.
Montgomery spent two years in New York before returning to England in 1765. In 1772, he resigned his position as captain in the British Army. In 1773, he bought a farm near New York City. That same year, he married Janet Livingston, who came from a prominent New York family. Janet’s brother Robert Livingston was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence .
Montgomery came to understand the colonists’ resentment of British policies. In the spring of 1775, New Yorkers elected him to the New York provincial congress. In June 1775, in the early months of the revolution, Montgomery was named a brigadier general in the Continental Army.
American commander George Washington soon chose Montgomery to help lead an invasion of British-held Canada. Montgomery’s forces captured Montreal in November 1775. The next month, they joined with the forces of Colonel Benedict Arnold near the city of Quebec. Montgomery was killed in a failed invasion of the city on December 31.
Montgomery never learned that the Continental Congress had promoted him to major general three weeks before his death.
See also American Revolution ; French and Indian wars ; Livingston, Robert R. ; Quebec, Battle of .
