Amherst, << AM uhrst, >> Lord Jeffery (1717-1797), a British general, helped Britain win Canada from France. He captured Louisbourg, a French fort in present-day Nova Scotia, in 1758 during the Seven Years’ War (known as the French and Indian War in the United States). Amherst was made commander in chief of the British Army in North America after that victory. In 1759, he captured Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga, both in present-day New York. In 1760, he directed an advance on Montreal, and the city surrendered.
Amherst was then responsible for administering Canada until his return to England in 1763. He was made a baron in 1776 and commander in chief of the British Army in 1778. He was born on Jan. 29, 1717, in Riverhead, near Tonbridge, England. He died on Aug. 3, 1797.
