Gage, Thomas (1721-1787), a British general, gave the orders that resulted in the first battle of the Revolutionary War in America. In 1774, he was appointed governor of the province of Massachusetts. Although Gage and his American wife were personally popular, he found the people were increasingly defiant. He knew that some people were collecting military supplies in Concord, and in April 1775, he ordered troops from Boston to seize and destroy the supplies. His soldiers were fired on in Lexington and Concord and suffered heavy losses while returning to Boston. Two months later, Gage ordered the attack on Breed’s Hill in the Battle of Bunker Hill, but it was so costly that it led to his recall.
Gage was born in Firle, Sussex. He entered the army in 1741 and came to America with General Edward Braddock in 1755. In 1760, he became governor of Montreal, and from 1763 to 1775, was British commander in chief in North America. He died on April 2, 1787.
