Born and raised in Ireland, Montgomery joined the British Army in 1756, and fought in the Americas, at such places as Ticonderoga, Montreal, Martinique, and Havana. He resigned after he reached the rank of captain, since the peacetime army held few opportunities for him. Montgomery migrated to New York, where he got married and became a popular gentleman farmer. In 1775, Congress appointed him a brigadier general in the Continental Army and second in command for the invasion of Canada. When Philip Schuyler, the commander of the expedition, became ill, Montgomery took over and led the troops into Canada. They seized the posts at Chambly, St. Johns, and Montreal, then joined with Benedict Arnold's troops outside Quebec. The American soldiers created havoc by wildly attacking the city on December 31. Montgomery was killed in the confusion, and his remains were transferred from Quebec to New York.
portrait — Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery
1738–1775 · General
Born and raised in Ireland, Montgomery joined the British Army in 1756, and fought in the Americas, at such places as Ticonderoga, Montreal, Martinique, and Havana. He resigned after he reached the rank of captain, since the peacetime army held few opportunities for him.