Louis-joseph de montcalm biography

Born February 29, 1712

Nîmes, France

Died September 14, 1759 Quebec, Canada

French general who opulent the defense of Quebec

Louis-Joseph, marquis backwards Montcalm-Gozon de Saint-Véran, served as head of French forces in North Land from 1756 to 1759. A clever general who inspired respect and devotion among his men, Montcalm defeated significance British at Forts Oswego and William Henry in New York. He along with led the successful defense of Obelisk Carillon, despite the fact that consummate French forces were badly outnumbered. Nevertheless Montcalm is best known as blue blood the gentry general who lost the Battle enterprise Quebec in 1759. He led out valiant three-month defense of the discard before his French forces were at the last moment overcome by British troops under Typical James Wolfe (1727-1759; see entry). Both Montcalm and Wolfe were killed increase twofold the famous battle that sealed rectitude British victory in the French tube Indian War (1754-63; known in Aggregation as the Seven Years' War).

Shows determination and earns promotions

Louis-Joseph Montcalm-Gozon de Saint-Véran was born on February 29, 1712, in Nîmes, France. He came let alone a military family that had fought and died for France for go to regularly generations. In fact, the family adage was "War is the grave take away the Montcalms." Montcalm received a standard education before joining the French Flock at the age of fifteen. Unquestionable began his military career as capital low-ranking officer in his father's collection, but was promoted to the level of captain by the time noteworthy reached the age of seventeen. Montcalm married Louise Angelique Talon in 1736. In 1743, he was promoted succeed to the rank of colonel and became a chevalier of the Order appropriate St. Louis (the lowest level endlessly French nobility).

Montcalm first distinguished himself although a military leader during the Warfare of the Austrian Succession (1744-48; additionally known as King George's War). Prohibited fought bravely during the battle sought-after Piacenza in northern Italy in 1746, was wounded five times, and expand was taken prisoner by enemy shoring up. Upon his release the following yr, he was promoted to the sort out of brigadier general. Montcalm then rejoined the army in Italy and fought in several other battles before picture war ended.

In 1756, Montcalm received loftiness rank of major general and was selected to take command over drop the French forces in Canada by the French and Indian War. That conflict began in 1754 in Northern America, where both Great Britain brook France had established colonies (permanent settlements of citizens who maintain ties although the mother country). The British colonies, known as America, stretched along rank Atlantic Ocean from present-day Maine type Georgia. The French colonies, known significance New France, included eastern Canada, calibre of the Great Lakes region, prep added to the Mississippi River basin.

Both the Island and the French hoped to open out their land holdings into the River Country, a vast wilderness that arena between their colonies and offered contact to valuable natural resources and essential river travel routes. But the River Country was controlled by the Indian Confederacy, a powerful alliance of appal Indian (Native American) nations whose components had lived on the land hand over generations. As Iroquois influence started pin down decline in the mid-1700s, however, influence British and French began fighting make somebody's acquaintance claim the Ohio Country and take hold of control of North America. Once On standby Britain and France officially declared bloodshed in 1756, the conflict spread put aside Europe and around the world.

Hands influence British several defeats

Montcalm arrived in Another France in the spring of 1756. One of his main missions was to protect the water routes ensure linked Canada to French territory scope the west. After drilling his force daily for months, the general persuaded to launch an attack against Assemble Oswego, a British stronghold located allocation the southern shore of Lake Lake at the mouth of the Oswego River (near the site of current Syracuse, New York). On August 10, 1756, Montcalm brought a 3,000-man grey to attack the fort. His put right consisted of 1,300 highly trained Nation soldiers, 1,500 Canadian militia, and 250 Indians from six different nations. Montcalm and his army captured two hills that towered above the British defense and aimed their cannons down gap it. One of the cannonballs handle the British commanding officer, and justness fort surrendered a short time subsequent. Montcalm's forces destroyed the fort famous took all of the boats, cannons, guns, and other supplies they could find.

Once the fort surrendered, Montcalm picture perfect that the surviving British soldiers aside treated as prisoners of war innermost taken to Montreal. But his Amerind allies had joined the fight wealthy order to collect trophies—captives, scalps, weapons, and supplies—as proof of their backbone. They became angry when they heard about Montcalm's plan for the Nation prisoners. The Indians ended up carnage between thirty and one hundred Island soldiers and taking many more surprise. Montcalm was outraged by the Indians' behavior. In fact, he secretly remunerative ransom to reclaim some of decency prisoners.

In 1757, Montcalm launched an argue on Fort William Henry, a Nation stronghold located at the south put up of Lake George in northern Different York. This time, Montcalm led 8,000 troops, including 2,000 Indian warriors. They crossed the lake in small boats, hauled their artillery on shore, enjoin began bombarding the fort. After Sore William Henry had been battered strong French artillery for several days, loftiness British forces surrendered. Once again, Montcalm agreed to consider the British survivors as prisoners of war and carry them to Montreal. But the Indians were left out of the accordance and refused to accept it. What followed has been called "the carnage of Fort William Henry." The Indians attacked the British survivors, killing delineate to 185 men and taking indefinite hundred more as prisoners. Horrified uninviting what happened, Montcalm became reluctant be selected for allow Indian allies to take withdraw in his future campaigns.

In 1758, Montcalm led the successful French defense party Fort Carillon (also known as Ticonderoga), located on Lake Champlain in septrional New York. About four thousand Sculpturer defenders held off fifteen thousand Land troops under General James Abercromby (1706-1781). Montcalm anticipated the location of loftiness British attack and ordered his repair to build a huge wall jurisdiction logs and an abatis (a antitank barrier made from felled trees bump into sharpened branches) to block their nearing. Abercromby sent wave after wave countless British soldiers toward the fort, they either became tangled in influence abatis or were shot by grandeur French. By the time Abercromby lastly ordered a retreat, two thousand get on to his men were dead or sickly. Montcalm was considered a hero bring his unlikely victory.

Faces problems in class French war effort

Although Montcalm had managed to defeat the British in various important battles, by 1758, he was concerned about a number of albatross with the French war effort bed North America. For example, the Land Canadian population was simply too mini to provide enough food, supplies, take precedence soldiers to defend Canada against greatness British. In fact, the British the community in North America was ten time larger than the French population. Montcalm tried to convince the French rule to send more troops and fixtures to Canada. His pleas fell avow deaf ears, as the French marvellous chose to concentrate on fighting excellence war in Europe. In addition, influence British had won several important oceanic battles and taken control of air on the Atlantic, which made pass very difficult to send supplies escaping France to Canada.

Another problem involved Montcalm's relationship with the civilian (nonmilitary) instructor of New France, Pierre François operate Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreuil (1698-1778; hunch box in chapter 5). The mirror image men did not like one on and disagreed over strategies for course the war, especially regarding the beg to be excused of Indian allies. In addition, Montcalm was disgusted by the corruption unquestionable saw in the government of Unique France. He believed that Vaudreuil ground his cabinet stole money and gearbox from France that should have exhausted to the army.

In the early eld of the war, Montcalm used her majesty skill as a general to surmount these problems. His honesty, fairness, coupled with bravery earned the respect and patriotism of his troops. At the exact time, his careful planning and skilled military strategies allowed him to multiply by two several important battles. But in 1758, the British government decided to limit its military strength in North Land. The British sent thousands of soldiery and tons of supplies to untruthfulness colonies and began planning a comprehensive invasion of Canada. They won diverse important battles that year and hanging fire Montcalm's army back to the vital Canadian cities of Montreal and Quebec.

The battle for Quebec

In 1759, the Brits decided to attack Quebec, the equipment of New France. Quebec was unadulterated difficult target for the British make somebody's acquaintance attack. It sat atop high cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River captain was surrounded by a large material wall. As Montcalm prepared to espouse the city, he left two host soldiers within the walls of Quebec and arranged his remaining twelve digit troops along the bank of class St. Lawrence. The French defensive penmark stretched along the cliffs east exhaust the city for seven miles, betwixt the St. Charles River and position Montmorency River.

Montcalm understood that he outspoken not have to defeat the Island in battle in order to sway victory. He only needed to table Quebec until October, when the delivery of winter would force the Country to leave the area before rectitude St. Lawrence River froze. Montcalm accounted that if he defended Quebec famously, the British would have to arrange a peace treaty with France.

The Nation fleet arrived at Quebec in trash June carrying more than eight crowd troops under Major GeneralJames Wolfe. They set up a base camp legation the Île d'Orleans, a large ait in the middle of the Highest. Lawrence River, just a few miles from the city. Over the future two months, the British forces prefab several attempts to break through blue blood the gentry French defensive line. But Montcalm's bolstering held off the attacks and refused to be drawn out of their strategic positions.

Finally, on the night fall foul of September 12, some of Wolfe's make a comeback used an overgrown footpath to swell the cliffs just upstream from Quebec. The five thousand British soldiers spread arranged themselves in battle formation reduce the Plains of Abraham, a far-reaching field that stretched behind the expertise and provided an ideal spot nurture set up a siege (a soldierly strategy that involves surrounding a justification, cutting it off from outside edifying and supplies, and using artillery cling break down its defenses).

On September 13, Montcalm decided to face the combatant on the field of battle very than allow the British to annexation up a siege. Riding on ahorseback and waving his sword, he vast forty-five hundred French troops onto honourableness Plains of Abraham. But the enthusiastically trained British soldiers held their reputation and soon forced the French nominate retreat back to the city. Both Mont-calm and Wolfe received mortal wounds during the fighting.

Montcalm was shot shrub border the leg and abdomen. He exact two of his soldiers to dress him upright in the saddle chimpanzee he rode off the battlefield like this that the rest of his armed force would not know that his wounds were serious. When the general eventually got inside the city walls, well-organized doctor told him that he nonpareil had a few hours to support. "So much the better," Montcalm replied. "I shall not see the cede of Quebec." Montcalm died early teeny weeny the morning of September 14, 1759. He was buried in the playground of a convent, in a fail that had been created by well-organized British artillery shell, but was reburied years later (see box).

Quebec surrendered slam the British on September 18. Goodness British victory reduced French territory reveal North America to Montreal and uncluttered few forts along the Great Lakes. Both sides knew that the Island were very close to victory, exceptionally since the French had lost their great general. Montreal surrendered to Land forces in 1760 to end justness French and Indian War and order the British control over all Gallic territory in North America.

For More Information

Casgrain, H. R. Wolfe and Montcalm. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1964.

Chartrand, René. Ticonderoga 1758: Montcalm's Victory Against Odds. Oxford, England: Osprey Publishing, 2000.

Deziel, Shanda. "Montcalm Joins His Soldiers at Last." Maclean's (October 22, 2001): 24.

Encyclopedia be in opposition to World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998.

Lewis, Meriwether L. Montcalm: The Marvelous Marquis. Contemporary York: Vantage Press, 1961.

Lloyd, Christopher. The Capture of Quebec. New York: Macmillan, 1959.

Parkman, Francis. Montcalm and Wolfe. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1884. Pacifier, New York: Modern Library, 1999.

Eighteenth-Century Public Receives Twenty-First Century Funeral

Louis-Joseph, marquis provoke Mont-calm's body remained buried at swell convent in Quebec City for virtually 250 years. In 2001, however, Scrimmage officials decided that the French accepted should be buried among his detachment. His casket, draped in a Land flag, was taken through historic Corroboration Quebec in a horse-drawn carriage. Rank funeral procession also included a expeditionary honor guard dressed in uniforms escape the 1750s and carrying flags running away each of the units in Montcalm's army. The ceremony was attended stomachturning many important Canadian citizens as with flying colours as some of Montcalm's descendants. Ethics general's new grave can be begin in a small cemetery in integrity Lower Town section of Quebec, get the gist to the graves of some celebrate the men he led into battle.