It Happened Here -- What if...
One of the prerogatives of being a history buff, as opposed to being a professional historian is you are permitted to (or at least can get away with) occasionally wonder aloud "What if...?" I have probably allowed myself more than my fair share of "what if" scenarios. For example -- What if the guard stationed at Lincoln's box at the Ford Theater had stayed at his post, and chased John Wilkes Booth away, and Lincoln had been allowed to put his stamp on Reconstruction? What if Aaron Burr had missed, or better yet not allowed himself to become involved in a duel with Alexander Hamilton, and the former resident of Albany, and Vice President, instead of becoming a national pariah, had turned his political fortunes around? What if Benedict Arnold, instead of breaking bad, and trying to sell out General Washington, and the Continentals, had stayed the course and remained loyal to the war's end when Congress with all its dithering and inaction caused the officers of the Continental Army while in cantonment at New Windsor to nearly stage a military coup? Would the reckless, aggressive and charismatic Arnold, with the others, have been too much for Washington to restrain?
And of course, there is war itself. War removes suddenly and finally the talents of many men who might have shaped history, leaving us to wonder, "What if...?" In my pantheon of "What if" warriors, one who would certainly be near the top is Major General Richard Montgomery.
Richard Montgomery was born a younger son of Anglo-Irish Gentry in Swords, Ireland. He attended Trinity College for two years at the beginning of the Seven Years War but his father and brother urged him to enter a career in the military, purchasing an ensign's commission for him in the 17th Regiment of Foot. The 17th was deployed to Halifax and participated in the siege of Louisbourg. Montgomery distinguished himself and was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1759 his regiment was engaged in the Lake George campaign.
Montgomery participated in the investiture and fall of Montreal in 1760 and from there his regiment was shipped to the Caribbean where it helped capture Martinique and Havana. In Havana he was recognized for his bravery in the storming of Moro Castle and he was promoted to the rank of Captain.
After the French and Indian War he was dispatched to Ft. Stanwix as part of forces to counter Pontiac's "Rebellion". On the way up the Hudson his ship became grounded near Clermont, the manor house of the southern branch of the Livingston family and while waiting for high tide to re-float the ship, Montgomery went ashore where he met Janet Livingston. Having served at at Fort Stanwix, Montgomery was assigned to Detroit. Before the Pontiac "rebellion" he had asked to be allowed to return to England to recuperate from illnesses he had contracted in the Caribbean, that continued to dog him. In 1765 he was granted leave.
In London, with his considerable foreign experience Montgomery became friends with several of Britain's leading liberal/radical members of parliament, Issac Barre, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox and he absorbed many of their critiques of British Imperial policy. His friendship with these radical Whigs also tended to discredit him in the eyes of his conservative military superiors, so when he applied for promotion to the rank of Major, in 1771, he was passed over for someone less qualified. Angered by the snub, in 1772 Montgomery sold his captain's commission and declaring he would devote his life to husbandry, he left for America.
In America he bought a 67 acre farm at Kings Bridge, north of Manhattan and renewed his acquaintance with Janet Livingston who was living in New York. In 1773 they were married. Janet's grandfather Judge Henry Beekman gave them a small house in Rhinebeck to live in while they planned a larger house, to be named "Grasmere".
Grasmere was begun by Montgomery and finished after his death. Still privately owned, on Mill Rd., Rhinebeck, it is not visible from the road.
Montgomery built a grist mill on the small but fast moving Landsman's Kill
As Britain and her American Colonies became increasingly at loggerheads over the issues of taxation and paying for the defense of the colonies for the French and Indian War, reluctantly both the Livingstons and Montgomery came to believe America needed to fight for its rights and eventually for its independence. Richard was elected to serve as Dutchess County's representative in the New York Provincial Congress then in the summer of 1775 was one of eight offered a rank of Brigadier General in the new Continental Army. (Only three had any professional military experience.) With a sense of foreboding, he accepted.
The new Rhinebeck farmer hoped he would serve with Washington in his army outside of Boston but soon learned he was slated for an expedition to take Canada, under General Phillip Schuyler. Schuyler became ill and Montgomery found himself in command. On the Richielu River Montgomery probed, then laid siege to Fort St. John. As the siege dragged on, Montgomery led an assault on the smaller Fort Chambly, ten miles north of Fort St, John. Perhaps to inspire and give confidence to his amateur troops Montgomery personally led many of the maneuvers himself, demonstrating acts of personal bravery and frequently exposing himself to enemy fire. Standing on a breastwork in front of his siege guns facing Fort St. John he was blown off the embankment by an incoming cannonball but escaped unscathed. After nearly two months Fort St. John finally fell and his force moved on to Montreal. Montreal was evacuated by the British and on December he linked up with an assault force led by Benedict Arnold. Arnold had made an arduous wilderness journey up the Kennebec River, then down the Chaudiere River to Quebec.
On the night of December 30 in the midst of a covering snowstorm the Americans attacked Quebec. Arnold entered the walled and barricaded city from the north. General Montgomery* attacked the lower town along the river. As usual, Montgomery was in the most exposed position, at the head of the assault troops that sawed through two stockades thrown up to block entrance to the lower city. As he and two of his officers scrambled through the narrow opening a field piece mounted in a fortified house opened fire. A charge of grape shot ripped through the opening. The officers were down and Richard Montgomery was dead.
On the north side of town Arnold's attack was also faltering. Disabled by a broken ankle, Arnold was having trouble keeping up while his men in the streets, struggling with snow-dampened gunpowder, were pinned down by defenders firing from houses on all sides. Within a few hours it was over. Most of the Americans inside the city were killed or rounded up and captured. And the surviving leaderless Americans outside the city began a retreat that would not end until they were well back in New York.
After the battle the British discovered Montgomery's body and gave it a decent burial while he was acclaimed for his bravery in both America and Britain. His memory was held up as the ideal of valor, patriotism and self-sacrifice. Both Schuyler and Washington were described as being "distraught" by his death. Congress ordered a monument from France to be erected in St. Paul's Chapel in New York. Poems and plays were written about him and his death was immortalized in a famous painting by John Trumbull. Thomas Paine imagined a dialogue in which Montgomery's ghost appeared before Congress to urge them that the time for independence had come. Janet Montgomery wore mourning dress for the rest of her long life, refusing the attentions of General Horatio Gates who proposed to her in 1783, and building a new house, at age 60 that she named Chateau de Montgomery, later called Montgomery Place.
In 1818 the State of New York arranged for Montgomery's remains to be brought from Quebec to be buried at his memorial at St. Paul's. As the ships carrying his remains made their way down the Champlain/Hudson corridor, crowds gathered to watch, salutes were fired and bands played. From the balcony of Chateau de Montgomery, overlooking the Hudson, Janet Montgomery asked her family for time alone while a band on board the steam boat Richmond, carrying the General's body played in her honor. When they returned they found she had been overcome with emotion and had fainted.
I have little doubt, in speculating on the "What if" question, that if General Montgomery had not been killed, if he had captured Quebec, he might have become one of Washington's top generals, with Nataniel Greene, Anthony Wayne and John Sullivan. Perhaps he might have even supplanted Greene as Washington's favorite general and military confidante. But what roles might have Montgomery played in the new republic? Would he have become one of the "first sons" of the "founding fathers"-- men of a slightly younger generation who shaped the new government? -- men of Hamilton's, Madison's, Monroe's and Jay's generation? It is quite possible he might have retired from public life, like Greene and Sullivan or continued in pubic service only as military officers, like Wayne or Arthur St. Claire. Or he might have focused his talents on state politics, like Generals George Clinton, and Stephen Van Rensselaer II.
In truth, we don't know, or can ever know, but it is still fun to speculate, "What if...?"
Richard Montgomery was born a younger son of Anglo-Irish Gentry in Swords, Ireland. He attended Trinity College for two years at the beginning of the Seven Years War but his father and brother urged him to enter a career in the military, purchasing an ensign's commission for him in the 17th Regiment of Foot. The 17th was deployed to Halifax and participated in the siege of Louisbourg. Montgomery distinguished himself and was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1759 his regiment was engaged in the Lake George campaign.
Montgomery participated in the investiture and fall of Montreal in 1760 and from there his regiment was shipped to the Caribbean where it helped capture Martinique and Havana. In Havana he was recognized for his bravery in the storming of Moro Castle and he was promoted to the rank of Captain.After the French and Indian War he was dispatched to Ft. Stanwix as part of forces to counter Pontiac's "Rebellion". On the way up the Hudson his ship became grounded near Clermont, the manor house of the southern branch of the Livingston family and while waiting for high tide to re-float the ship, Montgomery went ashore where he met Janet Livingston. Having served at at Fort Stanwix, Montgomery was assigned to Detroit. Before the Pontiac "rebellion" he had asked to be allowed to return to England to recuperate from illnesses he had contracted in the Caribbean, that continued to dog him. In 1765 he was granted leave.
In London, with his considerable foreign experience Montgomery became friends with several of Britain's leading liberal/radical members of parliament, Issac Barre, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox and he absorbed many of their critiques of British Imperial policy. His friendship with these radical Whigs also tended to discredit him in the eyes of his conservative military superiors, so when he applied for promotion to the rank of Major, in 1771, he was passed over for someone less qualified. Angered by the snub, in 1772 Montgomery sold his captain's commission and declaring he would devote his life to husbandry, he left for America.
In America he bought a 67 acre farm at Kings Bridge, north of Manhattan and renewed his acquaintance with Janet Livingston who was living in New York. In 1773 they were married. Janet's grandfather Judge Henry Beekman gave them a small house in Rhinebeck to live in while they planned a larger house, to be named "Grasmere".
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| The Montgomery's house located on the Post Rd., was moved to Livingston St., Rhinebeck |
Grasmere was begun by Montgomery and finished after his death. Still privately owned, on Mill Rd., Rhinebeck, it is not visible from the road.
Montgomery built a grist mill on the small but fast moving Landsman's Kill
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| By Bridge, NYS 9, Rhinebeck |
As Britain and her American Colonies became increasingly at loggerheads over the issues of taxation and paying for the defense of the colonies for the French and Indian War, reluctantly both the Livingstons and Montgomery came to believe America needed to fight for its rights and eventually for its independence. Richard was elected to serve as Dutchess County's representative in the New York Provincial Congress then in the summer of 1775 was one of eight offered a rank of Brigadier General in the new Continental Army. (Only three had any professional military experience.) With a sense of foreboding, he accepted.
The new Rhinebeck farmer hoped he would serve with Washington in his army outside of Boston but soon learned he was slated for an expedition to take Canada, under General Phillip Schuyler. Schuyler became ill and Montgomery found himself in command. On the Richielu River Montgomery probed, then laid siege to Fort St. John. As the siege dragged on, Montgomery led an assault on the smaller Fort Chambly, ten miles north of Fort St, John. Perhaps to inspire and give confidence to his amateur troops Montgomery personally led many of the maneuvers himself, demonstrating acts of personal bravery and frequently exposing himself to enemy fire. Standing on a breastwork in front of his siege guns facing Fort St. John he was blown off the embankment by an incoming cannonball but escaped unscathed. After nearly two months Fort St. John finally fell and his force moved on to Montreal. Montreal was evacuated by the British and on December he linked up with an assault force led by Benedict Arnold. Arnold had made an arduous wilderness journey up the Kennebec River, then down the Chaudiere River to Quebec.
On the night of December 30 in the midst of a covering snowstorm the Americans attacked Quebec. Arnold entered the walled and barricaded city from the north. General Montgomery* attacked the lower town along the river. As usual, Montgomery was in the most exposed position, at the head of the assault troops that sawed through two stockades thrown up to block entrance to the lower city. As he and two of his officers scrambled through the narrow opening a field piece mounted in a fortified house opened fire. A charge of grape shot ripped through the opening. The officers were down and Richard Montgomery was dead.
On the north side of town Arnold's attack was also faltering. Disabled by a broken ankle, Arnold was having trouble keeping up while his men in the streets, struggling with snow-dampened gunpowder, were pinned down by defenders firing from houses on all sides. Within a few hours it was over. Most of the Americans inside the city were killed or rounded up and captured. And the surviving leaderless Americans outside the city began a retreat that would not end until they were well back in New York.
After the battle the British discovered Montgomery's body and gave it a decent burial while he was acclaimed for his bravery in both America and Britain. His memory was held up as the ideal of valor, patriotism and self-sacrifice. Both Schuyler and Washington were described as being "distraught" by his death. Congress ordered a monument from France to be erected in St. Paul's Chapel in New York. Poems and plays were written about him and his death was immortalized in a famous painting by John Trumbull. Thomas Paine imagined a dialogue in which Montgomery's ghost appeared before Congress to urge them that the time for independence had come. Janet Montgomery wore mourning dress for the rest of her long life, refusing the attentions of General Horatio Gates who proposed to her in 1783, and building a new house, at age 60 that she named Chateau de Montgomery, later called Montgomery Place.
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| Chateau de Montgomery, Dutchess Co Rte 103 (Portico and wings were added about 1847) |
MONTGOMERY PLACE
Home of Janet Livingston
Widow of General Richard
Montgomery Killed in
Quebec 1775 and of Hon.
Edw. Livingston, 1764-1836
-NYSHM now missingIn 1818 the State of New York arranged for Montgomery's remains to be brought from Quebec to be buried at his memorial at St. Paul's. As the ships carrying his remains made their way down the Champlain/Hudson corridor, crowds gathered to watch, salutes were fired and bands played. From the balcony of Chateau de Montgomery, overlooking the Hudson, Janet Montgomery asked her family for time alone while a band on board the steam boat Richmond, carrying the General's body played in her honor. When they returned they found she had been overcome with emotion and had fainted.
 |
| Rear balcony with the Hudson in the Distance |
I have little doubt, in speculating on the "What if" question, that if General Montgomery had not been killed, if he had captured Quebec, he might have become one of Washington's top generals, with Nataniel Greene, Anthony Wayne and John Sullivan. Perhaps he might have even supplanted Greene as Washington's favorite general and military confidante. But what roles might have Montgomery played in the new republic? Would he have become one of the "first sons" of the "founding fathers"-- men of a slightly younger generation who shaped the new government? -- men of Hamilton's, Madison's, Monroe's and Jay's generation? It is quite possible he might have retired from public life, like Greene and Sullivan or continued in pubic service only as military officers, like Wayne or Arthur St. Claire. Or he might have focused his talents on state politics, like Generals George Clinton, and Stephen Van Rensselaer II.
In truth, we don't know, or can ever know, but it is still fun to speculate, "What if...?"
*Montgomery had been promoted to the rank of Major General, but hadn't received the news of his promotion.
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