General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
general officer
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...
and
colonial official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...
best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British
commander-in-chief in the early days of the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
.
Being born to an aristocratic family in England, he entered military service, seeing action in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, where he served alongside his future opponent
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
in the 1755
Battle of the Monongahela. After the
fall of Montreal in 1760, he was named its military governor. During this time he did not distinguish himself militarily, but proved himself to be a competent administrator.
From 1763 to 1775 he served as commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, overseeing the British response to the 1763
Pontiac's Rebellion. In 1774 he was also appointed the military governor of the
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the Thirteen Colonies, thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III of England, William III and Mary II ...
, with instructions to implement the
Intolerable Acts, punishing Massachusetts for the
Boston Tea Party. His attempts to seize military stores of
Patriot militias in April 1775 sparked the
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...
, beginning the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. After the
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.
The phrase originates from a quote from P ...
in the June
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...
, he was replaced by General
William Howe in October 1775, and returned to Great Britain.
Early life
Thomas Gage was born on 10 March 1718/19 at
Firle and christened 31 March 1719 at Westminster St James, Middlesex, England, son of
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage (c. 1695 – 21 December 1754) of High Meadow, Gloucestershire and later Firle Place, Sussex, was a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons as a Whig for 33 years between 1717 and 1754.
...
, and Benedicta Maria Teresa Hall.
[Church of England, Westminster St James (Middlesex) Register, vol. 2 (1699–1723), n.p, baptism of Thomas Gage, 31 March 1719.] Firle Place
Firle Place is a Manor house in Firle, Sussex, United Kingdom. The Gage family have owned the land at Firle since acquiring it from the Levett family in the 15th century. The manor house was first built in the late 15th century by Sir John Gage ...
,
Firle,
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
, is where the Gage family had been seated since the 15th century.
[Alden (1948), p. 2; Alden does not cite the location of Gage's birth.] His father,
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage (c. 1695 – 21 December 1754) of High Meadow, Gloucestershire and later Firle Place, Sussex, was a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons as a Whig for 33 years between 1717 and 1754.
...
, was a noted nobleman given titles in Ireland.
[Alden (1948), p. 6] Thomas Gage (the elder) had three children, of whom Thomas was the second.
[Alden (1948), p. 8] The first son,
William Hall Gage, 2nd Viscount Gage
William Hall Gage, 2nd Viscount Gage (6 January 1717/18 – 11 October 1791) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1744 and 1780 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Gage. He was equerry to the Prince of Wales.
...
, was born 6 January 1717/18 and christened 29 January 1717/18, also at Westminster St James. In 1728 Gage began attending the prestigious
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
where he met such figures as
John Burgoyne,
Richard Howe,
Francis Bernard, and
George Germain.
[Alden (1948), pp. 9–10] Despite the family's long history of
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, Viscount Gage had adopted the
Anglican Church in 1715.
[Hinman (2002), p. 8] During his school years Thomas the younger became firmly attached to the latter church; he eventually developed a dislike for the Roman Catholic Church that became evident in later years.
[Alden (1948), p. 10]
After he left Westminster School in 1736, there are no records of Gage's activities until he joined the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, eventually receiving a commission as
ensign. His early duties consisted of recruiting in Yorkshire. In January 1741 he purchased a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
's commission in the
1st Northampton Regiment, where he stayed until May 1742, when he transferred to
Battereau's Regiment with the rank of
captain-lieutenant. Gage received promotion to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in 1743, and saw action in the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...
with British forces in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, where he served as
aide-de-camp to the
Earl of Albemarle in the
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought on 11 May 1745 near Tournai in modern Belgium. A French army of 50,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated a Pragmatic Army of roughly the same size, led by th ...
.
[Alden (1948), p. 13] He saw further service in the
Second Jacobite Uprising, which culminated in the 1746
Battle of Culloden
The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...
. From 1747 to 1748, Gage saw action under Albemarle in the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
. In 1748 he purchased a
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
's commission and transferred to the 55th Foot Regiment (which was later renumbered to the
44th). The regiment was stationed in Ireland from 1748 to 1755; Gage was promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in March 1751.
[Alden (1948), p. 14]
During his early service years, he spent leisure time at
White's Club, where he was a member, and occasionally travelled, going at least as far as Paris. He was a popular figure in the army and at the club, even though he neither liked alcohol nor gambled very much.
His friendships spanned class and ability.
Charles Lee once wrote to Gage, "I respected your understanding, lik'd your manners and perfectly ador'd the qualities of your heart."
[Alden (1948), p. 15] Gage also made some important political connections, forming relationships with important figures like
Lord Barrington
Viscount Barrington, of Ardglass in the County of Down, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1720 for the lawyer, theologian and politician John Barrington. He was made Baron Barrington, of Newcastle in the County of Limeri ...
, the future
Secretary at War, and
Jeffery Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign ...
, a man roughly his age who rose to great heights in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
.
[Alden (1948), pp. 15–16]
In 1750, Gage became engaged to a "lady of rank and fortune, whom he persuaded to yield her hand in an honourable way".
[Alden (1948), p. 16] The engagement was eventually broken, leaving Gage broken-hearted.
In 1753, both Gage and his father stood for seats in Parliament. Both lost in the April 1754 election, even though his father had been a Member of Parliament for some years prior. They both contested the results, but his father died soon after, and Gage withdrew his protest in early 1755, as his regiment was being sent to America following the outbreak of the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
.
[Alden (1948), p. 17]
French and Indian War
In 1755 Gage's regiment was sent to North America as part of General
Edward Braddock
Major-General Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe ...
's
expeditionary force, whose objective was the expulsion of French forces from the
Ohio Country, territory disputed between French and British colonies where there had been military clashes in 1754. On this expedition Gage's regiment was in the
vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...
of the troops when they came upon a company of French and
First Nations people who were trying to set up an
ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...
. This skirmish began the
Battle of the Monongahela, in which Braddock was mortally wounded, and
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
distinguished himself for his courage under fire and his leadership in organising the retreat. The commander of the 44th, Colonel
Sir Peter Halkett, was one of many officers killed in the battle and Gage, who temporarily took command of the regiment, was slightly wounded.
[Alden (1948), p. 25] The regiment was decimated, and
Captain Robert Orme (General Braddock's aide-de-camp) levelled charges that poor field tactics on the part of Gage had led to the defeat; as a result of his accusations Gage was denied permanent command of the 44th Regiment.
[Alden (1948), p. 26] Gage and Washington maintained a somewhat friendly relationship for several years after the expedition, but distance and lack of frequent contact likely cooled the relationship.
[Alden (1948), p. 29] By 1770, Washington was publicly condemning Gage's actions in asserting British authority in
.
[Alden (1948), p. 30]
Creation of the light infantry
In the summer of 1756 Gage served as second-in-command of a failed expedition to resupply
Fort Oswego, which
fell to the French while the expedition was en route.
[Alden (1948), p. 37] The following year, he was assigned to Captain-General
John Campbell Loudoun in
Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, where a
planned expedition against
Louisbourg
Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.
History
The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...
turned back when confronted by a larger French fleet.
[Alden (1948), p. 40]
In December 1757, Gage proposed to Loudoun the creation of a regiment of
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
that would be better suited to woodland warfare. Loudoun approved the plan before he was recalled that month, also recommending Gage to the king for promotion to full
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. Gage spent the winter in New Jersey, recruiting for the newly raised
80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot
The 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot was the first light infantry regiment in the British Army.Alden, p. 48
History
The regiment was raised by Colonel Thomas Gage as the 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot in May 1758. The purpose of this unit was ...
, the "first definitely light-armed regiment in the British army."
[Alden (1948), p. 48] While it is uncertain exactly when he met the Kembles, his choice of the
Brunswick area may well have been motivated by his interest in
Margaret Kemble
Margaret Kemble Gage (1734–1824) was the wife of General Thomas Gage, who led the British Army in Massachusetts in the American Revolutionary War. She was born in New Brunswick, Province of New Jersey and resided in East Brunswick Township. S ...
, a well-known beauty of the area, a descendant of the
Schuyler family
The Schuyler family ( /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especiall ...
, and the granddaughter of New York Mayor
Stephanus Van Cortlandt.
[Alden (1948), pp. 43–44] Recruiting and courtship were both successful. By February 1758 Gage was in
Albany, preparing for that year's campaign, and he and Margaret were married on 8 December of that year.
[Alden (1948), pp. 44,46]
The campaign for which Gage went to Albany culminated in the disastrous
Battle of Carillon, in which 16,000 British forces were defeated by barely 4,000 French forces. Gage, whose regiment was in the British vanguard, was again wounded in that battle, in which the British suffered more than 2,000 casualties. Gage, who had been
brevetted a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
for the 1758 campaign, received in 1759 a full promotion to the position, largely through the political manoeuvring of his brother,
Lord Gage.
[Alden (1948), p. 46]
Failure to act against La Galette
The new brigadier general was placed in command of the Albany post, serving under
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Jeffery Amherst
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign ...
.
[Alden (1948), p. 47] In 1759, shortly after
capturing Ticonderoga without a fight, General Amherst learned of the death of General
John Prideaux
John Prideaux (7 September 1578 – 29 July 1650) was an English academic and Bishop of Worcester.
Early life
The fourth son of John and Agnes Prideaux, he was born at Stowford House in the parish of Harford, near Ivybridge, Devon, England, ...
whose expedition had
captured Fort Niagara. Amherst then ordered Gage to take Prideaux's place, and to take
Fort de La Présentation
The Fort de La Présentation (; "Fort of the Presentation"), a mission fort, was built in 1749 and so named by the French Sulpician priest, Abbé Picquet. It was also sometimes known as Fort La Galette (). It was built at the confluence of the Os ...
(also known as Fort La Galette) at the mouth of the
Oswegatchie River on Lake Ontario. When Amherst learned that the French had also abandoned
Fort St. Frédéric
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, he sent a messenger after Gage with more explicit instructions to capture La Galette and then, if at all possible, to advance on Montreal.
[Alden (1948), p. 49]
When Gage arrived at Oswego, which had been captured in July by troops under
Frederick Haldimand's command, he surveyed the situation, and decided that it was not prudent to move against La Galette. Expected reinforcements from Fort Duquesne had not arrived, the French military strength at La Galette was unknown, and its strength near Montreal was believed to be relatively high. Gage, believing an attack on La Galette would not gain any significant advantage, decided against action, and sent Amherst a message outlining his reasons.
[Alden (1948), p. 50] Although there was no immediate censure from either Amherst or the government, Amherst was incensed at the failure, and Gage's troops were in the rear of Amherst's army in the 1760 expedition that resulted in Montreal's surrender.
Early governorship
After the French surrender, Amherst named Gage the military
Governor of Montreal
The governor of Montreal was the highest position in Montreal in the 17th century and the 18th century. Prior to the establishment of the 1663 Sovereign Council, the governor of Montreal was appointed by the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. The ...
, a task Gage found somewhat thankless, because it involved the minute details of municipal governance along with the administration of the military occupation. He was also forced to deal with civil litigation, and manage trade with the
First Nations in the Great Lakes region, where traders disputed territorial claims, and quarrelled with the
First Nations.
[Alden (1948), pp. 55–58] Margaret came to stay with him in Montreal and that is where his first two children, Harry, the future
3rd Viscount Gage, and Maria Theresa, were born.
[Alden (1948), p. 59] In 1761, he was promoted to major general, and in 1762, again with the assistance of his brother, was placed in command of the
22nd Regiment, which assured a command even in peacetime.
[Alden (1948), p. 60]
By all accounts, Gage appeared to be a fair administrator, respecting people's lives and property, although he had a healthy distrust of the landowning
seigneurs
''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...
and of the Roman Catholic clergy, who he viewed as intriguers for the French. When peace was announced following the 1763
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
, Gage began lobbying for another posting, as he was "very much
iredof this cursed Climate, and I must be bribed very high to stay here any longer".
In October 1763 the good news arrived that he would act as
commander-in-chief of North America while Amherst was on leave in Britain. He immediately left Montreal, and took over Amherst's command in New York on 17 November 1763. When he did so, he inherited the job of dealing with the Indian uprising known as
Pontiac's Rebellion.
[Alden (1948), p. 61]
Pontiac's Rebellion
Following the conquest of New France, Amherst, who had little respect for people of the
First Nations, instituted policies that severely hampered British-Indian relations, principally forbidding the sale of ammunition to them. Combined with widespread concern about British expansion into their territories, this prompted the tribes of the Ohio Country and the formerly French ''
Pays d'en Haut'' to rise against the British. In May 1763, under the leadership of the
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
leader
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to:
*Pontiac (automobile), a car brand
*Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
**Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
, they launched a series of attacks on lightly garrisoned British frontier forts, successfully driving the British from some, threatening others, and also terrorising the settlers in those areas.
[Alden (1948), pp. 89–91]
Hoping to end the conflict diplomatically, Gage ordered Colonel
John Bradstreet and Colonel
Henry Bouquet
Henry Bouquet (born Henri Louis Bouquet; 1719 – 2 September 1765) was a Swiss mercenary who rose to prominence in British service during the French and Indian War and Pontiac's War. He is best known for his victory over a Native American ...
out on military expeditions and also ordered
Sir William Johnson
Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland. As a young man, Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Royal Na ...
to engage in peace negotiations.
[Alden (1948), pp. 94,97] Johnson negotiated the
Treaty of Fort Niagara in the summer of 1764 with some of the disaffected tribes, and Colonel Bouquet negotiated a cease-fire of sorts in October 1764, which resulted in another peace treaty finalised by Johnson in 1765. In 1765, the 42nd
Royal Highland Regiment
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
finally got through to Fort de Chartres, Fort Cavendish, the last fort still in French hands. The conflict was not fully resolved until Pontiac himself travelled to Fort Ontario and signed a formal treaty with Johnson in July 1766.
Securing his position
When General Amherst left North America in 1763, it was on a leave of absence from his position as commander-in-chief. In 1764, Amherst announced that he had no intention of returning to North America, at which point Gage's appointment to that post was made permanent. (Amherst retained posts as governor of Virginia and colonel of the 60th Foot, positions he only gave up in 1768 when he was required to actually go to Virginia or give up the post.)
[Alden (1948), p. 63] Intrigues of other high-ranking officers, especially Robert Monckton and his supporters, for his offices, continued throughout his tenure as commander-in-chief. Gage was promoted to lieutenant general in 1771.
[Alden (1948), p. 64] In 1767 Gage ordered the arrest of Major Robert Rogers (British Army officer), Robert Rogers, the former leader of Rogers' Rangers who Gage had come to dislike and distrust during the war. The arrest was based on flimsy evidence that Rogers might have been engaging in a treasonous relationship with the French; he was acquitted in a 1768 court martial.
Gage spent most of his time as commander-in-chief, the most powerful office in British America, in and around New York City.
[Alden (1948), p. 65] Although Gage was burdened by the administrative demands of managing a territory that spanned the entirety of North America east of the Mississippi River, the Gages clearly relished life in New York, actively participating in the social scene.
[Alden (1948), pp. 66–72] One way he did this was by joining the American Philosophical Society in 1768 through his election. Although his position gave him the opportunity to make financial arrangements that might have lined the pockets of high-ranking officers at the expense of the military purse, there is little evidence that he engaged in any significant improper transactions. In addition to the handsome sum of £10 per day as commander-in-chief, he received a variety of other stipends, including his colonel's salary, given for leading his regiment. These funds made it possible to send all of the Gage children (at least six of whom survived to adulthood) to school in England.
[Alden (1948), pp. 68–69]
If Gage did not dip his hand unnecessarily in the public till, he did engage in the relatively common practices of nepotism and political favouritism. In addition to securing advantageous positions for several people named Gage or Kemble, he also apparently assisted in the placement of some of his friends and political supporters, or their children.
[Alden (1948), pp. 73–75]
Rising colonial tension
During Gage's administration, political tensions rose throughout the American colonies. As a result, Gage began withdrawing troops from the frontier to fortify urban centres like New York City and Boston. As the number of soldiers stationed in cities grew, the need to provide adequate food and housing for these troops became urgent. Parliament of Great Britain, Parliament passed the Quartering Acts, Quartering Act of 1765, permitting British troops to be quartered in vacant houses, barns, and outbuildings, but not private residences.
Gage's thoughts on the reasons for colonial unrest played an important role in furthering the unrest. He at first believed that the popular unrest after the 1765 Stamp Act 1765, Stamp Act was primarily due to a small number of colonial elites, led by those in Boston. In 1768 he recommended the deployment of two regiments to occupy Boston, a move that further inflamed the city. Among the troops quartered in the city was the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot, 29th Regiment of Foot, which had previously clashed with colonists in Quebec and New York, and had a reputation for poor discipline. This occupation eventually led to the Boston Massacre in 1770.
[Fischer, p. 38] Later that year he wrote that "America is a mere bully, from one end to the other, and the Bostonians by far the greatest bullies."
Gage later came to change his opinion about the source of the unrest, believing that democracy was a significant threat. He saw the movement of colonists into the interior, beyond effective Crown control, and the development of the town meeting as a means of local governance as major elements of the threat, and wrote in 1772 that "democracy is too prevalent in America".
[Fischer, p. 39] He believed that town meetings should be abolished and recommended that colonisation should be limited to the coastal areas where British rule could be enforced.
[
]
Governor of Massachusetts Bay
Gage returned to Britain in June 1773 with his family and thus missed the Boston Tea Party in December of that year. The British Parliament reacted to the Tea Party with a series of punitive measures against Massachusetts known in the colonies as the Intolerable Acts. Some of the terms of those acts, for example the option to remove political trials to England, originated with Gage,[ and measures such as curbing the activities of town meetings and withholding representative government from the Ohio Country also show his influence. With his military experience and relative youth (Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson (governor), Thomas Hutchinson was then 62 years old and unpopular, and the equally unpopular lieutenant governor Andrew Oliver was 67 in 1773 and died in March 1774), Gage, a popular figure on both sides of the Atlantic, was deemed the best man to handle the brewing crisis and enforce the Parliamentary acts.
In early 1774, he was appointed martial law, military governor of Massachusetts, replacing Hutchinson. He arrived from Britain in early May, first stopping at Fort Independence (Massachusetts), Castle William on Castle Island in Boston Harbour. He then arrived in Boston on 13 May 1774, having been carried there by . His arrival was met with little pomp and circumstance, but was generally well received at first as Bostonians were happy to see Hutchinson go.][Alden (1948), p. 204] Local attitudes toward him rapidly deteriorated as he began implementing the various acts, including the Boston Port Act, which put many people out of work, and the Massachusetts Government Act, which formally rescinded the provincial assembly's right to nominate members of the Governor's Council, though it retained the elected General Court. Gage dissolved the assembly in June 1774 after he discovered the Massachusetts representatives were sending delegates to the extralegal Continental Congress. He called for new elections to be held as per the Massachusetts Government Act, but his authority was undermined by the representatives who refused to meet with the new, appointed Governor's Council. He attempted to buy off political leaders in Massachusetts, notably Benjamin Church (physician), Benjamin Church and Samuel Adams. With the former he was successful—Church secretly supplied him with intelligence on the activities of rebel leaders—but Adams and other rebel leaders were not moved.
In September 1774 Gage withdrew his garrisons from New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Halifax and Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and brought all under his wing in Boston together with a large British naval presence under the control of Admiral Samuel Graves. He also sought to strictly enforce army directives calling for the confiscation of war-making materials. In September 1774, he ordered a mission to remove provincial gunpowder from a Magazine (artillery), magazine in what is now Somerville, Massachusetts, Somerville, Massachusetts.[Fischer, pp. 44–45] This action, although successful, caused a huge popular reaction known as the Powder Alarm, resulting in the mobilization of thousands of provincial militiamen who marched towards Cambridge, Massachusetts. Although the militia soon dispersed, the show of force on the part of the provincials had a lasting effect on Gage, and he subsequently grew more cautious in his actions. The rapid response of the provincials was in large part due to Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty kept careful watch over Gage's activities and successfully warned others of future actions before Gage could mobilise his Red coat (military uniform), British regulars to execute them. A Committee of safety (American Revolution)#Committees of safety, Committee of Safety was also tasked with sounding the alarm for local militias if Gage were spotted sending significant numbers of British troops outside of Boston.
Gage was criticised for allowing groups like the Sons of Liberty to exist. One of his officers, Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, Lord Percy, remarked, "The general's great lenity and moderation serve only to make them [the colonists] more daring and insolent." Gage himself wrote after the Powder Alarm, "If force is to be used at length, it must be a considerable one, and foreign troops must be hired, for to begin with small numbers will encourage resistance, and not terrify; and will in the end cost more blood and treasure." Edmund Burke described Gage's conflicted relationship by saying in Parliament, "An Englishman is the unfittest person on Earth to argue another Englishman into slavery."
American Revolutionary War
On 14 April 1775 Gage received orders from London to take decisive action against the Patriots. Given intelligence that the militia had been stockpiling weapons at Concord, Massachusetts, he ordered detachments of regulars from the Boston garrison to march there on the night of 18 April to confiscate them.[Fischer, p. 85] A brief skirmish in Lexington, Massachusetts, Lexington scattered colonial militia forces gathered there, but in a later standoff in Concord, a portion of the British force was routed by a stronger colonial militia contingent. When the British left Concord following their search (which was largely unsuccessful, as the colonists, with advance warning of the action, had removed most of the supplies), arriving colonial militia engaged the British column in a running battle all the way back to Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown. The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...
resulted in 273 total casualties for the British and 93 for the American rebels.
The British expedition to Lexington and Concord was supposed to have been a "profound secret," but nevertheless Sons of Liberty leader Joseph Warren found out about it. He then dispatched Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the colonists, which resulted in the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and starting the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. Gage had told his plans to only his second-in-command and "one other person." There is evidence to suggest that the other person was his wife, Margaret Kemble Gage, who was an American, and that she may have passed on this information to Warren.[Fischer, David Hackett. ''Paul Revere's Ride'', pp. 95–97, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 1994.][Nelson, James L. ''With Fire & Sword: The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Beginning of the American Revolution'', p. 27, Thomas Dunne Books, New York, New York, 2011.]
Following Lexington and Concord, thousands of colonial militia surrounded the city, beginning the Siege of Boston. At first, the rebels (led mainly by Massachusetts General Artemas Ward) faced some 4,000 British regulars, who were bottled up in the city. British Admiral Samuel Graves commanded the fleet that continued to control the harbour. On 25 May, 4,500 reinforcements arrived in the city, along with three more generals: Major General William Howe and Brigadiers John Burgoyne and Henry Clinton (British Army officer, born 1730), Henry Clinton.
On 14 June, Gage issued a proclamation, believed to have been written by Burgoyne but distributed in Gage's name, granting a general pardon to all who would demonstrate loyalty to the crown—with the notable exceptions of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Gage also worked with the newly arrived generals on a plan to break the grip of the besieging forces. They would use an amphibious assault to take control of the unoccupied Dorchester Heights, which would be followed up by an attack on the rebel camp at Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. They would then seize the heights on the Charlestown peninsula, including Bunker Hill Monument, Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill. This would allow the British to eventually take the colonial headquarters at Cambridge. The colonists were warned of these plans, and seized the initiative. On the night of 16–17 June, they fortified Breed's Hill, threatening the British position in Boston. On 17 June 1775, British forces under General Howe seized the Charlestown Peninsula at the Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...
. It was a Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.
The phrase originates from a quote from P ...
; Britain won but suffered more than 1,000 casualties without significantly altering the state of the siege. Henry Clinton called it "[a] dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us", while other officers noted that nothing had been gained in the victory. Gage himself wrote the Secretary at War:
These people show a spirit and conduct against us they never showed against the French.... They are now spirited up by a rage and enthusiasm as great as ever people were possessed of and you must proceed in earnest or give the business up. A small body acting in one spot will not avail, you must have large armies making diversions on different sides, to divide their force. The loss we have sustained is greater than we can bear. Small armies cannot afford such losses, especially when the advantage gained tends to do little more than the gaining of a post.
Return to Great Britain
On 25 June 1775, Gage wrote a dispatch to Great Britain, notifying William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, Lord Dartmouth of the results of the battle on 17 June.[Alden (1948), p. 270] Three days after his report arrived in England, Dartmouth issued the order recalling Gage and replacing him with William Howe.[Alden (1948), p. 280] The rapidity of this action is likely attributable to the fact that people within the government were already arguing for Gage's removal, and the battle was just the final straw.[Alden (1948), p. 281] Gage received the order in Boston on 26 September, and set sail for England on 11 October.
The nature of Dartmouth's recall order did not actually strip Gage of his offices immediately. William Howe temporarily replaced him as commander of the forces in Boston, while General Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, Guy Carleton was given command of the forces in Quebec.[Alden (1948), p. 283] Although George III of the United Kingdom, King George wanted to reward his "mild general" for his service, Gage's sole reward after George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, Lord George Germain (who succeeded Dartmouth as the Secretary of State for North America) formally gave his command to Howe in April 1776 was that he retained the governorship of Massachusetts.[Alden (1948), p. 284]
On the Gages' return to England, the family eventually settled into a house on Portland Place in London. Although he was presumably given a friendly reception in his interview with a sympathetic King George, the public and private writings about him and his fall from power were at times vicious. One correspondent wrote that Gage had "run his race of glory ... let him alone to the hell of his own conscience and the infamy which must inevitably attend him!" Others were kinder; Province of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth characterised him as "a good and wise man ... surrounded by difficulties."
Gage was briefly reactivated to duty in April 1781, when Amherst appointed him to mobilise troops for a possible French invasion.[Alden (1948), p. 291] The next year, Gage assumed command of the 17th Lancers, 17th Light Dragoons. He was promoted to full General (United Kingdom), general on 20 November 1782, and later transferred to command the 11th Hussars, 11th Dragoons.[Stephen and Lee, p. 356]
Final years and legacy
As the war machinery was reduced in the mid-1780s, Gage's military activities declined. He supported the efforts of Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalists to recover losses incurred when they were forced to leave the colonies, notably confirming the activities of Benjamin Church to further his widow's claims for compensation.[Alden (1948), p. 292] He received visitors at Portland Place and at Firle, including Frederick Haldimand and Thomas Hutchinson.[Alden (1948), p. 287] His health began to decline early in the 1780s.
Gage died at Portland Place on 2 April 1787, and was buried in the family plot at Firle.[Alden (1948), p. 293] His wife survived him by almost 37 years.[Alden (1948), p. 294] His son Henry Gage, 3rd Viscount Gage, Henry inherited the family title upon the death of Gage's brother William, and became one of the wealthiest men in England.[Alden (1948), p. 289] His youngest son, William Hall Gage, became an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral in the Royal Navy, and all three daughters married into well-known families.[Alden (1948), p. 288]
Gagetown, New Brunswick was named in his honour; the Canadian Forces base CFB Gagetown consequently reflects his name.
In 1792, the Lieutenant governor, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, renamed the archipelago of islands in the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, St. Lawrence River for the victorious generals of the Conquest of 1760, Conquest of Canada: Wolfe Island (Ontario), Wolfe Island, Amherst Island, Howe Island, Carleton Island, and Gage Island. The last is now known as Simcoe Island.
In popular culture
In the 2015 miniseries Sons of Liberty (miniseries), ''Sons of Liberty'', Gage is portrayed by Marton Csokas.
Arms
See also
* Viscount Gage
General and cited references
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Citations
Further reading
* Middleton, Richard (2007). ''Pontiac's War: Its Causes Course and Consequences.'' New York: Routledge. . .
External links
; Official
Thomas Gage papers
at the William L. Clements Library
; General information
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gage, Thomas
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British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession
British Army personnel of the French and Indian War
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Burials in East Sussex
Cheshire Regiment officers
Colonial governors of Massachusetts
Gage family, Thomas
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