John Montrésor
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Captain John Montresor (22 April 1736 – June 1799) was a British military engineer and
cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.


Early life

Born in
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
22 April 1736 to British military engineer
James Gabriel Montresor James Gabriel Montresor (19 November 1704 – 6 January 1776) was a British military engineer. Early life and the western Mediterranean Montresor was born on Broad Street or St. James's, Westminster, 19 November 1704, the son of James Gabriel le ...
and his first wife, Mary Haswell, John Montresor spent his early life there (and presumably on Menorca, where his father was briefly stationed). He was in England between 1746 and 1750, attending Westminster School. He learned the principles of engineering from his father, and in his later teens served as assistant engineer to his father at Gibraltar.


French and Indian Wars

In 1754, he accompanied his father to America, and served as an ensign in the
48th Regiment of Foot The 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. History Early ...
on the expedition to Fort Duquesne, also performing as a supernumerary engineer. In the defeat that followed he was wounded, but survived to learn of his promotion to lieutenant days before the battle. He remained in America, serving along the Mohawk River and at Fort Edward, then accompanying British forces to Halifax. In 1758, he was commissioned a practicing engineer in the Corps of Engineers, and as such was present at the siege of
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, ...
, and later, at that of Quebec, there drawing one of the last known portraits of
General Wolfe James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec. ...
, who died in the deciding battle. With the defeat of the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, Montresor was sent to neighboring villages and as far afield as Cape Breton, using the language of his Huguenot ancestors to elicit
oaths of allegiance An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
. He was also twice sent overland from Quebec to Boston with dispatches, on one of these journeys, in a mid-winter blizzard, being reduced to eating belt and shoe leather in order to avoid
starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...
. He also, during this period, performed various surveys and prepared maps of Acadia, the Saint Lawrence River, and of his route along the
Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
. (The journal of this last expedition through the wilds of Maine would fall into enemy hands in the American Revolution, and was used as a guide by
Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...
in his expedition against Quebec.) During Pontiac's Rebellion, he carried dispatches and led troops to besieged Fort Detroit. He designed and built fortifications on the
Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...
at Fort Niagara and Fort Erie as well as a series of blockhouses and an early
gravity railroad A gravity railroad (American English) or gravity railway (British English) is a railroad on a slope that allows cars carrying minerals or passengers to coast down the slope by the force of gravity alone. The speed of the cars is controlled by a bra ...
along the
Niagara Portage Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River * Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border * Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ...
between 1762 and 1764. Montresor's journal of 1764 contains the first written reference to ' Buffalo Creek', from which Buffalo, New York, derives its name.


Revolutionary-era America

Stationed at Fort George (the former site of Fort William Henry) in 1765, he witnessed rioting in Albany and New York City in response to the Stamp Act, and in the same year was promoted to captain lieutenant, and engineer extraordinary, as well as barrackmaster for ordnance in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Over the next several years, he surveyed the boundary between
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
and New Jersey, and he repaired or constructed
barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...
and fortifications in Boston, New York City, the Bahamas, and Philadelphia, where he would build a fortification on Mud Island. In 1772 he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society. During this period he also took a six-month leave in England, and spent time on Bermuda. He also purchased an island in
New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...
which would be called Montresor's Island (now
Randall's Island Randalls Island (sometimes called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in New York County, New York City,
). He was in Boston at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, and marched with Percy to relieve the British troops returning from Concord. He was appointed chief engineer in America and captain in late 1775. He was present at the Battle of Long Island the next year, and was present at the execution of
Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured b ...
on 22 September 1776. It is said that he kindly sheltered Hale in his office, giving him pen and paper to write final letters to his family, and that the execution moved him deeply. He was sent to the rebel lines under flag of truce to report the event, and he conveyed Hale's last words to William Hull. Having been superseded as chief engineer, he was placed as aide-de-camp on the staff of General William Howe, but was later reinstated as chief engineer. On 13 January 1777 his home on Montresor's Island was burned. In 1777 he was involved in the military campaigns in New Jersey, and present at the action at Quibbleton. He also participated at Brandywine later that year, and accompanied the army to Philadelphia where he launched the attack that destroyed his own Mud Island defences. He directed the construction of new defences for the city, including the first pontoon bridge at Gray's Ferry on the Schuylkill River. Along with
John André John André (2 May 1750/1751''Gravesite–Memorial''
Westmi ...
, he was one of the planners of the lavish ball, the ''
Mischianza The Mischianza (; Italian for "medley" or "mixture"), or Meschianza, was an elaborate fête given in honor of British General Sir William Howe in Philadelphia on May 18, 1778. Howe, the commander-in-chief of the British forces in America during th ...
'', given in Philadelphia in honor of General Howe. Again superseded in his role as chief engineer, he returned to England, and in March 1779 resigned from the army, bringing to an end over two decades of American service, all reported in journals (although many of these were lost).


Retirement and death

In England, he was called before Parliament to testify on the conduct of the war, and on several occasions required to support his expenditures during his various campaigns (for which he is said to have been imprisoned at one point). He purchased an estate at Belmont, Kent, had a residence at Portland Place, London, and he served as director of the French Hospital. He toured Europe in 1785 and 1786, visiting France, Germany and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In his later years, his accounts came under scrutiny, and much of his property was seized by the state to recover disallowed expenses. He died in
Maidstone prison HM Prison Maidstone is a Category C men's prison, located in Maidstone, Kent, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Maidstone Prison is one of the oldest penal institutions in the United Kingdom, having been i ...
, where he was incarcerated apparently in connection with his outstanding debts, in June 1799.Court documents relating to his trial can be found at the Public Records Office, Kew Gardens, London.


Family

Montresor's romantic life has been the subject of much writing. He married at
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
1 March 1764, Frances Tucker, who was born in New York, 23 April 1744, daughter of Thomas Tucker of Bermuda, stepdaughter of Reverend Samuel Auchmuty and half-sister of General Sir Samuel Auchmuty. She returned to England with her husband, and survived him, dying 28 June 1828, at Rose Hill, Kent. By her, he had, with others, General Sir
Henry Tucker Montresor General Sir Henry Tucker Montresor (18 April 1767 – 10 March 1837) was a general in the British Army. He was born the son of Captain John Montresor; Henry's brothers were also officers in the Army. From a 2nd Lieutenant in the 23rd Foot in ...
, General Sir Thomas Gage Montresor, and Mary Lucy Montresor, who became the first wife of General Sir Frederick William Mulcaster (half-brother of Capt Sir William Howe Mulcaster). In addition to these relationships, he also had other more irregular connections. A surviving letter from Detroit, 1763, mentions the death of an apparent mistress, "poor Nancy", and that he had been "on the Common" since. Likewise, he made a small grant for the support of the child of the daughter of a local English farmer, of which John was the father. Finally, his name appears broadly as the father of Frances, second wife of
Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...
. Born to a
Mohawk Valley The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains, northwest of the Capital District. As of the 2010 United States Census, th ...
woman on (Ethan Allen would later record) 4 April 1760. After Frances's mother died, she was adopted by her maternal aunt, Margaret, and her husband,
Crean Brush Crean Brush ( 1725 – May 1778) was an 18th-century Irish-born Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalist, "Yorker", and Tory from Cumberland County, Republic of Vermont, Cumberland County, New Hampshire Grants (present-day Vermont). He is remembe ...
, one-time secretary of the Assembly of the Colony of New York. As to her paternity, when her daughter Frances "Fanny" Allen entered
Hôtel-Dieu In French-speaking countries, a hôtel-Dieu ( en, hostel of God) was originally a hospital for the poor and needy, run by the Catholic Church. Nowadays these buildings or institutions have either kept their function as a hospital, the one in Paris b ...
in 1808, her mother's maiden name was recorded as Montresor. Her tombstone names her Montezuma, while an 1858 history written using family information calls her Frances Montuzan, relating that her father was a British colonel killed in the French and Indian War. Popular opinion makes John Montresor the father of Frances, due in no small part to his role in a popular best-selling novel of the time.


Fiction

John Montresor has gained a certain notoriety beyond his historical role due to the writings of his first-cousin Susanna Haswell Rowson. One of the main characters in her popular novel ''
Charlotte Temple ''Charlotte Temple'' is a novel by British-American author Susanna Rowson, originally published in England in 1791 under the title ''Charlotte, A Tale of Truth''. It tells the story of a schoolgirl, Charlotte Temple, who is seduced by a British ...
'', named John Montraville, was based, at least in part, on Montresor. In the sequel, ''
Lucy Temple ''Lucy Temple'' is a novel by American author Susanna Rowson. It was first published posthumously (together with a memoir of the author by Samuel Lorenzo Knapp) in 1828 under the title ''Charlotte's Daughter, or, The Three Orphans''. It was a se ...
, Charlotte's Daughter'', Montraville is even said to have lived at Portland Place, once Montresor's residence. In the original novel, Montraville seduces the title character, an innocent English schoolgirl, and induces her to run away to America. He then abandons her, destitute and pregnant, to die in childbirth. Some authors have taken this to be a verbatim account of an event in Montresor's life, with only the name changed (the author subtitles the work, "A Tale of Truth"), while others see in it a fictionalized account of the circumstances surrounding the birth of the future Frances Allen. However, the tale also bears strong similarity to one told of General John Burgoyne, and it seems likely that the author had broader inspiration for her tale.


References


General

* Finigan, H.: "Montresor Papers on microfilm" David Library of the American Revolution, Washington's Crossing, PA * Skull, G. D., The Montresor Journals, ''Collections of the New York Historical Society for the Year 1881''. * * "John Montrésor" ''Dictionary of American Biography'' XIII, 101–102. * Montrésor, Frank Montrésor, "Memoirs of the Montresors", mss. 1941, Library of Congress. * Montrésor, F. M., "Captain John Montrésor in Canada", ''Canadian Historical Review'', vol. 5 (1924), pp. 336–340. * Montresor pedigree, ''Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of London'', 1917, facing p. 293, along with "Notes and Jottings in connection with the Montresor Pedigree", ''ibid'', pp. 293–300.


Family and fiction

* Montresor, F. M., "Who was Ethan Allen's wife?", ''New York Historical and Biographical Record'', vol. 75 (1944), pp. 29–30. * Buehner, Terry L., ''Green Mountain Women'', thesis, University of Vermont, 1992, pp. 113–139. * Hall, Benjamin H., ''History of Eastern Vermont'', (New York: Appleton & Co) 1858, pp. 604. * Parker, Patricia L., ''Susanna Rowson'', (Boston: Twayne) 1986


External links


Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* ttp://www.sunysb.edu/libmap/img005b.jpg Montresor map {{DEFAULTSORT:Montresor, John 1736 births 1799 deaths 48th Regiment of Foot officers Royal Engineers officers British military personnel of the French and Indian War British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War English cartographers Huguenot participants in the American Revolution British people of Pontiac's War People educated at Westminster School, London Gibraltarians Nathan Hale Members of the American Philosophical Society