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The Montreal Campaign, also known as the Fall of Montreal, was a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
three-pronged offensive against
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
which took place from July 2 to 8 September 1760 during 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 ...
as part of the global
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. The campaign, pitted against an outnumbered and outsupplied French army, led to the capitulation and occupation of Montreal, the largest remaining city in
French Canada French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...
. Under the overall direction of
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 ...
, British forces numbering around 18,000 men converged on Montreal starting in July from three separate directions. One under Amherst moved in from
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...
, the other under James Murray moved from Québec and the third under William Haviland moved from
Fort Crown Point Fort Crown Point was built by the combined efforts of both British and provincial troops (from New York and the New England Colonies) in North America in 1759 at a narrows on Lake Champlain on what later became the border between New York and Verm ...
. After capturing French positions and outposts along the way all three forces met up and surrounded Montreal. Many
Canadiens French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
deserted or surrendered their arms to British forces while the native allies of the French began to negotiate peace treaties and alliances with the British. The French military commander in the region, Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Lévis, was resolved to make a last stand in the city despite the overwhelming numerical inferiority of his troops. He was however overruled by
Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, marquis de Vaudreuil (22 November 1698 – 4 August 1778) was a Canadian-born colonial governor of French Canada in North America. He was governor of French Louisiana (1743–1753) and in 1755 bec ...
, the civilian Governor of French Canada who persuaded him to surrender. Lévis attempted to negotiate a surrender with the
honours of war The honours of war are a set of privileges that are granted to a defeated army during the surrender ceremony. The honours symbolise the valour of the defeated army, and grew into a custom during the age of early modern warfare. Typically a surren ...
, but the British rejected such terms and the French authorities eventually agreed to an unconditional surrender on 8 September. This effectively completed the British capture of New France.


Background

Following the fall of Quebec in 1759 French forces had retreated westwards. During the winter British forces under James Murray held Quebec but due to the frozen
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
they had to wait until the spring of 1760 until reinforcements and supplies came down. In April Chevalier de Lévis attempted to recapture Québec by launching a surprise assault. After winning the
Battle of Sainte-Foy The Battle of Sainte-Foy (french: Bataille de Sainte-Foy) sometimes called the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille du Quebec), was fought on April 28, 1760 near the British-held town of Quebec in the French province of Canada during the Seven Y ...
they then laid siege to the city and awaited French reinforcements. The siege lasted from 29 April until 15 May but it was British ships that arrived to relieve the garrison and this compelled Lévis to break off the siege and retreat. After his defeat, Lévis arrived at Montréal where he conferred with the Governor Marquis de Vaudreuil on future operations. Both exerted themselves for the defence of their colony that would see honour fulfilled despite the odds. Lévis was optimistic when he received news from a French fleet who had sailed from France for Québec on April 15. He soon learned however that this fleet had been intercepted by a
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
blockading squadron off France with a number of ships captured along with the loss of some 500 soldiers. A few ships did get through and proceeded up the Saint Lawrence where they had taken shelter in the
Restigouche River The Restigouche River (french: Rivière Ristigouche) is a river that flows across the northwestern part of the province of New Brunswick and the southeastern part of Quebec. The river flows in a northeasterly direction from its source in the App ...
by the end of May. They were unable to leave due to the Royal Naval blockade of the Saint Lawrence and so the trapped French ships were then defeated in the Battle of Restigouche in July. British commanders were eager to bring the campaign to a close as soon as possible. With Murray's forces substantially increased in Québec, the city thus became a staging point for the conquest of the remainder of French Canada. The British then set out a strategy for capturing Montreal, the last major French stronghold, where they would not be able to retreat deeper into the North American continent except for maintained posts in the
backcountry In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access. Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks The National Park Service (NPS) ...
. For this British armies would all come under commander-in-chief Jeffery Amherst. He intended to marshal his numerous forces to seek a decisive victory at Montreal.


Prelude

In the winter of 1759–1760, a British force had moved from Albany to
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...
and had met up with William Johnson's force that had captured Niagara the previous year. They established a base of operations on Lake Ontario at Oswego and constructed a small fleet which consisted of snows HMS ''Onondaga'', and several row-galleys and gunboats, with a view of transporting an army down the Saint Lawrence River to Montréal. At the same time the British were fighting the
Anglo-Cherokee War The Anglo-Cherokee War (1758–1761; in the Cherokee language: the ''"war with those in the red coats"'' or ''"War with the English"''), was also known from the Anglo-European perspective as the Cherokee War, the Cherokee Uprising, or the Cherok ...
which had broken out earlier in the year in the Carolinas, and after a desperate appeal by Governor William Lyttelton Amherst was able to spare 1,373 troops but no more. Three forces would set out: Amherst's would advance Eastward from Lake Ontario along the Saint Lawrence River aiming to cut off the retreat of the French army westward to Détroit where it would have to protract the war longer. His force numbered just over 10,000 men of which just under 4,000 were regulars, consisting of men from the 42nd, 44th, 46th and 55th regiments of foot. The rest were provincials and natives. His was not only the longest but also the most difficult and dangerous, owing to the rapids on the Saint Lawrence. William Haviland's force of two battalions of regular infantry and provincials numbering 3,500 men included the 17th, 22nd, 27th, 40th and the 60th regiments of foot as well as Robert Rogers' famed Rangers. They would advance from upper New York through
Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...
via the
Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kn ...
. This prong would likely come up against the fiercest of the French resistance in terms of defences and fortifications along the way. James Murray would lead the third prong of 4,000 men consisting of the 15th,
28th 28 (twenty-eight) is the natural number following 27 and preceding 29. In mathematics It is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14. Twenty-eight is the second perfect number - it is the sum of its proper diviso ...
,
35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...
, 43rd, 47th, 48th, 58th, 60th and the 78th (Highland) regiments of foot. In addition there were
Moses Hazen Moses Hazen (June 1, 1733 – February 5, 1803) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Rang ...
's Rangers and a number of natives who would scout ahead. They would advance from Quebec westwards along the Saint Lawrence and would approach the Island of Montreal from the east. All three would converge on Montreal in a pincer movement before winter set in. In total Amherst had at his disposal some 18,000 men who about 60 percent (fewer than 11,000) were regulars; the remainder included more than 6,500 provincial soldiers, drawn from every colony north of
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and more than 700
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
warriors. Amherst ordered Robert Rogers, his Rangers and a few
Mohicans The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, who ...
on a spoiling attack on French supplies at Forts Chambly, Saint-Jean in the hope that this would weaken French forces and help divert manpower against Murray's advance. The raid which began on 3 June lasted nearly three weeks; departing from Crown Point Rogers learned that the forts were too strong for an assault as they had been reinforced. Nevertheless, they surprised and took the main supply depot at Sainte-Thérèse and had it burned to the ground. On their return journey the British and Mohawks then repelled French ambushes before arriving back to Crown Point to give Amherst the details of the raid. He was delighted with the result and praised Rogers – the British took over 100 soldiers and militia captive, burned or captured valuable supplies and gained vast knowledge on the French defensive works up to Montreal. The raid proved a shock to the inhabitants forcing some
militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
to desert and many natives to abandon their cause for France. Lévis attempted to raise morale but this had little effect. Lévis used every available resources for the defence of Montreal; he had a total of eight battalions numbering 3,200 regulars. Lévis could not rely much on his French-allied natives – many were deserting the French cause and some tribes even wanted peace with the British. There was a population of 82,000 and upwards of 20,000 men able to bear arms but most of these were disheartened with the recent defeats and many were ready to surrender their arms to the advancing British. Of the regulars these were composed of the regiments of La Reine,
la Sarre La Sarre is a town in northwestern Quebec, Canada, and is the most populous town and seat of the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It is located at the intersection of Routes 111 and 393, on the La Sarre River, a tributary of Lake A ...
, Royal Roussillon,
Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
,
Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...
, Berry, Béarn and the Compagnies Franches de la Marine. Lévis ordered Captain
Pierre Pouchot Captain Pierre Pouchot (April 8, 1712 – 1769) was a French military engineer and officer in the French regular army. He was born at Grenoble, France, son of a merchant. In 1733 he joined the French Royal Army (1652–1830), regular army as a vol ...
of the Régiment de Béarn to delay Amherst's approaching army for as long as he could. Pouchot set up his defence of the area at
Fort Lévis Fort Lévis, a fortification on the St. Lawrence River, was built in 1759 by the French. They had decided that Fort de La Présentation was insufficient to defend their St. Lawrence River colonies against the British. Named for François Gaston ...
where he had a garrison of 340 regulars and Canadian militiamen as well as natives. Furthermore, a force under the Chevalier de La Corne was ready to defend the rapids above Montréal, should the British attempt that dangerous passage. The principal French posts barring the lines of Haviland's advance along the Richelieu River were Forts Chambly, Saint-Jean and
Île aux Noix Île aux Noix () is an island on the Richelieu River in Quebec, close to Lake Champlain. The island is the site of Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix. Background Île aux Noix ...
. After Roger's attack, these were further reinforced by
Louis Antoine de Bougainville Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (, , ; 12 November 1729 – August 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolutio ...
which came to some 3,000 regulars, Canadians and natives. In order to prevent Murray from moving upstream from Quebec Lévis ordered Captain
Jean-Daniel Dumas Jean-Daniel Dumas (24 February 1721 – 2 August 1794) was a French officer in the Seven Years' War. The French and Indians launched an attack on General Edward Braddock's column at the Battle of the Monongahela. Dumas and Charles Michel de Lang ...
to watch the Saint Lawrence with his force of some 1,800 men in addition to several small armed vessels. He had occupied posts at Fort Jacques-Cartier, Deschambault,
Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
, Sorel on the eastern side of Montréal, Varennes and
Pointe-aux-Trembles Pointe-aux-Trembles was a municipality, founded in 1674, that was annexed by Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1982. This was the last city to be merged into Montreal until the 2002 municipal reorganization. On January 1, 2002 this neighbourhood a ...
.


Campaign


Murray's advance

James Murray's prong of 4,000 men set out from Quebec was the first to set out on July 13. 2,000 men would march along the bank whilst the rest were embarked on a fleet of armed vessels and
bateau A bateau or batteau is a shallow- draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. T ...
which contained heavy guns and supplies from the Royal Navy in case a protracted siege came about - his advance was the second longest of the three. Facing the British was a series of French defensive positions along the Saint Lawrence; two on the North shore and one on the South shore. Out of all the advances Murray's went through the most populated areas of Canadians, so he therefore had to conduct a Counter-insurgency campaign and pacify the population. On the slow journey upriver to Montreal, Murray's flotilla was harassed by French soldiers but did little to delay his advance. His flotilla engaged French defences at Deschambault following which they seized Grondines in which they dispersed a force of sixty French regulars. Despite this the Canadian population there took Murray's oath, surrendered their arms and exchanges were given. Sainte-Croix followed next and as he advanced further and further Murray was able to pacify the French Canadians and made sure that they swore loyalty to King George II. This was an unqualified success made easier by Murray being able to speak French along with exploiting the failed economy by distributing gold and silver coins. What is more the French military had spread false propaganda - Vaudreuil had warned Canadian inhabitants of cruel unjust treatment by the English but this actually worked against them since it was the French who threatened repercussions if they did not resist the British. Murray delayed by winds finally reached the French defences at Trois-Rivières by mid August but was able to bypass them much to the annoyance of Dumas who realised that he was by now unable to stop them. Nevertheless, he sent his men to the Northern shore downstream to lay opposite a French force under François-Charles de Bourlamaque in order to fall upon Murray. Hazen's Rangers found the French entrenched along the shore near Sorel on August 21. Murray reluctantly launched an attack under the cover of darkness in two columns of 300 men consisting the Grenadiers and the light companies. The French were dispersed from their defences and the town was put to the torch, but despite Murray's concerns the Canadians threw down their arms and abandoned the French cause. Bourlamaque was furious and wrote to Lévis stating that his troops were deserting him in large numbers. By August 26 Murray's force was less than from the city and dropped anchor the following day downriver from Montreal. Before he could advance any further eight
Sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...
s of various tribes including the Huron wished to establish peace with Great Britain. Murray however was not empowered to grant any formal treaty or peace to the natives since he was subordinate to Amherst and that would be up to him once the conquest of Montreal and New France was complete. Nevertheless, Murray discussed in length and issued a pass protecting their rights. The last place of significant defence was at Varennes - Murray sent ahead a detachment of Rangers as well as four companies of grenadiers and light infantry which landed there on 31 August. A French unit consisting of sixty regulars and 320 militia opened fire but the British drove them back. Rocket
flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
s were sent up and this signalled the rest of the British led by Murray to join. After a short firefight the town was secure, a French counterattack was then repelled by the Rangers. Eight of the defenders were killed or wounded with another forty taken prisoner – the British had trifling loses. Varrenes and the surrounding area was then plundered and burned by British troops but despite this it was submitted to Murray. Lévis was kept informed and ordered troops to fall back to Montreal. Over the next few days Murray's Corps had extended along the south bank of the Saint Lawrence and moved up to Sainte-Thérèse, just below Montréal. In that time some four thousand Canadians were disarmed and took the oath of the King. Murray's Corps then encamped and waited for Haviland and Amherst to appear. Murray had made a remarkable achievement; he succeeded in his advance disarming the inhabitants of the riverside parishes and had caused the vast majority of the Canadian militiamen able to bear arms to desert in their thousands on which the French depended for resistance.


Amherst's advance

Amherst's force set out from Oswego on August 10, accompanying them were William Johnson and
George Croghan George Croghan (c. 1718 – August 31, 1782) was an Irish-born fur trader in the Ohio Country of North America (current United States) who became a key early figure in the region. In 1746 he was appointed to the Onondaga Council, the governin ...
along with 700 Natives (
Stockbridge Indians Stockbridge may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stockbridge, Edinburgh, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland * Stockbridge, Hampshire * Stockbridge, West Sussex * Stockbridge Anticline, one of a series of parallel east–west trending folds in th ...
). Captain
Joshua Loring Joshua Loring (3 August 1716 – September 1781Charles Henry Pope''Loring Genealogy''(Cambridge, Mass., 1917), pp. 78-79) was an 18th-century colonial American naval officer in British service. During the French and Indian War, he served as a ...
, who commanded HMS ''Onondaga'' and HMS ''Mohawk'', had been sent ahead of Amherst's force as an advance guard. Just over a week later his naval vessels reached Fort Lévis to bombard the island - guns were landed on nearby shorelines and islands to
enfilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...
the fort. They captured the French corvette ''l'Outaouaise'' which was then used on its former owners. For three days both sides bombarded each other as the British ships either ran aground or were sunk. By August 24 however, Pouchot was out of ammunition and surrendered to Amherst. Most of the Natives wanted to enter Fort Levis to plunder a few scalps. Amherst refused to allow it, and despite Johnson's warnings most went home, leaving around 170 to continue the advance. In the meantime Johnson and Croghan were instrumental in turning the French allied natives - representatives from different nations came to negotiate with Johnson near Fort Lévis. Although Amherst was arrogant and dismissive of the natives, they agreed on a treaty with Johnson whereby they would remain neutral in return for a guarantee of future friendship. Lévis meanwhile had a made a desperate last-ditch appeal for help from his native allies at a conference of his own at La Prairie but this was interrupted when the natives left. Around 800 French allied warriors were disarmed by Johnson, and what's more, around a hundred of them actively joined forces with the British taking French prisoners to provide intelligence. On August 31, Amherst left Fort Lévis after having left a British garrison behind, renaming it Fort William Augustus and advanced downstream on the Saint Lawrence. With the disarmament of the natives, the only worry for Amherst now was the descent of the Saint Lawrence rapids and so the flotilla was compelled to proceed in single file. A succession of rapids known as 'The Galops', the 'Rapide Plat', the '
Long Sault Long Sault was a rapid in the St. Lawrence River upstream and west of Cornwall, Ontario. ''Sault'' is the archaic spelling of the French word ''saut'', meaning rapids. The Long Sault created a navigation barrier along the river for much of its ...
', the 'Côteau du Lac' were passed in succession, with little loss. At the same time the Chevalier de La Corne informed Lévis that Fort Lévis had been taken and that Amherst had reached a position within one day from Montréal. On September 4, the flotilla reached the most dangerous part of the river as they came across the rapids: ' Les Cèdres', the 'Buisson', and the 'Cascades', where the surges were strongest. The trip was hazardous to many in spite of the
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
river men who guided them through the swirling water. Many boats were wrecked, overturned and a few even collided - scores of men were swept under and drowned. They soon however emerged into
Lake Saint-Louis Lake Saint-Louis is a lake in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The Saint Lawrence Seaway passes through the lake. Lake St. Louis is a widening of the St. Lawrence River in the Hochelaga Arch ...
and landed at
Île Perrot Île Perrot () is an island west of the island of Montreal in the Canadian province of Quebec. Part of the Hochelaga Archipelago, the island lies between Lake Saint-Louis and Lac des Deux-Montagnes. The island was granted by the Intendant Talo ...
, about from Montréal. It had been costly – 46 boats (29 transporting men, seventeen of artillery and stores) and seventeen whale-boats were totally wrecked, eighteen were damaged, one row galley was grounded and overall 84 men were drowned. La Corne was unable to mount any form of defence, so Lévis then gave orders for all French troops to the west of Montréal to retire to the Island of Montréal. Amherst spent the next day repairing his boats at Île Perrot and a day later British troops embarked again. The French mounted volunteers who were observing Amherst's force then retired from Île Perrot to Lachine, from Montréal, which they reached at the same time than the advanced elements of Amherst's Army who pursued them.


Haviland's advance

A day after Amherst set out, William Haviland's force of 3,500 men left Crown Point and set out along the Richelieu river. Blocking their path was the
Île aux Noix Île aux Noix () is an island on the Richelieu River in Quebec, close to Lake Champlain. The island is the site of Fort Lennox National Historic Site of Canada. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix. Background Île aux Noix ...
a French held position under command of Louis de Bougainville. The British made a landing upstream from the island and tried to make their way to the east of the island downstream. This was defended by the few remaining French warships composed of the sloop ''La Vigilante'', the schooner ''Waggon'' and several gunboats, and was anchored close to the shore. A number of forts on the island made it a considerable threat and French troops had been sent to reinforce Bougainville's force there. On August 23, British batteries opened on the fortifications of Île aux Noix. Haviland meanwhile sent Colonel John Darby's two light infantry companies, Rogers' four ranger companies and a force of Indians to drag three canon through the forest and swamps further down to the rear of Bougainville's position. The French did not anticipate this as they believe it could not be done. Within a few days however the guns and the infantry made it through without being detected and planted the guns on the river-bank where the French naval force stood defending the mouth of the Richelieu River's south channel. Rogers' cannon opened up upon these vessels; the closest being the sloop ''Waggon'' cut her cable but her captain was killed and part of her crew killed or wounded. Soon the rest of the crew abandoned the sloop and a strong west wind then drove her ashore into the hands of the British. The other vessels and gunboats made all sail for Saint-Jean, but then became stranded in a bend of the river. The rangers seeing this then swam out with their
tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...
s. They were able to board one of them killing or capturing the crew, and the rest soon surrendered. With the threat of the French flotilla eliminated, the British transferred some barges on to the South channel. The following day rumours of a French withdrawal prompted the Rangers and the regulars to make an assault on the fort which was seized along with fifty French prisoners. British losses were a few men injured whilst the French had eighty men killed, wounded or drowned. Bougainville in accordance with instructions from Vaudreuil evacuated the island and headed for Fort Saint-Jean. With all their vessels seized French river communications were now severed; Haviland's force was then ferried across the bank to take Fort Saint-Jean on August 29. The French decided to abandon the fort but before they did they set fire to it leaving for Fort Chambly, the last stronghold on the river. Rogers' Rangers having arrived in whale and floatboats came across Fort St Jean's smouldering ruins the next day - and moved forward along the Montreal road and were able to capture seventeen French stragglers including a major and a captain. A detachment from Haviland's force numbering 1,000 men including siege guns under Darby arrived to join Rogers the next day and came upon Fort Chambly. After a rejection of surrender from the 70-year-old French commander Paul-Louis Dazemard de Lusignan, British guns opened up and after a twenty-minute bombardment Lusignan surrendered along with 71 men. Bougainville ordered all French forces into Montreal but by now they were beginning to suffer heavily from desertions. With the forts and towns of the Richelieu valley in British hands they rested for two days before they marched upon Montreal itself.


Montreal besieged

On September 6 at 11am Amherst's Army had landed unopposed at Lachine and then marched upon on Montréal - the French army retired within the walls of the town. As Amherst approached nearly all Canadians had deserted and here too nearly all the remaining force of Canada, consisting less than 2,200 regular troops and some 200 men of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine. Of the later many of these men had also deserted; and the rest were so broken in discipline that their officers were forced to use entreaties instead of commands. Some 241 men were also unfit for duty in the garrison being either wounded or sick. The town was a long, narrow assemblage of wooden or stone houses, one or two stories high, had three churches, four convents and at the lower end a high mound of earth, crowned by a redoubt, where a few cannon were mounted. The whole was surrounded by a shallow moat and a bastion stone wall, made for defence against Indians, and incapable of resisting cannon. The following day Amherst encamped above the place on the eastern side with the main British army began bringing up his siege guns from Lachine. At 10am Murray's army landed at
Pointe-aux-Trembles Pointe-aux-Trembles was a municipality, founded in 1674, that was annexed by Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1982. This was the last city to be merged into Montreal until the 2002 municipal reorganization. On January 1, 2002 this neighbourhood a ...
and marched to
Longue-Pointe Longue-Pointe () was a Montreal List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood now located in the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. The neighborhood was permanently divided by the construction of the Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge-T ...
to encamp below Amherst's force. Vaudreuil, looking across the Saint Lawrence, could see the tents of the British encampment on the southern shore. The inhabitants of Montréal refused to take arms. A battalion of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine was still stationed at
Saint Helen's Island Saint Helen's Island (french: Île Sainte-Hélène) is an island in the Saint Lawrence River, in the territory of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It forms part of the Hochelaga Archipelago. It is situated immediately offshore from Old Mont ...
while the small French naval presence only consisted of the small frigate ''Marie'' as well as the two half-galleys. The rest of the French Army had been posted along the walls of Montréal. Later in the day Haviland arrived on the southern shore against Amherst's camp which completed the junction and effectively closed the ring around the city. The combined army now encamped around the city. All three armies had arrived at Montreal at three different directions nearly within a day of each other. The town was also now crowded with non-combatant refugees. Vaudreuil called a council of war the same day – it was resolved that since all the militia and many of the regulars had abandoned the army, and the Indian allies of France had gone over to the British, further resistance was impossible. Lévis' sent his second in command de Bougainville to ask for a suspension of arms for one month. His request was rejected, and Amherst gave the French six hours to make their final decision. Vaudreuil then laid before the assembled officers a long paper that he had been drawn up, containing 55 articles of capitulation to be proposed to the British; and these were unanimously approved.


Surrender

At 10am on September 7, Bougainville carried the articles of capitulation to the tent of Amherst. He granted the greater part, modified some and flatly refused others. That which the French officers thought more important than all the rest was the provision that the troops should march out with arms, cannon and the honours of war; to which it was replied: "The whole garrison of Montréal and all other French troops in Canada must lay down their arms, and shall not serve during the present war." This demand was felt to be intolerable so Vaudreuil sent Bougainville back to remonstrate; but Amherst was inflexible. Then Lévis tried to shake his resolution, and sent him an officer with the following note: "I send your Excellency M. de la Pause, assistant quartermaster-general of the army, on the subject of the too rigorous article which you dictate to the troops by the capitulation, to which it would not be possible for us to subscribe." Amherst answered the envoy: "I am fully resolved, for the infamous part the troops of France have acted in exciting the savages to perpetrate the most horrid and unheard of barbarities in the whole progress of the war, and for other open treacheries and flagrant breaches of faith, to manifest to all the world by this capitulation my detestation of such practices;" and he dismissed La Pause with a short note, refusing to change the conditions. Eventually despite protestations which rose almost to the point of mutiny on the part of Lévis, the capitulation was to be signed. The capitulation finally took place the following day at 8am and was signed by Amherst in a house just northwest of the walls of Montreal in what became known as 'Capitulation cottage'. By this capitulation, Canada and all its dependencies passed to the British crown. French officers, civil and military, with French troops and sailors, were to be sent to France in British ships. Free exercise of religion was assured to the people of the colony, and the religious communities were to retain their possessions, rights and privileges. All persons who might wish to retire to France were allowed to do so, and the Canadians were to remain in full enjoyment of feudal and other property, including black and Indian slaves. In the evening, Murray's Corps advanced up to the Récollets suburbs - Lévis gave orders to his battalions to burn their colours. The following morning a British detachment of grenadiers and light infantry with some artillery led by Colonel
Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. From 1778 to 1786, he serve ...
entered into Montréal and took position on the
Place d'Armes Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...
. Here one after another, the French battalions of the regiments of La Reine, la Sarre, Royal Roussillon, Languedoc, Guyenne, Berry and Béarn totalling 2,200 men (those that were fit) deposited arms before returning to their camp on the ramparts where they were reviewed by Lévis. The British then took possession of all posts within Montréal. The following day the colours of
Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...
's and Pepperell's regiment lost at Oswego in 1756 were found and were marched out of Montreal in procession along the British line. Later that day general orders were issued by Amherst which were the first public documents promulgated in the name of Great Britain after the entire conquest of Canada.


Aftermath

The victory at Montreal was the culmination of the British offensive against Canada and the British had effectively won the war. Amherst had orders to consider a further assault on the French in
Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, but he decided against this. The last campaign of note was the British advance to the Michigan territory at
Fort Detroit Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit (1701–1796) was a fort established on the north bank of the Detroit River by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and the Italian Alphonse de Tonty in 1701. In the 18th century, Fre ...
late in November. Rogers' Rangers detached himself from Haviland and were able to seize the fort; a ship of war, 33 pieces of cannon, many stores, the military chest, 2,500 troops and one stand of colours. Amherst rewarded the natives that followed him to Montreal with silver medals for their 'faithfulness to the English standard'. With the defeat of the French, their own Indian allies made a treaty of peace with the British, known as the Treaty of Kahnawake in October. By this the Natives negotiated free access between Canada and New York, to maintain their important fur trade between Montreal and Albany. Throughout the month of October, French prisoners were sent to Quebec and then British vessels eventually transported them to France. At the same time British provincials were sent back home while measures were taken to garrison Montréal for the winter. By October 22 all French soldiers had left except for those few that wished to stay and swore allegiance to the King. Lévis returned to France on
parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
arriving in Paris in December, and was released for service in Europe by William Pitt. He served in the German campaigns of 1762 notably at the Battle of Nauheim, and retired from active military service with the wars end in 1763. The news of Montreal's capture was met with joy in Great Britain – the ''
London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and miscellaneous topics. 1732–1785 ''The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly I ...
'' of 1760 included the lyrics to ''A Song on the Taking of Montreal'' in which Amherst was given hero status. The press vaunted his success and portrayed him as a bringer of peace and harmony. This idealism was turned into propaganda when the artist
Francis Hayman Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and later its first librarian. Life and works Born in Exeter, Devon, Hayman begun his arti ...
was ordered by Jonathan Tyers to commission a series of artworks. "The Surrender of Montreal" which was exhibited in the Music Hall rotunda and annex of Vauxhall Gardens in 1761 with the words chiselled in ''Power exerted, conquest obtained, mercy shown''. The ongoing Anglo-Cherokee War ended with the defeat of the Cherokees in July the following year with a negotiated treaty. The details of the Conquest, however, still had to be sorted out between England and France. As they had at Quebec, the British offered generous terms in regard to the French Canadians which were later to become enshrined by law in the
Proclamation of 1763 The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The Proclam ...
and the
Quebec Act The Quebec Act 1774 (french: Acte de Québec), or British North America (Quebec) Act 1774, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which set procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec. One of the principal components of the Act w ...
. In line with the Old World's " rules of war", Britain assured the 60,000 to 70,000 francophone inhabitants freedom from deportation and from confiscation of property, freedom of religion, the right to migrate to France and equal treatment in the fur trade. With the war in North America effectively over the battleground switched to the Caribbean the following year. Spain joined the war on the side of France but were quickly defeated after losing
Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
and
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
to British expeditions. The war in Europe fared no better for the Bourbon allies; the
Spanish invasion of Portugal The 1762 Spanish invasion of Portugal between 5 May and 24 November, was a military episode in the wider Fantastic War in which Spain and France were defeated by the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance with broad popular resistance. It involved at fir ...
failed with heavy losses, and French forces were unable to take the initiative fighting the Duke of Brunswick's Anglo-German forces. The loss of Montreal proved a devastating blow to France's hopes of regaining Canada at a future peace congress. The French government had believed that if it could keep a toe-hold in Canada, it would be able to negotiate the return of captured Canadian territory by exchanging it for territory occupied by French troops in Europe. This proved more complicated for France with the British seizure of the French Caribbean islands including
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
and Dominica. By the wars end it became widely accepted by diplomats of both countries that New France would be ceded to the British. 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 ...
recognised the transfer of sovereignty to Great Britain.
Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of th ...
was appointed the first British Governor of Montreal. Along with other British officials he retained much of the previous French system of government. File:Vue orientale de Montreal, en Canada.jpg, Montreal occupied, viewed from the East with Royal Navy vessels in foreground File:Montreal 1760 Amherst.jpg, ''Surrender of Montreal to General Amherst'' by
Francis Hayman Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and later its first librarian. Life and works Born in Exeter, Devon, Hayman begun his arti ...
File:Medal bestowed on a Native American chief for the storming of Montreal by the British in 1760, by Daniel Christian Fueter, 1761, silver - Château Ramezay - Montreal, Canada - DSC07475.jpg, Medal bestowed on a Native American chief for the 'storming of Montreal by the British in 1760'


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Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montreal Campaign Conflicts in Canada Battles of the French and Indian War Battles involving Canada History of Montreal 1760 in New France Conflicts in 1760 Battles involving France Battles involving Great Britain Sieges involving France Sieges involving Great Britain 1760 in North America