General Richard Montgomery and the American Revolution: From Redcoat to Rebel

Chronicles the life and military of a neglected hero of the American Revolution--General Richard Montgomery

"Brave, humane, and generous . . . still he was only a brave, humane, and generous rebel; curse on his virtues, they've undone this country."--Member of British Parliament Lord North, upon hearing of General Richard Montgomery's death in battle against the British

At 3 a.m. on December 31, 1775, a band of desperate men stumbled through a raging Canadian blizzard toward Quebec. The doggedness of this ragtag militia--consisting largely of men whose short-term enlistments were to expire within the next 24 hours--was due to the exhortations of their leader. Arriving at Quebec before dawn, the troop stormed two unmanned barriers, only to be met by a British ambush at the third. Amid a withering hale of cannon grapeshot, the patriot leader, at the forefront of the assault, crumpled to the ground. General Richard Montgomery was dead at the age of 37.

Montgomery--who captured St. John and Montreal in the same fortnight in 1775; who, upon his death, was eulogized in British Parliament by Burke, Chatham, and Barr; and after whom 16 American counties have been named--has, to date, been a neglected hero. Written in engaging, accessible prose, General Richard Montgomery and the American Revolution chronicles Montgomery's life and military career, definitively correcting this historical oversight once and for all.

Author: Hal T. Shelton
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 03/01/1996
Pages: 262
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.79lbs
Size: 9.06h x 6.06w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780814780398

About the Author
Shelton, Hal T.: - Hal T. Shelton, a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army, currently teaches history at San Jacinto College.