Richard Montgomery was born in the north of Ireland, in the year 1737. He entered the English army, and was with General Wolfe at Quebec in 1759. Quitting the army in 1772, he settled in America, where he married a daughter of R. R. Livingston. On the commencement of the difficulties between the colonies and Great Britain, he warmly espoused the cause of the colonists, and, in the fall of 1775, was connected with General Schuyler in the command of the expedition against Canada. In October, owing to the indisposition of General Schuyler, the chief command of the army devolved upon Montgomery. The progress of his troops from Ticonderoga to the redoubts before Quebec, was marked with bravery and success. They took Chamblee on the 18th of October1, St. John’s on the 3d of November, and on the 12th he led them into Montreal. In December, he joined General Arnold, who had come from the camp at Cambridge, through the wilderness of Maine, and they together marched to Quebec.
Every mark of distinction was shown to the corpse of General Montgomery, who was interred in Quebec on the 2d of January, 1776.2,3
1 Fort Chambly was actually captured on October 20th, 1775.
2 In 1818, his body was removed, in accordance with an act of the New York Legislature, and re-interred at St. Paul’s church-yard, in New York city.
3 Pennsylvania Evening Post, January 25.