Robert Monckton

Infobox Military Person
name= Robert Monckton
lived= 24 June 1726 - 21 May 1782
placeofbirth= Yorkshire, England
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= Kingdom of Great Britain
serviceyears= 1741 -
rank= Lieutenant-General
commands= 47th Regiment of Foot
Commander of Fort Lawrence
Commander of British expeditionary force to Fort Beausejour
Second in Command to General James Wolfe at Quebec
Commander of British forces in the southern provinces
Commander of British forces capturing Martinique
unit= 3rs Regiment of Foot Guards
battles= Battle of Fort Beausejour
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
Capture of Martinique
awards=
laterwork= MP for Pontefract
Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia
Governor of Province of New York
Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Governor of Portsmouth
MP for Portsmouth

Robert Monckton (24 June 1726 – 21 May 1782) was an officer of the British army and a colonial administrator in British North America. Despite having an illustrious military and political career, Monckton's greatest notoriety is for his role in the deportation of the Acadians from Nova Scotia because of their continual refusal to swear an oath of loyalty to the British Crown. The city of Moncton, New Brunswick, (about 50 km west of Fort Beausejour) is named for him.

Early life

Robert Monckton was the second son of John Monckton (later the first Viscount Galway) and, like many second sons of British aristocrats, he entered military service. He enlisted in 1741 at the age of 15 and received a commission in the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards. He saw action in the War of the Austrian Succession, later staying on in Flanders after the bulk of the British Army had been recalled in 1745 to deal with the Jacobite Rebellion. He rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the 47th Foot in early 1752.

Monckton's father died later that year and he subsequently inherited the family controlled seat of Pontefract in Parliament. Despite this, he soon received a military posting in Nova Scotia as commander of Fort Lawrence, which was located on the frontier with Acadia, facing Fort Beausejour across the Missaguash River. Monckton stayed in this posting for less than a year but the experience gained during this time would prove invaluable to him during subsequent events.

Monckton was called to Halifax in 1753 to preside over a court martial but stayed on as a member of the colonial council. Monckton deftly handled a minor uprising by German settlers near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia later that year. The conflict having been bloodless (and more of a disagreement than anything else), Monckton argued for forgiveness of the participants but his superior, Lieutenant Governor Charles Lawrence, argued for a much more punitive response to the perceived insurrection. This pattern of events would be repeated following the fall of Fort Beausejour.

Seven Years' War

In the winter of 1754, Governor Lawrence of Nova Scotia and Massachusetts Governor William Shirley, under a general British directive, made plans to deal with French "encroachments" on the frontier of the British North American colonies. This process ultimately led to the beginning of the final French and Indian War and the onset of the Seven Years' War in North America. One of the first actions of this war was to be at Fort Beausejour and Robert Monckton, with his intimate knowledge of the local fortifications, was invited to spend the winter in Boston to assist in the planning process.

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View of Fort Beausejour showing the foundation of the Officers Quarters in the foreground, the modern (1930s)museum in the middle ground, and Cumberland Basin in the background. Monckton approached the fort from Aulac Ridge, which would be behind the observer.

Fort Beausejour

:"See main article at Battle of Fort Beauséjour"In June 1755, Monckton (commanding a fleet of 31 transports and three warships carrying 270 British regular troops and 2,000 New England militia) entered Cumberland Basin. The ships dropped anchor at the mouth of the Missaguash River and the British forces were able to land unopposed. Using Fort Lawrence as a staging area, Monckton quickly surrounded Fort Beausejour and began a careful advancement on the fort from the north by moving along the top of Aulac Ridge. A two-week siege ensued, including heavy bombardment of the fort using 13-inch mortars. The French commander of the fort, Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor, being outnumbered more than four to one, realized that his position was untenable and when his walls were breached, opted to surrender. The British forces then occupied the fort and renamed it Fort Cumberland (after the Duke of Cumberland, victor of the Battle of Culloden which had been fought just a year earlier). Following the capitulation, Monckton treated the defeated French generously and offered the garrison passage to Fortress Louisbourg. He also pardoned the Acadian irregulars. The French commander of Fort Gaspareaux, on the opposite side of the Isthmus of Chignecto, was offered (and subsequently agreed to) the same terms on the following day, thus securing the frontier of Nova Scotia. Fort Gaspareaux was subsequently renamed Fort Monckton.

Acadian Deportation

Following the capture of Fort Beausejour, Governor Lawrence decided that the presence of Acadian irregulars helping in the defence of the fort constituted a violation of Acadian neutrality and he used this as a pretense to force the Acadian inhabitants of Nova Scotia to swear an unqualified oath of allegiance to the British crown; something that the Acadian had been successfully able to avoid for 40 years. When the Acadian population again refused to do this, Lawrence ordered their deportation to other British North American colonies, as well as to Louisiana and to France. Since Monckton and his expeditionary force constituted the largest British military force in the area, they were placed in charge of executing this order. Although they handled their duties efficiently, there is good evidence that Monckton himself disagreed with the directive.

Monckton was named Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia later in 1755. He served in this capacity for three years; twice as acting Governor of the colony. Because of these administrative duties, he did not participate in the fall of Fortress Louisbourg in 1758 but later that same year, the now Colonel Monckton did lead a force of 2,000 men in the clearance of Acadian resistance from the lower Saint John River Valley.

The Plains of Abraham

Early in 1759, General James Wolfe chose Monckton to be his second in command for the assault on Quebec. Monckton's role in the siege and later the capture of Quebec was considerable. Monckton established control of the south shore of the St. Lawrence River facing Quebec and was placed in charge of the artillery batteries trained on Quebec from Levis. Monckton later led an unsuccessful attack on the Beauport shore, at the foot of Quebec, on July 31st.

As the siege wore on, General Wolfe sought opinions from his three brigadiers as to how to conduct the battle plan. Monckton and the other two brigadiers, George Townshend and James Murray advocated a stealthy approach from upriver rather than another frontal assault on the Beauport shore. Despite resistance to this concept from Wolfe, this plan was ultimately agreed to and it was Monckton who commanded the crucial landing at Anse au Foulon on September 13th which allowed the British to gain access to the Plains of Abraham. Ironically, the French commander in charge of the encampment at the top of the bluff, and the first to encounter the English forces, was again the hapless de Vergor. The French encampment was quickly overrun and de Vergor shot and captured.

The Plains of Abraham were quickly gained and the British forces marshalled into fighting ranks. The French commander of Quebec, Louis Joseph de Montcalm inexplicably decided to directly engage the British forces on the field. In the ensuing battle, Monckton commanded the British right flank and was wounded in the chest. This prevented him from being present at the surrender of Quebec and, with Wolfe's death during the battle, it was Brigadier George Townshend that received the French capitulation. Monckton resented this and endeavoured to recover as quickly as he could from his wound so that he could reassume command of the defeated city. He commanded Quebec for a month following the capitulation, showing concern for the conquered civilian population and punishing British soldiers found to be taking advantage of the situation.

After being relieved of his duties at Quebec, Monckton was reassigned to New York on October 26th, 1759. He was appointed commander of the British forces in the southern provinces in 1760 and, in 1761, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General.

Capture of Martinique

:"See main article at British expedition against Martinique"

In 1762, Monckton was given the command of the British expeditionary force against Martinique. The British invasion force consisted of approximately 8,000 men and sailed from Barbados on January 5th, arriving off of Martinique on January 7th. The forces landed unopposed on January 16th, near the southern tip of the island about 5 km from the principle town of Fort Royal (Fort-de-France). Monckton patiently constructed batteries for the subsequent offensive, which was not launched until January 24th. Under covering cannon fire, heavy fighting ensued on steep and uneven terrain especially around the high ground of Morne Grenier. By January 28th, Monckton's lines were secure and he had established firing positions overlooking Fort Royal. The town surrendered on February 3rd and the remainder of the island was secured by February 12th. The terms of capitulation of the island, modelled on the surrender of Guadeloupe in 1759 with only a few minor changes, suggest that Monckton was a skillful and well-informed negotiator. From February 26 to March 3, Monckton shipped off detachments to Saint Lucia, Grenada and Saint Vincent, all of which fell without resistance. Monckton had already made his arrangements for the capture of Tobago when he received orders requiring the presence of his troops for the attack on Havana, Cuba.

Later life

Monckton returned from the Carribean later in 1762. He was subsequently named Governor of the Province of New York. He held this position until 1765, even though he left North America for good in 1763. In 1765 he was appointed governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed. In 1770 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. Monckton became interested in becoming the British military commander of India and although he had the East India Company nomination and some royal support, he was not offered the position. Instead, he was offered the command of the British army in North America which he declined. In 1778 he became governor of Portsmouth and MP for the town in the Admiralty interest. He died on May 21, 1782 and is buried in St. Mary Abbot's Church, Kensington (London).

External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2071 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.militaryheritage.com/monckton.htm Biography of General Robert Monckton]

Persondata
NAME = Monckton, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = English military leader
DATE OF BIRTH = June 24, 1726
PLACE OF BIRTH = Yorkshire, England
DATE OF DEATH = May 21, 1782
PLACE OF DEATH =