Richard Montgomery (December 2, 1738 – December 31, 1775) is an Irish-born soldier who first serves in the British Army.
He later becomes a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and he is most famous for leading the failed 1775 invasion of Canada.
Montgomery was born and raised in Ireland.
In 1754, he enrolls at Trinity College, Dublin, and two years later joins the British army to fight in the French and Indian War.
He steadily rises through the ranks, serving in North America and then the Caribbean.
After the war he is stationed at Fort Detroit during Pontiac's War, following which he returns to Britain for health reasons.
In 1773, Montgomery returns to the Thirteen Colonies, marries Janet Livingston, and begins farming.
When the American Revolutionary War beaks out, Montgomery takes up the Patriot cause, and is elected to the New York Provincial Congress in May 1775.
In June 1775, he is commissioned as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army.
After Phillip Schuyler becomes too ill to lead the invasion of Canada, Montgomery takes over.
He captures Fort St. Johns and then Montreal in November 1775, and then advances to Quebec City where he joins another force under the command of Benedict Arnold.
On December 31, he leads an attack on the city, but is killed during the battle.
The British find his body and give it an honorable burial.
