Robert Monckton
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| Robert Monckton | |
|---|---|
| 24th June 1726 - 21st May 1782 | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Years of service | 1741 - |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Unit | 3rs Regiment of Foot Guards |
| 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 |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Fort Beausejour Battle of the Plains of Abraham Capture of Martinique |
| Other work | 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 after they would not swear an oath of loyalty to the British Crown. The city of Moncton, New Brunswick, (about 50 km west of Fort Beausejour) is named in his honour.
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[edit] Early life
Robert Monckton was the second son of John Monckton (later the first Viscount Galway), and like many second sons of British aristocrats, entered military service. He did this 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, 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 would prove invaluable in 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 would repeat itself following the fall of Fort Beausejour.
[edit] Seven Years' War
In the winter of 1755, Governor Lawrence 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 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 was to be at Fort Beausejour and Robert Monckton (with his knowledge of the local fortifications) therefore spent the winter in Boston to assist in the planning process.
[edit] Fort Beausejour
In June 1755, Monckton entered Cumberland Basin, commanding a fleet of 31 transports and three warships carrying 270 British regular troops and 2,000 New England militia. They dropped anchor at the mouth of the Missaguash River and with secrecy and careful planning were able to land unopposed. Using Fort Lawrence as a staging area, Monckton quickly surrounded Fort Beausejour and began a carefully advancement on the fort from the north by moving along the top of Aulac Ridge. The French commander, Louis Du Pont Duchambon de Vergor, saw that his position was untenable and, being under heavy bombardment and outnumbered more than 4:1, opted to surrender following a two week siege. The British occupied the fort, renaming it Fort Cumberland. Afterwards, Monckton treated the defeated French generously, offering the French garrison passage to Fortress Louisbourg and pardoning the Acadian irregulars. The French commander of Fort Gaspareaux, on the opposite side of the Isthmus of Chignecto, agreed to the same terms on the following day and the frontier of Nova Scotia was therefore secured. Fort Gaspareaux was subsequently renamed Fort Monckton.
[edit] Acadian Deportation
Following the capture of Fort Beausejour, Governor Lawrence decided that the presence of Acadians helping to defend the fort was 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 Acadians again refused to do this, Lawrence ordered their deportation to other British North American colonies, as well as to Louisiana and to France. Monckton and his expeditionary force were placed in charge of executing this order and although they handled their duties efficiently, there is good evidence that Monckton himself disagreed with the policy.
Monckton was himself 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 but in 1758, 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.
[edit] 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 also led an unsuccessful attack on the Beauport shore on July 31st. As the siege wore on, General Wolfe sought opinions from his subordinates as to how to conduct the battle plan. Monckton was one of three of these officers that advocated a stealthy approach from upriver rather than another frontal assault on the Beauport shore. This was 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. 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, it was Brigadier George Townshend that received the capitulation. Monckton resented this and made a special effort to recover quickly 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 any British soldiers taking advantage of the situation.
[edit] Later life
Monckton was reassigned to New York on October 26th, 1759. He was appointed commander of the British troops in the southern provinces in 1760 and in 1761, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General and later named Governor of the Province of New York, a position he held until 1765. He culminated his military career with the capture of the French stronghold of Martinique in 1762.
In 1763 Monckton left North America for good, although retaining the governorship of New York for two more years. In 1765 he was appointed governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed. In 1770 he was promoted to 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).
