Amherst, Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron
- Amherst, Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron
-
born Jan. 29, 1717, Sevenoaks, Kent, Eng.
died Aug. 3, 1797, Sevenoaks
British army commander.
In the
French and Indian War, he took the French fort at Louisbourg,
Cape Breton Island,
in 1758 and was promoted to chief of command in America. In 1760 he directed the campaign that captured Quebec and Montreal, and in 1761 he quelled the Indian uprising under Pontiac. Having secured Canada for Britain, he remained there as governor-general until 1763. Returning to England, he served as commander in chief of the British army (1772–95), but his tenure was marred by failure in the war with the American colonies and by serious abuses in the army. He was created a baron in 1776 and a field marshal in 1796. Several U.S. towns and
Amherst College are named for him.
* * *
▪ British army commander
in full Jeffery Amherst, 5th duke de Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, also called (1761–87) Sir Jeffery Amherst
born Jan. 29, 1717, Sevenoaks, Kent, Eng.
died Aug. 3, 1797, Sevenoaks
army commander who captured Canada for Great Britain (1758–60) during the French and Indian War (1754–63). Amherst, Mass., and several other American and Canadian places are named for him.
Amherst received a commission in the foot guards in 1731 and was selected as aide-de-camp first by Lord Ligonier and then by the duke of Cumberland. William Pitt and Ligonier selected him for the Canadian command in 1758. With a force of 14,000 men, he besieged and captured Louisbourg (on Cape Breton Island) and was promoted to chief command in America. He then drew up a plan for a concentric advance on Montreal by three columns, one moving westward up the St. Lawrence River and capturing Quebec, the second northward from Albany by Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the third eastward from Fort Niagara. The first column, under the command of James Wolfe (
Wolfe, James), captured Quebec in 1759, and the final offensive was launched in 1760, when Montreal surrendered and Canada passed into British hands.
Amherst remained in North America as commander in chief until 1763, quelling the Indian rising under Pontiac in 1761. Before his retirement in 1796, he acted as commander in chief of the British army on two occasions, successfully suppressing the Gordon riots in 1780. Notably, he refused to take part in the war with the American colonies (the
American Revolution).
He was created a baron in 1776 and a field marshal in 1796.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst — Infobox Military Person name=The Lord Amherst lived=29 January 1717 ndash;3 August 1797 caption=Jeffrey Amherst, painted by Joshua Reynolds in 1765 nickname= placeofbirth= Sevenoaks, Kent, Kingdom of Great Britain placeofdeath= Sevenoaks, Kent,… … Wikipedia
baron — /bar euhn/, n. 1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility. 2. (in Britain) a. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king. b. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility. c. a member of the House of … Universalium
Baron — /bann rddawonn /, n. Michel /mee shel /, (Michel Boyron), 1653 1729, French actor. * * * I Title of nobility, ranking in modern times immediately below a viscount or a count (in countries without viscounts). The wife of a baron is a baroness.… … Universalium
Amherst College — Infobox University name = Amherst College motto = Terras irradient (Latin) mottoeng = Let them give light to the world established = 1821 type = Private president = Anthony Marx city = Amherst state = MA country = USA campus = Suburban undergrad … Wikipedia
Jeffrey Amherst — El general Jeffrey Amherst, cuadro de 1765 de Joshua Reynolds. Mariscal de campo Años de servicio … Wikipedia Español
William Amherst — (c. 1732 1781) born Sevenoaks, Kent was the son of Jeffery Amherst and Elizabeth Kerril and brother of Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst. [cite web|url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p629.htm#i6283|title=A genealogical survey of the peerage of… … Wikipedia
General Amherst High School — Infobox Education in Canada name= General Amherst High School imagesize= motto= lux sit motto translation= streetaddress= 130 Sandwich Street city= Amherstburg province= Ontario postalcode= N9V 1Z8 areacode= 519 phone= 736 2149 fax= 736 1473… … Wikipedia
Commander-in-Chief, North America — The office of Commander in Chief, North America was a military position of the British Army. Established in 1755 in the early years of the Seven Years War, holders of the post were generally responsible for land based military personnel and… … Wikipedia
ST — Real Estate. septic tank. * * * (as used in expressions) St. Mary Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Amherst Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Asquith Herbert Henry 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Attlee Clement Richard 1st Earl… … Universalium
st — stere. * * * (as used in expressions) St. Mary Alexander Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Amherst Jeffery Amherst 1st Baron Asquith Herbert Henry 1st earl of Oxford and Asquith Attlee Clement Richard 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow… … Universalium
