Beschreibung:

MONTGOMERY, Richard (1736-1775), Brigadier General, Continental Army . Autograph letter signed ("Richd: Montgomery") TO ETHAN ALLEN (1738-1789), "Near St. Johns" (on Lake Champlain), 18 September 1775. 1 page, 4to, autograph address panel . MONTGOMERY DIRECTS ETHAN ALLEN TO ENLIST CANADIANS "TO EMBRACE THIS FAVORABLE OPPORTUNITY". From his seige lines around the British outpost at St. Johns (which capitulated to him on 2 November 1775), Montgomery writes to Allen, who had taken a disparate corps of militia on northward, ahead of Montgomery's army. In hopes of arousing the local Canadians to join the revolution against British authority, Montgomery writes: "I must request you to proceed to Chambli [Chambly], let our worthy Friends the Canadians know the situation of affairs here, animate them to embrace this favourable opportunity - & if you can raise a regiment of Brave Men, I may venture to assure you it will meet with the approbation of the Congress." Montgomery "sent Ethan Allen ahead to recruit Canadians for the American Army...Allen had such success along the Richelieu River in gathering volunteers that he decided to invest Montreal...But most of his recruits drifted away." (Boatner, 728) Nevertheless, he launched a premature and poorly coordinated attack on 25 September in which he was captured. Montgomery was to succeed where Allen failed, taking Montreal on 13 November, but was himself killed in December in an attempt to take Quebec. Letters of Montgomery are quite rare.