George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe
Viscount Howe | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1725 London, England |
Died | 6 July 1758 (aged 32–33) Ticonderoga, New York |
Allegiance | Great Britain |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1745-1758 |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Battles/wars |
George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe (c. 1725 – 6 July 1758) was a career officer and a brigadier general in the British Army. He was described by James Wolfe as "the best officer in the British Army". He was killed in the French and Indian War in a skirmish at Fort Ticonderoga the day before the Battle of Carillon, an ultimately disastrous attempt by the British to capture French-controlled Fort Carillon.
Background
Howe's father was Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe, and mother was Mary Sophia von Kielmansegg (a niece of King George I), and he had two notable younger brothers, Richard Howe, Earl Howe and William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, as well as seven other siblings. George was born either on the Howe estate at Langar, Nottinghamshire, or at the Howe home on Albemarle Street, London.
Early career
Howe joined the army as an
Ticonderoga campaign reforms
In 1758, in preparation for the attack on the French fort at Ticonderoga, which controlled access from
His changes did not only affect the uniforms of the army but its tactics as well. In the fall of 1757, Lord Howe had accompanied the famous ranger Major
Many historians have credited Lord Howe with the creation of light infantry, and have called the 55th Regiment a light infantry regiment, however that was not the case. While
Seven Years War
On 2 February 1757, Howe was appointed colonel, 3rd Battalion of the 60th Foot (the Royal Americans, later the
In 1758 he and the regiment were part of General
Aftermath
Howe was widely mourned on both sides of the Atlantic. The Massachusetts Assembly (or general court) later voted £250 to place a monument in Westminster Abbey by the sculptor Peter Scheemakers, which was erected in 1759.[3]
Genealogy
George Augustus was brother to
The friendliness of the brothers, Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe, to the colonies led to their selection for the command of the British forces in the Revolutionary War. It was thought that they could negotiate a settlement with the American forces.
References
- ^ Stoetzel, pp. 214–215.
- ^ Parkman, Francis: "Montcalm and Wolfe".
- ^ "George Howe". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
Bibliography
- Stoetzel, Donald I. Encyclopedia of the French & Indian War in North America, 1754–1763. Heritage Books, 2008.
External links
- Carlyle, Edward Irving (1901). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). Vol. III. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In