GENIUS.

Art thou a seraph from heaven, thou sweet pure moonlight!That thou comest in thy garb of dream-like and delicate beauty?Dost thou bear the splendor of the “Great White Throne” near which thou dost touch thy lute, dost thou bear it on thy glittering and pearly wings!Seraph!For thou dost change all to a white and wondrous lustre,Oh, Seraph!Seraph of the starry brow and snowy pinion,Brow of stars and pinion of snows.Oh, heavenly Seraph! oh, Seraph of wonderful beauty!Thou, thou, dost bear with thee the anthem of heaven,Seraph!Oh, Seraph!Seraph of wonderful beauty!And the anthem of heaven wakes echo on the bosom of earth.Seraph!Oh, Seraph!Seraph of wonderful beauty!The heavens are softly blue!It is thy eye, Seraph!That star glowing there like a gem from its mine,Is a part of thy brow, Seraph! and that white cloud is thy pinion, Seraph, thy beautiful pinion of snow.Oh, Seraph! sweet Seraph! bright Seraph of wonderful beauty!I point to thee upward from earth, I point to thee, Seraph!For I love to reflect thy glance, although I am only of earth.And I love to hymn thy praise, oh holy Seraph of moonlight!When the summer daylight has gone out like a flash in the crimsoning west,And the dew of evening falls softly on grass and flower.For then, oh, holy Seraph!I know thou wilt come and reign the queen of the scene.Farewell now, oh Seraph! oh Seraph that came from the skies,And will wing back thy flight when the mornComes flashing again from the east!Farewell—farewell—farewell!Till the summer-night calls thee again!And again will I praise thee in song,Seraph!Sweet Seraph!Oh, Seraph of wonderful beauty!

Art thou a seraph from heaven, thou sweet pure moonlight!

That thou comest in thy garb of dream-like and delicate beauty?

Dost thou bear the splendor of the “Great White Throne” near which thou dost touch thy lute, dost thou bear it on thy glittering and pearly wings!

Seraph!

For thou dost change all to a white and wondrous lustre,

Oh, Seraph!

Seraph of the starry brow and snowy pinion,

Brow of stars and pinion of snows.

Oh, heavenly Seraph! oh, Seraph of wonderful beauty!

Thou, thou, dost bear with thee the anthem of heaven,

Seraph!

Oh, Seraph!

Seraph of wonderful beauty!

And the anthem of heaven wakes echo on the bosom of earth.

Seraph!

Oh, Seraph!

Seraph of wonderful beauty!

The heavens are softly blue!

It is thy eye, Seraph!

That star glowing there like a gem from its mine,

Is a part of thy brow, Seraph! and that white cloud is thy pinion, Seraph, thy beautiful pinion of snow.

Oh, Seraph! sweet Seraph! bright Seraph of wonderful beauty!

I point to thee upward from earth, I point to thee, Seraph!

For I love to reflect thy glance, although I am only of earth.

And I love to hymn thy praise, oh holy Seraph of moonlight!

When the summer daylight has gone out like a flash in the crimsoning west,

And the dew of evening falls softly on grass and flower.

For then, oh, holy Seraph!

I know thou wilt come and reign the queen of the scene.

Farewell now, oh Seraph! oh Seraph that came from the skies,

And will wing back thy flight when the morn

Comes flashing again from the east!

Farewell—farewell—farewell!

Till the summer-night calls thee again!

And again will I praise thee in song,

Seraph!

Sweet Seraph!

Oh, Seraph of wonderful beauty!

The music melted on my ear, but upward through the soft depths of the moonlit heaven soared a faint, throbbing star, and vanished at last in the middle ether. It was the sweet farewell to its “Seraph of wonderful beauty” of the praising and soaring steeple.

GENIUS.

———

BY HELEN IRVING.

———

In the sacred Hindoo Vega, is the sweet tradition found,That while the waste of waters yet girt the new earth round,Blooming out beneath the whisper of the great Almighty Power,On the gloomy flood there floated, one lonely lotus-flower.And within its crystal chalice, a frail, but heaven-blest shrine,Was placed a spirit gifted with creative power divine,Its celestial radiance making that lily-temple bright,And through its pure leaves shedding on the wave a halo-light.Filled with yearning was the spirit, dimly conscious of its power,Feeling, yet not comprehending, all its grand and god-like dower;Glowing with the joy and beauty of a soft supernal fire,While his white wings restless quivered, with a seraph-like desire.And his dreams and aspirations slowly took the form of prayer,Wrestling till the blessing-answer, softly sounded through the air —“Labor, for to thee is given, dower and destiny divine;Labor, till the fire within thee, warmeth other hearts than thine!”And with ceaseless, strong endeavor, wrought the spirit hour by hour,Humbly looking up for guidance, to the Source of all his power,Till in place of gloom and darkness, rosy light about him lay,And dim forms of radiant beauty, seemed to throng around his way.Forms of glory and of grandeur, and of fair immortal youth,On his raptured vision shining, in the purity of truth,Breathing love and throbbing life—life divine which he had given,To his glowing spirit linking them, and thus through him to Heaven!

In the sacred Hindoo Vega, is the sweet tradition found,

That while the waste of waters yet girt the new earth round,

Blooming out beneath the whisper of the great Almighty Power,

On the gloomy flood there floated, one lonely lotus-flower.

And within its crystal chalice, a frail, but heaven-blest shrine,Was placed a spirit gifted with creative power divine,Its celestial radiance making that lily-temple bright,And through its pure leaves shedding on the wave a halo-light.

And within its crystal chalice, a frail, but heaven-blest shrine,

Was placed a spirit gifted with creative power divine,

Its celestial radiance making that lily-temple bright,

And through its pure leaves shedding on the wave a halo-light.

Filled with yearning was the spirit, dimly conscious of its power,Feeling, yet not comprehending, all its grand and god-like dower;Glowing with the joy and beauty of a soft supernal fire,While his white wings restless quivered, with a seraph-like desire.

Filled with yearning was the spirit, dimly conscious of its power,

Feeling, yet not comprehending, all its grand and god-like dower;

Glowing with the joy and beauty of a soft supernal fire,

While his white wings restless quivered, with a seraph-like desire.

And his dreams and aspirations slowly took the form of prayer,Wrestling till the blessing-answer, softly sounded through the air —“Labor, for to thee is given, dower and destiny divine;Labor, till the fire within thee, warmeth other hearts than thine!”

And his dreams and aspirations slowly took the form of prayer,

Wrestling till the blessing-answer, softly sounded through the air —

“Labor, for to thee is given, dower and destiny divine;

Labor, till the fire within thee, warmeth other hearts than thine!”

And with ceaseless, strong endeavor, wrought the spirit hour by hour,Humbly looking up for guidance, to the Source of all his power,Till in place of gloom and darkness, rosy light about him lay,And dim forms of radiant beauty, seemed to throng around his way.

And with ceaseless, strong endeavor, wrought the spirit hour by hour,

Humbly looking up for guidance, to the Source of all his power,

Till in place of gloom and darkness, rosy light about him lay,

And dim forms of radiant beauty, seemed to throng around his way.

Forms of glory and of grandeur, and of fair immortal youth,On his raptured vision shining, in the purity of truth,Breathing love and throbbing life—life divine which he had given,To his glowing spirit linking them, and thus through him to Heaven!

Forms of glory and of grandeur, and of fair immortal youth,

On his raptured vision shining, in the purity of truth,

Breathing love and throbbing life—life divine which he had given,

To his glowing spirit linking them, and thus through him to Heaven!

THE BIRTH OF THE YEAR.

———

BY HERBERT ENKERT.

———

[SEE ENGRAVING.]

The moon was sinking down the west,And slowly, through the eastern way,Aurora Borealis-like,Arose the delicate light of day.The countless spheres that jeweled space,A proud, exulting anthem sung,As into life the youthful YearWith more than mortal beauty sprung.Beneath his Predecessor lay;Twelve cycles had he seen go by,And now his aged, withered formWas stretched in death athwart the sky.The young Year gazed upon his face,The dew of tears was in his eyes,When, looking up, he saw the shapeOf hoary Saturn fill the skies.And Saturn crowned the youthful Year,And placed the sceptre in his hand,And bade him journey, day by day,And month by month, from land to land.With counsels garnered from the Past,Those counsels only age can give,He taught him how to pass through life —To live as only good men live.And then he sent him forth. The youthSprung lightly on his Orient way,Saluting the arising sun,Bird-like, with many a matin lay;Behind him lay the shrouded dead,Before, Sahara-like, was space;But, like a man, the boy strode on,With hopeful heart and radiant face.

The moon was sinking down the west,

And slowly, through the eastern way,

Aurora Borealis-like,

Arose the delicate light of day.

The countless spheres that jeweled space,

A proud, exulting anthem sung,

As into life the youthful Year

With more than mortal beauty sprung.

Beneath his Predecessor lay;Twelve cycles had he seen go by,And now his aged, withered formWas stretched in death athwart the sky.The young Year gazed upon his face,The dew of tears was in his eyes,When, looking up, he saw the shapeOf hoary Saturn fill the skies.

Beneath his Predecessor lay;

Twelve cycles had he seen go by,

And now his aged, withered form

Was stretched in death athwart the sky.

The young Year gazed upon his face,

The dew of tears was in his eyes,

When, looking up, he saw the shape

Of hoary Saturn fill the skies.

And Saturn crowned the youthful Year,And placed the sceptre in his hand,And bade him journey, day by day,And month by month, from land to land.With counsels garnered from the Past,Those counsels only age can give,He taught him how to pass through life —To live as only good men live.

And Saturn crowned the youthful Year,

And placed the sceptre in his hand,

And bade him journey, day by day,

And month by month, from land to land.

With counsels garnered from the Past,

Those counsels only age can give,

He taught him how to pass through life —

To live as only good men live.

And then he sent him forth. The youthSprung lightly on his Orient way,Saluting the arising sun,Bird-like, with many a matin lay;Behind him lay the shrouded dead,Before, Sahara-like, was space;But, like a man, the boy strode on,With hopeful heart and radiant face.

And then he sent him forth. The youth

Sprung lightly on his Orient way,

Saluting the arising sun,

Bird-like, with many a matin lay;

Behind him lay the shrouded dead,

Before, Sahara-like, was space;

But, like a man, the boy strode on,

With hopeful heart and radiant face.

ADVENT OF THE YEAR.Engraved expressly for Graham’s Magazine by W. E. TuckerPrinted by J. M. Butler

GENL. RICHARD MONTGOMERY.Engraved expressly for Graham’s Magazine

THE LIFE OF MAJOR-GENERAL RICHARD MONTGOMERY.

———

BY THOMAS WYATT, A. M., AUTHOR OF “HISTORY OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE,” ETC. ETC. ETC.

———

Richard Montgomery, the subject of this memoir, was born in the year 1737, at Convoy House, the seat of his father, near Raphoe, in the north of Ireland.

Thomas Montgomery, father of the above, had three sons, Alexander, John, and Richard. Alexander commanded a grenadier company in Wolfe’s army, and was also present at the capture of Quebec. He many years represented the county of Donegal in the Irish parliament. John, the second son, lived and died in Portugal; and Richard, after receiving a liberal education at Trinity College, Dublin, entered the British army at the age of eighteen, under General Monckton. In 1757 the regiment to which he belonged was ordered to Halifax; and in the following year formed part of the army at the reduction of Louisburg, a French fortress, on which much money and science had been expended, and which had been vauntingly named by its possessors, “the Gibraltar of America.” Here our young aspirant commenced his career of field-service, which was destined to end in another war on the same continent. Early in the spring of 1758, a naval and military force commanded by Major-General Amherst, and Admiral Boscawen, began its voyage from Halifax to Cape Breton, and on the 2d of June arrived in Cabarras Bay. As soon as practicable, the reconnoiterings of the coast and other preliminaries were arranged.

Two divisions, commanded by Generals Lawrence and Wetmore, were employed to keep the enemy in a state of separation; while the third, composed of theéliteof the army under General Wolfe, pressed toward the headland near Freshwater Cove, and in despite of a heavy and well-directed fire from the French, and a surf uncommon high and perilous, gained the bank, routed the enemy, and seized a position which covered at once the further debarkation of the troops, and the necessary communications with the fleet. It was in this movement Montgomery furnished the first decisive evidence of those high military qualities which so distinctly marked every step of his subsequent conduct. An incident is related, as having occurred during the bombardment of the fort, which excited the wit of one of the officers. While commanding in the trenches, a bomb thrown from the fort knocked off the hat and grazed the skull of General Lawrence, but without injuring him; which circumstance drew forth a sarcastic remark from General Charles Lee, then a captain in the British army—“I’ll resign to-morrow,” exclaimed Lee. “Why so?” asked the person to whom he spoke. “Because,” said the wit, “none but fools will remain in a service in which the heads of the generals are bomb-proof.” The siege terminated on the 27th of July in the surrender of the fortress, the destruction of several French ships of the line, and the capture of a garrison of five thousand men.

So favorable were the impressions made of the aptitude of our young soldier for military service, that he was immediately promoted to a lieutenancy.

While the British were thus triumphant at Louisburg, they at another and important point were fated to sustain a heavy loss, as well in reputation, as in numerical force, in the defeat of the army of Abercromby at Ticonderoga.

In 1759, General Wolfe was placed at the head of nearly eight thousand soldiers, and several ships-of-the-line, with orders to reduce the fortress of Quebec.

After arriving and well reconnoitering the fortress, the general discovered obstacles greater than he had before conceived, and he found the only expedient left for giving him a chance of accomplishing his plans, was a constant and unrelaxing endeavor to decoy into detachments, or to provoke to a general battle, his old and wary antagonist, who seemed to understand too well the value of the strength of his castle, to be easily seduced from it. The attempt was accordingly made, but ended in a new disappointment and increased vexation, for the enemy refusing to quit his stronghold, neither advanced in mass, nor in detachment, to attack him, while his own troops showed a great want both of order and discipline. This failure no doubt increased, if it did not create, an indisposition, which caused a temporary suspension of the general’s activity, during which he submitted to the consideration of his officers the general question of future operations and the direction to be given to them, subjoining at the same time statements and opinions relative to the proposed attack.

To these considerations Montgomery, though a junior officer, was permitted to give an opinion, which was received by his senior officers with much respect, and afterward proved of great importance as followed by Wolfe. Very soon, however, the fortress was surrounded by the British, but nothing could be considered as done while it remained to be taken, and for its security there was still left a sufficient garrison and abundant supplies, with an exterior force already formidable and hourly increasing. Under the aspect of things the chances were yet against the invaders, and it required only a vigorous resistance on the part of the garrison to have saved both the fortress and the province. But fear betrays like treason. Ramsay, the French commander, saw in some demonstrations, made by the British fleet and army as trials of his temper, a serious intention to attack him by land and water at the same time, when, to escape this, he opened a negotiation for the surrender of the fort at the very moment when a reinforcement was ready to enter it. The negotiation speedily closed by the surrender of the capital, and Quebec was now in possession of the British. Montgomery was the first to place the Britishflag on the ramparts of the fortress with his own hands.

By this time a large military force had been collected in British America, and having no longer any professional occupation there, detachments were made from it against the French West India Islands. Of these expeditions the principal objects were the reduction of St. Pierre and Fort Royal in the island of Martinico, and of Havana in that of Cuba. These campaigns were extremely laborious and perilous, not only by the climate and season, but by the means of defense furnished by nature. In each of these Montgomery had a full share, as well of the toil and danger, as of the commendation bestowed upon efforts, which ultimately triumphed over every kind and degree of resistance. Martinico surrendered in February, 1762, and Havana and the Moro Castle in the August following; two events greatly tending to hasten the treaty of Versailles, which put an end to the war on the 10th of February, 1763. During this siege the loss sustained by the British army amounted to twenty-eight thousand men, besides which, more than half of the troops sent back to New York, either died on the passage or after their arrival.

Of the garrison left at Havana under General Keppel, but seven hundred men were found fit for duty at the peace. Soon after the official annunciation of peace, Montgomery, who with the seventeenth regiment, had returned to New York, sought and obtained permission to return to England, where he remained until the close of the year 1772. Although the military abilities of Montgomery were highly distinguished, war and conquest had no other charms to him than as the means of peace and happiness to mankind, and he found leisure in the midst of camps to cultivate an excellent taste for philosophy and polite literature.

To these he added a careful study of the arts of government and the rights of mankind, looking forward to that time when he might return to the still scenes of private life, and give a full flow to the native and acquired virtues of a heart rich in moral excellence. He had formed an early attachment, amounting even to an enthusiastic love for this country.

The woodland and the plain; the face of Nature, grand, venerable, and yet rejoicing in her prime; our mighty rivers, descending in vast torrents through wild and shaggy mountains, or gliding in silent majesty through fertile vales; their numerous branches and tributary springs; our romantic scenes of rural quiet; our simplicity,thenuncorrupted by luxury or flagrant vice; our love of knowledge and ardor for liberty—all these served to convey the idea of primeval felicity to a heart which was fraught with benevolent feelings.

It was during his residence of nine years in England, that the controversy between Great Britain and her American colonies commenced. This he watched with a jealous eye, and at last fancied he saw enough to cause him to abandon the King’s service, and to seek America as his future and permanent home. He accordingly sold the commission he then held, and in January, 1772, arrived in New York.

Very soon after his arrival he selected a delightful spot on the banks of the Hudson river, in the state of New York, purchased a farm there, and expected to retire from the bustle of a noisy world. The following year he married a daughter of Robert R. Livingston, then one of the judges of the superior court of the province.

In this most eligible of all situations, the life of a country gentleman, deriving its most exquisite relish from reflections upon dangers and past services, he gave full scope to his philosophical spirit and taste for rural elegance. Satisfied with himself, and raised above all vulgar ambition, he devoted his time to domestic pursuits, the intercourse of a select society, the study of useful books, and the improvement of his villa. But neither wood nor lawn could make him forget the duties which he owed to society. When the hand of unlawful authority was stretched forth, Montgomery was ready to exchange his peaceful groves for the tented field. From that fatal day in which the first American blood was spilt by the bands of British brethren, and the better genius of the empire turned abhorrent from the strife of death among her children, our hero chose his part. In this state of things, the National Congress employed itself in June, 1775, in organizing an army, and, among other acts, appointed a commander-in-chief, four major-generals, and eight brigadiers.

Of the latter description Montgomery was one. This unequivocal mark of distinction, conferred by the highest acknowledged authority of the country, without solicitation or privity on his part, was received by him with a homage mingled with regret, apparently foreboding the catastrophe which was soon to follow.

In a letter to a friend he says—“The Congress having done me the honor of electing me a brigadier-general in their service, is an event which must put an end for a while, perhaps forever, to the quiet scheme of life I had prescribed for myself; for, though entirely unexpected and undesired by me, the will of an oppressed people, compelled to choose between liberty and slavery, must be obeyed.” Under these noble and self-sacrificing views and feelings, Montgomery accepted the commission tendered to him, and from that hour to the moment of his death, the whole force of his mind and body was devoted to the honor and interest of his adopted country. His principles of loyalty remained unshaken. Love to our brethren whom we must oppose, the interchange of good offices, which had so intimately knit the bands of friendship between the two members, the memory of those days in which we fought under the same banners; the vast fabric of mutual happiness raised by our union, and ready to be dissolved by our dissensions; the annihilation of those plans of improvement in which we were engaged for the glory of the empire—all these considerations conspired to render this conflict peculiarly abhorrent to him and every virtuous American, and could have been outweighed by nothing earthly but the unquenchable love of liberty, and that sacred duty which we owe to ourselves and our posterity.

The necessity of resistance was manifest, and no sophistry could question our right. “In cases of national oppression,” says Blackstone, “the nation hathvery justifiably risen as one man to vindicate the original contract subsisting between the king and the people.”—“If the sovereign power threaten desolation to a state, mankind will not be reasoned out of the feelings of humanity, nor sacrifice liberty to a scrupulous adherence to political maxims.” Montgomery did not hesitate to accept the commission, praying at the same time that “Heaven might speedily reunite us in every bond of affection and interest; and that the British empire might again become the envy and admiration of the universe.” He was entrusted, jointly with General Schuyler, with the expedition against Canada, but, in consequence of the illness of that gentleman, the whole duty devolved upon him. There was benevolence in the whole plan of this expedition. It was to be executed not so much by force as by persuasion, and it was exactly suited to the genius of Montgomery. He understood the blessings of a free government, and could display them with captivating eloquence.

He had a soul great, disinterested, affectionate, delighting to alleviate distress, and to diffuse happiness. He possessed an industry not to be wearied, a vigilance that could not be eluded, and courage equal to his other abilities. From the military character of the French population in Canada, and its contiguity to the northern section of the Union, it was determined to endeavor to neutralize powers so extended and menacing. This invasion was determined on by two routes, the one by the river Sorel, the other by the Kennebec; the army by the former route were to act against Forts St. John, Chamblee, and Montreal; while the second should enter Canada at or near Quebec, contemporaneously with the other, and effect a junction, if possible, with Major-General Schuyler, who should command in chief.

To the first of these armaments Montgomery was assigned, as the elder of the two brigadiers. He accordingly hastened to Ticonderoga, the point selected for the principal rendezvous and outfit of the projected invasions. On arriving at his post his first object was to acquire a correct knowledge of the force of the enemy and his position, and found that General Carleton was at Montreal preparing a naval force intended to act on Lake Champlain. He perceived at once the plan and the necessity of its defeat, and at once took his post at the Isle-aux-Noix, as the best point to carry his plan into execution. In a letter to General Schuyler announcing his intention, he says—“Moving without your orders, I do not like; but, on the other hand, the prevention of the enemy is of the utmost consequence; for if he gets his vessels into the lake, it is over with us for the present summer. Let me entreat you to follow in a whale-boat, leaving some one to bring on the troops and artillery. It will give the men great confidence in your spirit and activity; and how necessary to a general this confidence is, I need not tell you. I most earnestly wish that this suggestion may meet your approbation, and be assured that I have your honor and reputation much at heart. All my ambition is to do my duty in a subordinate capacity, without the least ungenerous intention of lessening that merit, which is justly your due.” He hastened with his corps of one thousand men, and two pieces of light artillery, to begin his movement down the lake. It was ten days, owing to the head winds, before he reached the position he had selected. Major-General Schuyler arrived about the same time, and it was thought a nearer approach to the enemy advisable. The movement was ordered, and a landing effected without obstruction, about a mile and a half from St. John’s. On the evening of their landing, after it was dark, they were visited by a Canadian, who gave the following information —

“That the twenty-sixth was the only regular British corps in Canada, that with the exception of fifty men, retained by General Carleton at Montreal, the whole of this was in garrison at St. John’s and Chamblee; that these two forts were strongly fortified and abundantly supplied; that one hundred Indians were at the former, and a large body collected under Colonel Johnson; that the vessel intended for the lake would be ready to sail in three or four days, and would carry sixteen guns; that no Canadian would join the American army, the wish and policy of the people being neutrality, provided their persons and property were respected, and the articles furnished by, or taken from them, paid for in gold or silver; that, under present circumstances, our attack upon St. John’s would be imprudent; and lastly, that a return to the Isle-aux-Noix would be proper, as from this point an intercourse with the inhabitants of Laprairie might be usefully opened.” On hearing this report a council of war was called, and it was decided to return to their former position on the island. In General Schuyler’s report to Congress we find the following—“I cannot estimate the many obligations I lie under to General Montgomery for the many important services he has done, and daily does, and in which he has had so little assistance from me, as I have not enjoyed a moment’s health since I left Fort George, and am now so low, as not to be able to hold the pen. Should we not be able to do any thing decisively in Canada, I shall judge it best to move from this place, which is a very wet and unhealthy part of the country, unless I receive your orders to the contrary.”

With this manifest foreboding of eventual disappointment, the commanding general left the camp and returned to Ticonderoga; and from thence to Albany, where he was actively and usefully employed, during the remainder of the campaign, in forwarding supplies to the army. Montgomery remained at the island only long enough to receive a reinforcement of men and a few pieces of artillery.

He then re-embarked, again landed at St. John’s, and commenced operations for its investiture.

On the 18th of September, he marched with a party of five hundred men to the north of the fort, where he met a considerable portion of the garrison returning from the repulse of an American party under Major Brown. A skirmish ensued, which in a few minutes terminated in the repulse of the enemy, who fled in disorder. But for the timidity among the Americans, the whole party might have been captured. General Montgomery in speaking of his men says, “As soon as we saw the enemy, the old story of treacheryspread among the men; and the cry was, we are trepanned and drawn under the guns of the fort. The woodsmen were less expert in forming than I had expected, and too many of them hung back. Had we kept more silence we should have taken a field-piece or two.”

Montgomery now determined to establish a camp at the junction of the two roads leading to Chamblee and Montreal, in order to cut off supplies, this he did, and defended it with a ditch, and a garrison of three hundred men. But new difficulties appeared to arise. His artillery was so light that it made little or no impression upon the walls, and the artillerists raw and unskillful. And, added to all this, was the insubordinate and mutinous conduct of his men, who, from constant exposure to the damp and unhealthy climate, were suffering from attacks of chills and fever; under these circumstances, the commander was prevented from enforcing discipline.

In this painful situation, he was frequently forced to compromise with professional dignity, and submit his own opinion to that of a board of officers of inferior rank. To lessen the number and pressure of these embarrassments, Montgomery decided on changing his position and removing to the northwestern side of the fort; which, as he was informed, would furnish ground of greater elevation and dryer face, with a sufficient supply of wholesome water. The misfortunes of Montgomery appeared to follow one after the other in rapid succession. To quiet the restless activity of Ethan Allen, who, without commission or command, had forced himself into the army as a volunteer, Montgomery sent him to Laprairie, with an escort of thirty men, and orders to mingle freely with the inhabitants, and so to treat them, as would best conciliate their friendship and induce them to join the American standard. In the commencement, Allen was not unsuccessful, for he added to his corps fifty Canadians; when, either deceived in regard to the enemy’s strength, or indifferent to its magnitude, and without direction or privity on the part of his General, he determined to risk an attack on Montreal. This insane attempt was met by a party of British who captured him and thirty-eight of his followers.

Shortly after, another event took place, as fortunate as it was unexpected, and which eventually decided the fate of the garrison. A gentleman from New York, named James Livingston, had resided for a considerable time in Canada, and by a proper course of conduct had won the esteem of a large number of the inhabitants. Montgomery was so fortunate as to enlist this gentleman in his favor, and prevailed on him to raise an armed corps, under the promise of eventual protection, made and promulgated by the order of Congress. With three hundred of these newly raised recruits, Majors Brown and Livingston obtained possession of Fort Chamblee, capturing the whole of the garrison, and a large quantity of military stores, among which were one hundred and twenty-six barrels of gunpowder. By this fortunate movement, General Carleton found himself compelled to quit his insular position at Montreal, and risk a field movement in defence of his fortress. The force at the disposal of General Carleton, did not exceed twelve hundred men, and which was composed partly of Canadian militia, who were serving with reluctance, and emigrants from Scotland, recently engaged—in no way acquainted with military duty.

On the 31st of October he crossed the St. Lawrence opposite Longueil, whence he determined, after mustering his forces to march against the besieging army. The movements of Sir Guy Carleton, though conducted with considerable secrecy, did not escape the vigilant eye of Montgomery, who had for some time expected such a proceeding. He had previously ordered certain officers to take a position with two regiments on the Longueil road, ordering them to patrol that route carefully and frequently, as far as the St. Lawrence; to report daily to the commanding general such information as he might be able to obtain, and to attack any part of the enemy indicating an intention of moving in the direction of the American camp.

These regiments, commanded by General Warner, arrived at Longueil on the morning of the same day that Carleton was preparing to cross, but did not display their force until the British had nearly reached the shore. He then suddenly opened upon them with both musketry and artillery, killing many of the soldiers, and scattering and disabling their boats. By a most fortunate coincidence, at the same time, and with similar orders, Easton, Brown, and Livingston approachMcLean, who, losing all hope of support from Carleton, hastily withdrew to his boats and descended the St. Lawrence.

This gratifying intelligence was immediately communicated to General Montgomery, who presented them in a written form to the commandant of St. John’s, urging the impossibility of his deriving any relief from Carleton, and the useless effusion of blood, which must necessarily follow any attempt to prolong the defense. After proper consideration the garrison surrendered. The next step to be taken, was a rapid movement on Montreal, but which was much impeded by the disaffection of the troops; this was only overcome by a promise of discharge at Montreal. Under this arrangement, he was enabled to display a force in front of the town, which on the 12th of November secured to him a full and peaceable possession of it, and of eleven armed vessels left by the enemy. Though now master of a great part of Canada, Montgomery’s labors, far from becoming lighter or fewer, were much augmented in both number and character.

The pursuit of Carleton, (who had retreated to his fleet, with the hope of making his escape through that avenue; but finding this impossible, entered a small boat with muffled oars, and at midnight passed through the American fleet without being perceived and hurried on to Quebec,) and an experiment on the strength of Quebec, were objects sufficiently indicated by his own judgment, and the hopes of the nation. To prosecute so desperate an action required means of which he was greatly deficient.

His situation described in a letter to R. R. Livingston, then a member of Congress, is a faithful picture of the embarrassments under which he labored. He says:

“I need not tell you that until Quebec is taken, Canada is unconquered; and that to accomplish this we must resort to siege, investment, or storm. The first of these is out of the question, from the difficulty of making trenches in a Canadian winter, and the greater difficulty of living in them, if we could make them; secondly, from the nature of the soil, which, as I am at present instructed, renders mining impracticable, and, were this otherwise, from the want of an engineer having sufficient skill to direct the process; and thirdly, from the fewness and lightness of our artillery, which is quite unfit to break walls like those of Quebec. Investment has fewer objections, and might be sufficient, were we able to shut out entirely from the garrison and town the necessary supplies of food and fuel, during the winter, but to do this well (the enemy’s works being very extensive and offering many avenues to the neighboring settlements,) will require a large army, and from present appearances mine will not, when brought together, much if at all exceed eight hundred combatants. Of Canadians I might be able to get a considerable number, provided I had hard money, with which to clothe, feed, and pay their wages; but this is wanting. Unless, therefore, I am soon and amply reinforced, investment, like siege must be given up.

“To the storming plan there are fewer objections; and to this we must come at last. If my force be small, Carleton’s is not great. The extensiveness of his works, which, in case of investment, would favor him, will in the other case favor us. Masters of our secret, we may select a particular time and place for attack, and to repel this the garrison must be prepared at all times and places; a circumstance, which will impose upon it incessant watching and labor by day and by night; which, in its undisciplined state, must breed discontents that may compel Carleton to capitulate, or perhaps to make an attempt to drive us off. In this last idea, there is a glimmering of hope. Wolfe’s success was a lucky hit, or rather a series of such hits. All sober and scientific calculation was against him, until Montcalm, permitting his courage to get the better of his discretion, gave up the advantages of his fortress and came out to try his strength on the plain.

“Carleton, who was Wolfe’s quartermaster-general, understands this well; and, it is to be feared, will not follow the Frenchman’s example. In all these views, you will discover much uncertainty; but of one thing you may be sure, that, unless we do something before the middle of April, the game will be up; because by that time the river may be open and let in supplies and reinforcements to the garrison in spite of any thing we can do to prevent it; and again, because my troops are not engaged beyond that term, and will not be prevailed upon to stay a day longer. In reviewing what I have said, you will find that my list of wants is a long one,men, money, artillery, and clothing accommodated to the climate. OfammunitionCarleton took care to leave little behind him at this place. What I wish and expect is, that all this be made known to Congress, with a full assurance, that, if I fail to execute their wishes or commands, it shall not be from any negligence of duty, or infirmity of purpose on my part.Vale, cave ne mandata frangas.”

On the 19th of November, General Arnold having crossed the St. Lawrence in safety, was joined by Montgomery, and on the 4th of December, took a position before Quebec. The first thing was to obtain a knowledge of the extent and structure of the enemy’s works; the force and strength of his garrison, and the means possessed by the inhabitants to supply the wants of the troops.

Montgomery having satisfied himself on these points, next presented a summons to surrender in the customary form, a cannonade of the fort from a battery of five guns and one howitzer; a display of the American force in full view of the British garrison, in the hope that the enemy would forego a contest; but this was done without producing any effect. At this moment a circumstance took place which threatened the whole project with defeat. Three companies of Arnold’s detachment (whose term of service was on the point of expiring) having taken offence at the conduct of their commanding officer, the cause of which offence was never properly explained; seized the present occasion to make known their intention of quitting the army, unless, in the approaching movement they were permitted to attach themselves to some other corps. Upon investigating the affair, General Montgomery found the complaints so absurd, that he promptly determined, in justice to Arnold, to reject the proposal. But before officially announcing his decision, he thought it most prudent to try what could be effected by expostulation; in this attempt he finally succeeded, and brought them back to a sense of good order and obedience, without coercive means. The mind of Montgomery was not yet at ease, and suspecting that the flame of the late controversy might not be extinguished, he resolved to call a council of war, in which he submitted two questions,—“Shall we attempt the reduction of Quebec by a night attack? And if so, shall the lower town be the place attacked?” This seemed to infuse new life into the officers, and both questions were affirmatively decided, the troops were ordered to parade in three divisions at two o’clock in the morning of the 31st of December; the New York regiments and part of Easton’s Massachusetts militia, at Holland House; the Cambridge detachment and Lamb’s company of artillerists, with one field-piece at Captain Morgan’s quarters; and the two small corps of Livingston and Brown at their respective grounds of parade. To the first and second of these divisions were assigned the two assaults on the opposite sides of the lower town; and to the third, a series of demonstrations or feigned attacks on different parts of the upper. This arrangement was made to meet the expectations of colonies, who looked to Montgomery for the capture of the capital, and speedy reduction of the province. But they understood little of Montgomery’s difficulties; the steep heights which fortified the upper town rendered the passage from one to the other almost impassable. The number of soldiers in the garrison consisted of about two hundred and seventy marines and regulars, eight hundred militia, and four hundred and fifty seamen. The movement began between three and fouro’clock in the morning, from the Heights of Abraham; Montgomery advancing at the head of the first division by the river road, round the foot of Cape Diamond to Aunce au Mere; and Arnold at the head of the second, through the suburbs of St. Roque, to the Saut de Matelots. Both roads were so obstructed by snow and thick masses of ice, as to render their progress very difficult. These obstacles being at last surmounted, the first barrier was approached, vigorously attacked, and rapidly carried, and the troops after a moment’s pause pushed on to the second.

A moment, and but a moment, was now employed to re-excite the ardor of the troops, which the fatigue of the march and the severity of the weather had somewhat abated. “Men of New York,” exclaimed Montgomery, “you will not fear to follow where your general leads—march on!” then placing himself again in the front, he pressed eagerly forward to the second; he assisted with his own hands in pulling up some pickets which hindered the march. Near this place a barrier had been made across the road, and from the windows of a low house, which formed part of it, were planted two cannon. At his appearing upon a little rising ground, at the distance of about twenty or thirty yards, the guns were discharged, and the general with his aide-de-camps fell dead. Thus terminated the life and labors of Major-general Richard Montgomery, in the thirty-ninth year of his age.

Upon hearing of the death of their commander, both divisions made a disorderly and hasty retreat to the Heights of Abraham.

The fortune of the day being now decided, the corpse of the fallen general was eagerly sought for and soon found. When the corpse of Montgomery was shown to Carleton, the heart of that noble officer melted. They had served in the same regiment under Wolfe, and the most friendly relation existed between them throughout the whole of the French war. The lieutenant-governor of Quebec, M.Cramahé, ordered a coffin to be prepared for him, and decently interred within the walls of the city, where friends and enemies united in expressions of sorrow, as his remains were conveyed to their final resting-place. Ramsey, in his History of the Revolution, has the following appropriate remarks:

“Few men have ever fallen in battle so much regretted on both sides as General Richard Montgomery. His many amiable qualities had procured him an uncommon share of private affection; and his great abilities an equal proportion of public esteem. Being a sincere lover of liberty, he had engaged in the American cause from principle, and quitted the enjoyment of an easy fortune, and the highest domestic felicity, to take an active share in the fatigues and dangers of a war instituted for the defense of the community of which he was an adopted member. His well-known character was almost equally esteemed by the friends and foes of the side of which he espoused. In America he was celebrated as a martyr to the liberties of mankind; in Great Britain, as a misguided good man, sacrificing to what he supposed to be the rights of his country.

His name was mentioned in Parliament with singular respect. Some of the most powerful speakers in that assembly displayed their eloquence in sounding his praise and lamenting his fate. Those in particular who had been his fellow soldiers in the previous war, expatiated on his many virtues. The minister himself acknowledged his worth, while he reprobated the cause for which he fell. He concluded an involuntary panegyric by saying, “Curse on his virtues, they have undone his country.”

“In this brief story of a short and useful life,” says his biographer, “we find all the elements which enter into the composition of a great man and a distinguished soldier; a happy physical organization, combining strength and activity, and enabling its possessor to encounter laborious days and sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, all changes of weather, and every variation of climate.

“To these corporeal advantages was added a mind, cool, discriminating, energetic, and fearless; thoroughly acquainted with mankind, not uninstructed in the literature and sciences of the day, and habitually directed by a high and unchangeable moral sense. That a man so constituted should have won the golden opinions of friends and foes, is not extraordinary. The most eloquent men of the British Senate became his panegyrists; and the American Congress hastened to testify for him their grateful remembrance, profound respect, and high veneration. A monument to his memory was accordingly erected, on which might justly be inscribed the impressive lines of the poet:

‘Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career;His mourners were two hosts—his friends and foes;And fitly may the stranger, lingering here,Pray for his gallant spirit’s bright repose;For he was Freedom’s Champion, one of those,The few in number, who had not o’ersteptThe charter to chastise, which she bestowsOn such as wield her weapons; he had keptThe whiteness of his soul, and thus men o’er him wept.’

‘Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career;

His mourners were two hosts—his friends and foes;

And fitly may the stranger, lingering here,

Pray for his gallant spirit’s bright repose;

For he was Freedom’s Champion, one of those,

The few in number, who had not o’erstept

The charter to chastise, which she bestows

On such as wield her weapons; he had kept

The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o’er him wept.’

“To express the high sense entertained by his country of his services, Congress directed a monument of white marble, with the following inscription on it, which was executed by Mr. Cassiers, at Paris, and was placed in front of St. Paul’s church, New York:

THIS MONUMENTwas erected by order ofCongress, 25th January, 1776,to transmit to posteritya grateful remembrance of thepatriotism, conduct, enterprise, andperseverance,OF MAJOR-GENERALRICHARD MONTGOMERY,who, after a series of successes,amid the most discouragingdifficulties, fell in the attackon Quebec,31st December, 1775,aged 39 years.

THIS MONUMENT

was erected by order of

Congress, 25th January, 1776,

to transmit to posterity

a grateful remembrance of the

patriotism, conduct, enterprise, and

perseverance,

OF MAJOR-GENERAL

RICHARD MONTGOMERY,

who, after a series of successes,

amid the most discouraging

difficulties, fell in the attack

on Quebec,

31st December, 1775,

aged 39 years.

“The remains of General Montgomery, after resting forty-two years at Quebec, were, by a resolution of the Legislature of the State of New York, brought to the city on the 8th day of July, 1818, and deposited with an imposing solemnity suited to the occasion, nearthe monument erected by order of the United States. The following inscription was placed upon the additional coffin. ‘The State of New York, in honor of General Richard Montgomery, who fell gloriously fighting for the Independence and Liberty of the United States, before the walls of Quebec, the 31st of December, 1775, cause these remains of this distinguished hero to be conveyed from Quebec, and deposited on the 8th day of July, 1818, in St. Paul’s Church, in the city of New York, near the monument erected to his memory.’ ”

It has been stated in several histories of this lamented officer, that the body was privately interred in the evening by a few soldiers; but this is not true; and justice to his generous adversary requires that we should vindicate the reputation of the lieutenant-general of Canada from such a stigma. John Joseph Henry, Esq., who was under Montgomery, and being taken by the enemy, had an opportunity of witnessing the honors that were paid to his memory, writes thus: “It was on this day that my heart was ready to burst with grief at viewing the funeral of our beloved general. Sir Guy Carleton had, in our former wars with the French, been the friend and fellow-soldier of Montgomery. Though political opinion, perhaps ambition or interest, had thrown these worthies on different sides of the great question, yet the former could not but honor the remains of his quondam friend. About noon the procession passed our quarters. It was a mournful sight. The coffin, covered with a black pall, surmounted by transverse swords, was borne by men. The regular troops, particularly that fine body of men, the seventh regiment, with reversed arms, and scarfs on the left arm, accompanied the corpse to the grave. The funeral of the other officers, both friends and enemies, were performed the same day. Many and deeply heartfelt were the tears of affection shed that day; of affection for those who were no more, and of greeting and thankfulness toward Carleton. The British soldiery and inhabitants appeared affected by the loss of this invaluable man, though he was their enemy. If such men as Washington, Carleton, and Montgomery, had had the entire direction of the adverse war, the contention in the event might have happily terminated to the advantage of both sections of the nation.”

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