Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst

Lore & Background

Jeffery Amherst was born on 29 January 1717 in Sevenoaks, England, the son of a Kentish lawyer. He became a page to the Duke of Dorset and enlisted in the Grenadier Guards in 1735. He first saw active service during the War of the Austrian Succession, serving as an aide to General John Ligonier and later to the Duke of Cumberland, and fought at the battles of Dettingen, Fontenoy, Rocoux, and Lauffeld. During the Seven Years' War, he conducted the successful siege at Louisbourg in 1758 and was appointed commander-in-chief in North America. Under his command, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga, Quebec, Montreal, and several major fortresses, ending French rule in North America. He was named Governor-General of British North America in 1760 and received a knighthood in 1761.

Reader's Guide

Jeffery Amherst's legacy is defined by his military success in conquering New France during the Seven Years' War, which established British dominance in North America. However, his governorship was marred by Pontiac's War (1763), a Native American uprising in response to his policies. During this conflict, Amherst expressed a desire to spread smallpox among indigenous people, and under his command, Colonel Henry Bouquet ordered smallpox-infested blankets given to Lenape delegates at Fort Pitt in June 1763. The article notes uncertainty about whether this caused an outbreak, as smallpox recurred every dozen years and the delegates later appeared uninfected. Amherst's handling of the war led to his recall to Britain and replacement by Thomas Gage. He was created a peer in 1776 and served as commander-in-chief of the British Army twice, overseeing the suppression of the Gordon Riots. He retired a field marshal in 1796 and died in 1797. Numerous places in Canada and the United States are named after him, but his modern legacy is controversial, leading to pushes to remove his name from locales and institutions.

Did You Know?

• Amherst was the first British governor general in the territories that eventually became Canada.
• He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Bath on 11 April 1761.
• During Pontiac's War, Captain Simeon Ecuyer gave Lenape representatives two blankets and a handkerchief from a smallpox hospital in an attempt to spread the disease.
• Amherst served as commander-in-chief of the British Army during the suppression of the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in London.