Collection
Born in England, Jeffery Amherst (1717-1797) joined the British army as an ensign in 1731. He participated in European campaigns and in 1756 was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 1758, as a major general he commanded the expedition to Louisbourg and afterwards was made the commander-in-chief of British forces in North America. In 1760 he led his troops in the capture of Montréal and held the post of Governor General of British North America from 1760 to 1763. He was named the Governor of Virginia in 1763 and the Governor of Guernsay in 1770. During the American Revolution he advised the British government on military matters. In 1788 he was made a baron and in 1796 a field marshall.
(Source: Guide to Archival Resources at McGill University: Private Papers at McGill University. McGill University Archives. 1985. Vol. 3, p. 191.)
Scope and Content
The Baron Jeffery Amherst collection concerns military and personnel matters.
The collection consists of letters and a journal. The latter pertains to the siege of Quebec, a description of Amherst's descent on Montreal and a list of indigenous words. The letters are written by Amherst to various individuals, including Sir George Yonge about the promotion of officers, Lieut. L. Powers about his transfer from the Life Guards, Sir James Norcliffe about his resignation, Viscount Warrington about the recommendation of an Ensign to the 3rd Battallion of the Royal American Regiment, Sir Isaac Heard about personal thanks received, Thomas Hancock about Colonel's Bouquet's expedition, and Lieutenant-Governor Hamilton giving him the detail of the capitulation of Canada.
Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.Information about rights and reproductions is available here.
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.