Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage was a British army officer born into a noble family but chose a military career due to the lack of inheritance prospects. He initially served in Europe before transferring to North America to engage in the French and Indian War, where he experienced notable defeats. Gage learned from these setbacks and innovated military tactics by forming the Eightieth Foot regiment, designed for mobility and effectiveness in frontier combat. His military career progressed, leading him to become the military governor of Montreal in 1760 and later the commander in chief of British forces in America by 1763. Gage’s tenure included significant events such as the closure of Boston Harbor in response to colonial resistance and the fateful march on Lexington and Concord in 1775, which marked a turning point in American colonial unrest. Following military setbacks, including the British defeat at Bunker Hill, he was replaced as governor and returned to England, where he continued to serve until his death in 1787. Gage's legacy is intertwined with the complexities of the American Revolutionary period and the evolving nature of British military strategy.
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Thomas Gage
Armed Forces Personnel
- Born: 1721
- Birthplace: Firle, Sussex, England
- Died: April 2, 1787
- Place of death: London, England
Born: 1721; Firle, Sussex, England
Died: April 2, 1787; London, England
Principal wars: French and Indian War, American Revolution
Principal battles: Monongahela (1755), Lexington and Concord (1775), Bunker Hill (1775)
Military significance: Commander in chief of British forces in America (1763–1772). Upon returning to America in 1775, Gage became the military governor of Massachusetts and ordered the British to attack the Americans at Concord and Lexington, thus starting the American Revolution.
As a younger brother in a family of nobility, Thomas Gage would not inherit any of the lands or titles of his father. He decided instead upon a military career. After seeing limited action in Europe, he sailed to America to participate in the French and Indian War.
Gage served under Major Generals Edward Braddock and Daniel Webb and was involved with the British losses at Monongahela (1755) and Fort Oswego (1756). Learning from those experiences, he created a new type of British regiment, the Eightieth Foot, made up of men who were physically fit, lightly armed, and capable of swift movement. These skills made them more effective as frontier fighters than members of the traditional British regiment.
He continued efforts to drive the French from America and was later named military governor of Montreal in 1760 and commander in chief of British forces in America in 1763.
Leaving for England in June, 1773, Gage returned to become military general of Massachusetts and immediately closed the harbor at Boston in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. In an attempt to capture weapons held by the colonists, he ordered the march on Lexington and Concord (1775), which resulted in the routing of his army. Later, he was replaced as governor by Major General Sir William Howe after the British defeat at Bunker Hill (1775).
Gage returned to England in October, 1775, and remained on active duty until his death as a full general in 1787.
Bibliography
Matloff, Maurice, ed. The Army Historical Series: American Military History. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1969.
Nester, William R. The First Global War: Britain, France, and the Fate of North America, 1756–1775. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000.
Shy, John, ed. “Reaction to Revolution: Private Correspondence of Lord Barrington with General Gage, 1775–1777.” In Sources of American Independence; Selected Manuscripts from the Collections of the William L. Clements Library, edited by Howard H. Peckham. 2 vols. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978.