Brig. General George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe

Profile photo: Howe's burial marker in St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Albany, NY. It is the only burial marker for a British peer in the U.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Howe,_3rd_Viscount_Howe

George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe (c. 1725 – at Trout Brook, Ticonderoga, 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 while trying to capture Fort Carillon.

Howe's father was Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe, and mother was Mary Sophia von Kielmansegg (A niece of King King George I), and he had two notable brothers, the older Richard Howe, Earl Howe and the younger 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 Ensign of the 1st Foot Guards in 1745 and saw service during the Flanders campaign of the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1746 he was made an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland who led the Allied Army in Flanders. In 1747 Howe fought at the Battle of Laufeld. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1749 following the end of the war.

Light Infantry reforms

George Howe is credited with the introduction of Light Infantry Companies in the British Army. When he commanded the 5th Regiment of Foot, he developed two of these companies in response to the requirements of wilderness and Indian campaigns. The companies carried less and lighter equipment than line companies, their jackets were shortened, and their belts changed from white to black.

They drilled in skirmishing and rapid manoeuvre. Eventually, each line regiment had one or two light infantry companies. For larger battles, these would be grouped into a light infantry battalion to attack flanks or otherwise take advantage of their manoeuvrability. This was quickly adopted by other European armies and later by the American Continental Army.

Seven Years War

On 2 February 1757, Howe was appointed Colonel, 3rd Battalion of the 60th Foot (the Royal Americans, later the King's Royal Rifle Corps), but transferred to command the 55th Regiment of Foot-{later the King's Own Royal Border Regiment}- 28 September 1757 while at Halifax. In December he was promoted to Brigadier General.

In 1758 he and the regiment were part of General James Abercrombie's failed attack at Ticonderoga. On 6 July Abercrombie's force marched north from the shore of Lake George in four columns. Howe led one of these columns, with the 55th regiment accompanied by a unit of Connecticut militia, with Major Israel Putnam as a scout and guide. They made contact with a French unit and a sharp skirmish ensued. They fought well, taking 148 prisoners, and causing an estimated 300 enemy casualties with limited losses to their own number. But one of those casualties was General Howe, who died in Putnam's arms.

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 something for which Howe's brothers were extremely grateful.

Genealogy

George Augustus was brother to Admiral Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, 4th Viscount and Sir William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe. The Family of Hoge quotes The Encyclopaedia Britannica as having this to say about the Howes:

"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."

Other References

• "George Howe", Westminster Abbey

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British general in the French & Indian War

Howe, the son of Lt-Gen. Lord Emanuel Scrope Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe, and a grandson of Britain’s King George I, entered the army at an early age and rose up through the ranks. With the death of his father in 1735, he became Lord Howe, 3nd Viscount Howe.

In 1757, he was promoted to colonel of the 3rd Battalion in the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot which was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the time, Britain was fighting the French for control of North America in the French and Indian War. While in Halifax, Howe was transferred to the command of the 55th Regiment of Foot in September and three months later at age 32, promoted to brigadier general.

The following year in 1758, his regiment participated in General James Abercrombie unsuccessful assault on French controlled Fort Carillon (later renamed Fort Ticonderoga), situated between Lake George and Lake Champlain in upstate New York. On July 6, Howe led one of four columns of British troops, along with Connecticut militia, from the shores of Lake George through the wooded terrain towards Fort Carillon, commanded by General Marquis de Montcalm, when they encountered a unit of French soldiers.

In the ensuing skirmish the British did very well capturing 148 French soldiers and causing twice that in casualties. Unfortunately, in their attack, a French soldier shot a musket ball into General Howe's chest. He reportedly died in the arms of Major Israel Putnam of the Connecticut militia (and future general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution).

The Massachusetts Assembly later voted £250 to place a monument in Howe’s memory in Westminster Abbey in London. George Augustus Howe is the older brother of Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe, who both fought with distinction during the American Revolution.

Under the Northwest tower of Westminster Abbey is a monument, the inscription on which tells its own tale:

“The province of Massachusetts Bay in New England, by an order of the great and general court, bearing date Feby. 1st, 1759, caused this monument to be erected to the memory of George Augustus Lord Viscount Howe, brigadier-general of His Majesty’s Forces in America, who was slain July 6th 1758, on the march to Ticonderoga, in the 34th year of his age; in testimony of the sense they had of his services and military virtues, and of the affection their officers and soldiers bore to his command. He lived respected and beloved the publick regretted his loss; to his family it was irreparable”.