The second son of the 1st Viscount Gage, Thomas Gage
was born at Firle, England in 1719. Sent to the Westminster School, Gage
became friends with John Burgoyne, Richard Howe, and the future Lord George
Germain. Departing school, Gage joined the British Army as an ensign, before
purchasing a commission as a lieutenant in the 1st Northampton Regiment on
January 30, 1741. The following year he transferred to Battereau's Foot
Regiment. In 1743, Gage was promoted to captain and joined the Earl of
Albemarle's staff as an aide-de-camp.
With Albemarle, Gage saw action at the Battle of Fontenoy and served in
Scotland during the Culloden campaign. After campaigning in the Low
Countries in 1747-1748, he was able to purchase a commission as a major.
Moving to Colonel John Lee's 55th Regiment of Foot, Gage began a long
friendship with future American general Charles Lee. While with the 55th,
Gage proved himself an able leader and was promoted to lieutenant colonel in
1751. Four years later, the regiment, redesignated the 44th, was sent to
America to take part in General Edward Braddock's campaign against Fort
Duquesne during the French & Indian War.
Thomas Gage - Service in America:
Moving north and west from Alexandria, VA, Braddock's column was ambushed
and badly defeated at the Battle of the Monongahela on July 9, 1755. In the
fighting, the commander of the 44th, Colonel Peter Halkett was killed and
Gage was slightly wounded. Following the battle, Captain Robert Orme accused
Gage of poor field tactics. While the accusations were dismissed, it
prevented Gage from receiving permanent command of the 44th. After role in a
failed expedition along the Mohawk River, Gage was sent to Halifax, Nova
Scotia. There he organized the 80th Regiment and was promoted to colonel in
December 1757.
On July 7, 1758, Gage led his new regiment against Fort Ticonderoga as part
of Major General James Abercrombie's failed attempt to capture the fortress.
Slightly wounded in the attack, Gage, with some assistance from his brother
Lord Gage, was able to secure a promotion to brigadier general. Traveling to
New York City, Gage met with the new British commander-in-chief in America,
Major General Jeffery Amherst. While in the city, he married Margaret Kemble
on December 8, 1758. The following month, Gage was appointed to command
Albany and its surrounding posts.
That July, Amherst gave Gage command of British forces on Lake Ontario with
orders to capture Fort La Galette and Montreal. Concerned that he lacked the
strength to do so, he suggested reinforcing Niagara and Oswego instead while
Amherst and Major General James Wolfe attacked into Canada. This lack of
aggression was noted by Amherst and when the attack on Montreal was
launched, Gage was placed in command of the rear guard. Following the city's
capture in 1760, Gage was installed as military governor. Though he disliked
Catholics and Indians, he proved an able administrator.
In 1761, Gage was promoted to major general and two years later returned to
New York as acting commander-in-chief. This appointment was made official on
November 16, 1764. As the new commander-in-chief in America, Gage inherited
a Native American uprising known as Pontiac's Rebellion. Though he sent out
expeditions to deal with the Native Americans, he also pursued diplomatic
solutions to the conflict as well. After two years of sporadic fighting, a
peace treaty was concluded in July 1766. As peace was achieved on the
frontier, tensions were rising in the colonies due to a variety of taxes
imposed by London.
Thomas Gage - Revolution Approaches:
In response to the outcry raised against the 1765 Stamp Act, Gage began
recalling troops from the frontier and concentrating them in the coastal
cities, particularly New York. To accommodate his men, Parliament passed the
Quartering Act (1765) which allowed troops to be housed in private
residences. With passage of the 1767 Townshend Acts, the focus of resistance
shifted north to Boston. Gage responded by sending troops to that city. On
March 5, 1770, the situation came to a head with the Boston Massacre. After
being taunted, British troops fired into a crowd killing five civilians.
Promoted to lieutenant general later in 1770, Gage requested a leave of
absence two years later and returned to England. Departing on June 8, 1773,
Gage missed the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) and the outcry in
response to the Intolerable Acts. Having proven himself an able
administrator, Gage was appointed to replace Thomas Hutchinson as governor
of Massachusetts on April 2, 1774. Arriving that May, Gage was initially
well received as Bostonians were happy to be rid of Hutchinson. With
tensions increasing, Gage began a series of raids in September to seize
colonial supplies of munitions.
While an early raid to Somerville, MA was successful, others were not
largely due to the efforts of groups like the Sons of Liberty. Concerned
about not escalating the situation, Gage did not attempt to quash these
groups and was criticized by his own men as being too lenient as a result.
On April 18/19, 1775, Gage ordered 700 men to march to Concord to capture
colonial powder and guns. En route, active fighting began at Lexington and
was continued at Concord. Though British troops were able to clear each
town, they sustained heavy casualties during their march back to Boston.
Following the fighting at Lexington and Concord, Gage found himself besieged
in Boston by a growing colonial army. Concerned that his wife, a colonial by
birth, was aiding the enemy, Gage sent her away to England. Reinforced in
May by 4,500 men under Major General William Howe, Gage began planning a
breakout. This was thwarted in June when colonial forces fortified Breeds
Hill north of the city. In the resulting Battle of Bunker Hill, Gage's men
were able to capture the heights, but sustained over 1,000 casualties in the
process. That October, Gage was recalled to England and Howe given temporary
command of British forces in America.
Thomas Gage - Later Life
Arriving home, Gage reported to Lord George Germain, now the Secretary of
State of the American Colonies, that a large army would be necessary to
defeat the Americans and that foriegn troops would need to be hired. In
April 1776, command was permanently given to Howe and Gage placed on the
inactive list. He remained in semi-retirement until April 1781, when Amherst
called upon him to raise troops to resist a possible French invasion.
Promoted to general on November 20 1782, Gage saw little active service and
died at the Isle of Portland on April 2, 1787.