Montague, James, 1752-1794

James Montague (1752-1794) was a captain in the Royal Navy. On 14 Nov. 1775 he was posted to the Mercury. In December 1776 he was sent to England with the despatches announcing the capture of Rhode Island by Sir Peter Parker and General Clinton. He then returned to North America; but on 24 Dec. 1777, coming down the North (or Hudson's) River, the Mercury struck on a hulk which the enemy had sunk in the fairway, and became a total wreck. Montague was tried by court-martial at New York, but was acquitted of all blame. In the battle off Ushant, on 1 June 1794, Montague was killed. A monumental statue, by Flaxman, is in Westminster Abbey.

From the guide to the James Montague Letter to the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy, 1775 October 22, (John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation)