Jeffery Amherst
British Army officer
Died when: 80 years 186 days (966 months)Star Sign: Aquarius
Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, KB (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army.
Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign to conquer the territory of New France during the Seven Years' War.
Under his command, British forces captured the cities of Louisbourg, Quebec City and Montreal, as well as several major fortresses.
He was also the first British Governor General in the territories that eventually became Canada.Numerous places and streets are named for him, in both Canada and the United States.
Amherst's legacy is controversial due to his expressed desire to exterminate the race of indigenous people during Pontiac's War, and his alleged gifting of blankets infected with smallpox as a weapon, notably at the Siege of Fort Pitt.
This has led to a reconsideration of his legacy.In 2019, the city of Montreal removed his name from a street, renaming it Rue Atateken, from the Kanien'kéha Mohawk language.
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British Army officer
British army officer
British Army officer