Note on Montgomery's Sword

 

By Frederick Christian Wurtele

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Historical Documents, Series 7 (1905)]

 

The following description of Montgomery's sword is taken from Hawkin's Picture of Quebec and the Thompson manuscript in the archives of the Literary and Historical Society.

 

James Thompson writes:—"Holding the situation of overseer of works in the Royal Engineer Department at Quebec, I had the superintendence of the defences to be erected throughout the place, which brought to my notice almost every incident connected with the military operations of the blockade of 1775; and from the part I had performed in the affair generally, I con­sidered that I had some right to withhold the General's sword, particularly as it had been obtained on the battle ground."

 

"On its having been ascertained that Montgomery's division had withdrawn, a party went out to view the effects of the shot, when the only part of the body that appeared above the level of the snow was that of the General himself, whose hand and part of the left arm was in an erect position, but the body itself much dis­torted, the knees being drawn up towards the head; the other bodies that were found at the moment, were those of his aides-de-camps Cheeseman and McPherson, and one sergeant; the whole hard frozen. Montgomery's sword was close by his side, and as soon as it was dis­covered, which was first by a drummer boy, who made a snatch at it on the spur of the moment, and no doubt considered it as his lawful prize, but I immediately made him deliver it up to me, and some time after I made him a present of seven shillings and six pence by way of prize money."

 

"The sword has been in my possession to the present day (16 August 1828). It has a head at top of the hilt somewhat resembling a lion's or bull dog's, with cropt ears, the edges indented, with a ring passing through the chin or underjaw, from which is suspended a double silver chain communicating with the front tip of the guard by a second ring; at the lower end of the handle there is, on each side, the figure of a spread eagle. The whole of the metal part of the hilt is of silver. About half an inch of the back part of the guard was broken off while in my possession. The handle itself is of ivory, and undulated obliquely from top to bottom. The blade, which is twenty-two inches long, and fluted near the back, is single edged with a slight curve towards the point, about six inches of which, however, is sharp on both edges, and the word "Harvey" is im­printed on it, five and a half inches from the top, in Roman capitals, in a direction upwards. The whole length of the blade is two feet four inches; when found it had no scabbard or sheath, but I soon had the present one made and mounted in silver to correspond."

 

Mr. James Thompson was present at the siege of Louisbourg and came to Quebec with his regiment, the 78th Highlanders, and took part in the battle of the Plains of Abraham. Subsequently he was appointed Deputy Overseer of Public Works in the Royal Engi­neer Department. He died in Quebec on the 30th August, 1830, at the age of 98 years. He bequeathed the sword to his son, James Thompson, Deputy Commissary General, who, at his death, in December, 1869, willed it to his nephew, James Thompson Harrower, now resid­ing at Levis.

 

The sword was valued at $500; and Mr. Harrower kindly alowed it to remain on exhibition in the rooms of the Literary and Historical Society until it should have been sold. In 1878 the Marquess of Lorne succeeded in obtaining it at the exceedingly low price of $150. Mr. Harower only accepted this because he thought the representative of the British Crown would be a worthy owner of such a famous relic. To his great indigna­tion, however, Lord Lorne handed the sword over to the representatives of the Livingstone family, Mont­gomery's nearest American relations, who now keep it in the vaults of Messrs. Tiffany and Co., in New York.