Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Montresor, John
MONTRESOR, JOHN (1736–1788?), major, royal engineers, eldest son of Colonel James Gabriel Montresor [q. v.], was born at Gibraltar on 6 April 1736. When in 1754 his father was appointed chief engineer of the expedition to North America, he accompanied him and joined the 48th foot. He obtained a commission as lieutenant in that regiment on 4 July 1755. He served with the regiment in Braddock's expedition, to which his father was chief engineer. He was wounded at the disastrous battle of Du Quesne on 14 July 1755. On 19 May 1758 he obtained a commission in the engineers as practitioner engineer, and on 17 March 1759 he was promoted sub-engineer. He was at the siege of Quebec in 1759, and at great personal risk carried despatches from the governor to General Amherst. He took an active part in the reduction of Canada. In 1764 he constructed a chain of redoubts near Niagara, and built a fort on the shore of Lake Erie. He was promoted engineer extraordinary and captain lieutenant on 20 Dec. 1765. He continued to serve in America for many years, but there is no special record until 1775, when he was at Bunker's Hill. He made a survey of the position and plans of the works. He was appointed chief engineer in America on 18 Dec. 1775, and was promoted captain and engineer in ordinary on 10 Jan. 1776. He was present at the attack and capture of Long Island on 27 Aug. 1776 and the action of Quibbletown on 26 June 1777. Montresor Island, in the vicinity of Hell Gate at New York, was named after him. He constructed the lines of defence of Philadelphia, and was present on 18 June 1778, when the British troops marched out to join the army in New Jersey, which Montresor accompanied to New York. He also organised the extravagant farewell entertainment given by his officers to Sir William (afterwards fifth viscount) Howe [q. v.] before his departure for England.
Montresor retired from the service on 26 March 1779. On his arrival in England he was one of the five officers called upon to give evidence before a committee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into the conduct of the war. His evidence tended to vindicate the general and to throw discredit on the ministers concerned. On his retirement he purchased the estate and house of Belmont in Throwley parish, Faversham, Kent, and resided there for some time. In 1781 he presented a peal of six bells to St. Michael's Church, Throwley. The same year he bought Syndal in the parish of Ospringe, and several other properties in the neighbourhood of Faversham. In 1782 he was examined before the commissioner of public accounts with respect to expenditure for the army in America. In 1787 he purchased Huntingfield, Faversham. He had also a house in Portland Place, London. He died about 1788.
He married, on 1 March 1764, Frances, only child of Thomas Tucker of Bermuda, and had five children: (1) Henry Tucker; (2) John, who was colonel of the 80th foot, and died on passage from Madras to Penang in 1805; (3) Thomas Gage, who married Mary, daughter of Major-general F. G. Mulcaster, and was a general and K.C.H.; (4) William Robert; (5) Mary Lucy, who married Lieutenant-general Sir F. W. Mulcaster, K.C.H., R.E.
The following plans were engraved and published by A. Dury of Duke's Court, London: (1) ; Plan of Boston, its Environs and Harbours, with the Rebel Works raised against the Town in 1775, from the Observations of Lieutenant Page, and from the Plans of Captain Montresor; ' (2) ' Plan of the Action of Bunker's Hill on 17 June 1775, from an actual Survey by Captain Montresor ; (3) 'Plan of the City of New York and its Environs to Greenwich, on the North of Hudson's River, and to Crown Point on the East or Sound River, surveyed in the Winter of 1775, dedicated to Major-general Gage, by John Montresor.'
The following plans drawn by Montresor are in the British Museum: (1) A drawn elevation of part of the north front of Albany; (2) A drawn plan of Port Erie, built under the direction of John Montresor, 1764; (3) A drawn plan of Fort Niagara, with a design for constructing the same, 1768; (4) Map of Nova Scotia or Acadia, with the Islands of Cape Breton and St. John's, from actual surveys made by Captain Montresor, engineer, four sheets, 1768; (5) A drawn project for taking post at Crown Point, 13 May 1774; (6) A map of the province of New York, with part of Pennsylvania and New England, from an actual survey made by Captain Montresor, engineer, four sheets, 1775; (7) A drawn survey of the city of Philadelphia and its environs, four small sheets, 1777.
[Royal Engineers' Corps Records; War Office and Board of Ordnance Records; Burke's Landed Gentry; private manuscripts.]