Thomas Gage
background
The Gage family had been living in Britain for hundreds of years. They had always seemed to support the losing side in a war or disagreement. They were also Roman Catholic Which was not popular at the time. Most people belonged to the Anglican Church which was approved by the government. Later, his father converted their family to become part of the Anglican Church. In January of 1728, Thomas and his brother were sent to a boarding school. They studied Latin, English, Literature and other subjects. They also made friends who were useful to them in their adult lives. There is no record that he went to university. Thomas chose a career in the military.
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Life
Thomas Gage entered the army in 1741 and came to America with General Edward Braddock in 1755. He was appointed the royal governor of Massachusetts in 1774. In 1760, he became governor of Montreal, and from 1763 to 1775, was British commander in chief in North America. In April of 1775, he ordered troops from Boston to seize and destroy the supplies of the rebels. His soldiers were fired on in Lexington and Concord and suffered heavy losses while returning to Boston. Two months later, Gage ordered the attack on Breed's Hill in the Battle of Bunker Hill, but that was too expensive. He had a large impact on this war. Thomas Gage died on April 2, 1787.
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Sources:
Hinman, Bonnie. Thomas Gage: British General. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002. Print.
Nelson, Paul David. "Gage, Thomas." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.
Hinman, Bonnie. Thomas Gage: British General. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002. Print.
Nelson, Paul David. "Gage, Thomas." World Book Student. World Book, 2016. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Marion Doss