January 25th, 1776

First National Memorial is ordered by Congress: January 25th, 1776

During an assault on Quebec on December 31, 1775, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery was killed. He, with Benedict Arnold, led an invasion of Canada in late 1775. They captured Montreal, but failed to take Quebec. Montgomery was one of the first American Revolutionary generals to die on the battlefield.

The Continental Congress in Philadelphia received word of Montgomery's death and voted to create a monument in Montgomery's memory. Jean Jacques Caffieri (King Louis XV's personal sculptor) was chosen by Benjamin Franklin to design and build the monument.

The monument was crafted in France and shipped to Edenton, North Carolina. It was kept there for several years. Congress originally intended to place it at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, but it was finally decided to place it in New York City. With the direction of Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant, it was placed beneath the columns at St. Paul's Chapel. George Washington attended church there while he was President of the United States. The monument can still be seen there today. Originally interred on the site of Montgomery's death in Quebec, Montgomery's remains were moved to St. Paul's in 1818.