George Monro (1700-1757) was a British Army lieutenant-colonel who unsuccessfully defended Fort William Henry against a French siege in 1757 during the French and Indian War.
Biography[]
George Monro was born in Clonfin, County Longford, Ireland in 1700, the son of George Munro, 1st of Auchinbowie. He joined the 35th Regiment of Foot in 1718 and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1750. The 35th Regiment was deployed to North America during the French and Indian War, and Monro found himself besieged at Fort William Henry in 1757. He was persuaded to surrender by Marquis Louis-Joseph de Montcalm after the British general Daniel Webb refused to send him reinforcements from Albany, and his garrison was allowed to keep its arms and colors as it left the fort. However, the Huron warrior Magua was given tacit approval by Montcalm to ambush and massacre the British, as Montcalm did not wish to fight the same army again as he drove on Albany. The Hurons killed 185 British soldiers, and Magua unhorsed Munro and cut out his heart as vengeance for the deaths of his daughters at the hands of the British and their Mohawk allies. Monro's daughters Cora and Alice Munro were taken captive by the Huron during the ensuing massacre.
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