Editing Frederick Haldimand

{{Short description|British Army general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = Sir
|name = Frederick Haldimand
|honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Bath|KB]]
|image = Sir Frederick Haldimand by Sir Joshua Reynolds.jpg
|caption=Portrait by [[Joshua Reynolds]], {{circa}} 1778
|order =
|office = [[List of Governors General of Canada#Governors of the Province of Quebec, 1760–1786|Governor of Quebec]]
|term_start = 1778
|term_end = 1786
|lieutenant =
|predecessor = [[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton]]
|successor = Guy Carleton
|monarch = [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]]
|birth_name = François Louis Frédéric Haldimand
|birth_date = {{birth-date|11 August 1718}} 
|birth_place = [[Yverdon]], [[Old Swiss Confederacy|Switzerland]]
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1791|6|5|1718|8|11|df=y}}
|death_place = Yverdon, Switzerland
|serviceyears  = 1740–1786
|allegiance    = {{flag|Prussia|1701}}<br>{{flag|Dutch Republic}}<br>{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
|rank          = [[Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant general]] ([[British Army]])
|commands      = Military governor of [[Trois-Rivières, Quebec]]<br>Military command of [[East Florida|East]] and [[West Florida]]<br>acting [[Commander-in-Chief, North America]]<br>[[Colonel commandant]], [[Royal American Regiment]]
|battles       = 
{{tree list}}
* [[War of the Austrian Succession]]
* [[French and Indian War]]
** [[Battle of Carillon]]
** [[Montreal Campaign]]
*** [[Battle of the Thousand Islands]]
* [[American War of Independence]]
{{tree list/end}}
|party =
|spouse =
|profession = 
|signature = Signature of Frederick Haldimand (1718–1791).png
}}

'''Sir Frederick Haldimand''', [[Order of the Bath|KB]] (born '''François Louis Frédéric Haldimand''';<ref name=HDS>{{HDS|23759|Frédéric Haldimand|author=Lucienne Hubler}}</ref> 11 August 1718 &ndash; 5 June 1791) was a Swiss military officer best known for his service in the [[British Army]] in [[North America]] during the [[Seven Years' War]] and the [[American Revolutionary War]].  From 1778 to 1786, he served as Governor of the [[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Province of Quebec]], during which time he oversaw military operations against the northern frontiers in the war, and engaged in ultimately fruitless negotiations to establish the independent [[Vermont Republic]] as a new British province.  His administration of Quebec was at times harsh, with the detention of numerous political dissidents and agitators.

==Early life and career==
Haldimand was born in [[Yverdon-les-Bains|Yverdon]], [[Vaud]], Switzerland on 11 August 1718.<ref name=HDS/> He was the second of four sons of François Louis Haldimand, a [[notary]] and civil servant, and Marie-Madeleine de Treytorrens.<ref name=HDS/><ref name="Sutherland"/> His grandfather, Gaspard [[Haldeman|Haldimand]], was a cooper who moved from [[Thun]] to Yverdon in 1671.<ref name="Sutherland"/> Haldimand received only a limited education and became interested in the military at an early age.<ref name="Sutherland"/>

In 1740, Haldimand joined the [[Prussian Army]] as [[Swiss mercenaries|a mercenary]].<ref name=HDS/><ref name="Sutherland"/> During the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] he fought at the [[Battle of Mollwitz]], and probably also saw action at [[Battle of Hohenfriedberg|Hohenfriedberg]] and [[Battle of Kesselsdorf|Kesselsdorf]].<ref name="Sutherland"/>  He next joined the [[Swiss Guards]] of the [[Dutch States Army]] in 1748, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1750.<ref name=HDS/> There he formed a friendship with [[Henry Bouquet]], another Swiss mercenary, with whom he would serve in the [[British Army]].<ref name="Sutherland">[[#Sutherland|Sutherland]]</ref>

==French and Indian War==
In 1755, as the [[Seven Years' War]], whose North American [[theater (warfare)|theater]] is also known as the [[French and Indian War]], was in its early stages, Haldimand and Bouquet joined a British regiment composed of German and Swiss men recruited at first from the armies of Europe, but then also from German-speaking settlers in North America. The formation of the regiment, known as the [[King's Royal Rifle Corps|Royal American]], took two years and was beset by culture clashes with the rest of the British Army. However, Haldimand and Bouquet earned the respect of the British military establishment with their dedicated professionalism.<ref name="Sutherland"/>

While Haldimand's battalion was sent to [[Siege of Louisbourg (1758)|Louisbourg in 1758]], Haldimand himself served under General [[James Abercrombie (British Army general)|James Abercrombie]] at the disastrous [[Battle of Carillon]] at which he suffered minor wounds.<ref name="M17_21">[[#McIlwraith|McIlwraith (1905)]], pp. 17–21</ref> 

After spending the winter in command of the forward British position at [[Fort Edward, New York|Fort Edward]], he was made second in command on the 1759 expedition of [[John Prideaux (British Army officer)|John Prideaux]] against [[Fort Niagara]] and was placed in charge of the key supply and communication point at [[Oswego, New York]], where he oversaw the construction of [[Fort Ontario]].

When Prideaux was killed early during the [[Battle of Fort Niagara]], Haldimand went to assume command of the operation, but [[Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet|William Johnson]], the Indian agent on the expedition who took over, refused to relinquish control. Haldimand returned to Oswego, where he remained throughout the winter.<ref name="Sutherland"/> 

In 1760, he joined General [[Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst|Jeffery Amherst]]'s army as it descended the [[Saint Lawrence River]], and was the officer who formally [[Montreal Campaign|took control of Montreal]] on September 8 following the French surrender.<ref name="Sutherland"/> He was given the responsibility for working with the outgoing French leadership as they prepared to depart for France, serving first under Amherst and then under General [[Thomas Gage]].<ref name="M39_40">[[#McIlwraith|McIlwraith (1905)]], pp. 39–40</ref>

In 1762, Amherst promoted him to colonel and temporarily gave him the military governorship of [[Trois-Rivières, Quebec|Trois-Rivières]] while its governor, [[Ralph Burton (British Army officer)|Ralph Burton]], was called to serve in the Caribbean.<ref name="Sutherland"/> At Trois-Rivières, he oversaw the development of the ironworks at nearby Saint Maurice and arranged for his nephew [[Peter Frederick Haldimand]] to serve under [[James Murray (Quebec governor)|James Murray]], the military governor of [[Quebec City]].{{cn|date=January 2023}}

==Pre-American Revolution years==
In 1764, the province of Quebec was turned over to a civil administration, and Haldimand's role was reduced to that of a troop commander.<ref name="Sutherland"/>  Denied leave to return to Europe, he remained in Quebec until 1765, when his command was merged into another.  He traveled to [[New York City|New York]] with the intention of returning to Europe, but the death of his friend Bouquet led to his promotion to brigadier general and assignment to Bouquet's post as military head of the Southern Department, with responsibility for military affairs in [[East Florida|East]] and [[West Florida]].<ref name="Sutherland"/>  He remained in this post, which he characterized as "the most disagreeable" of his life, until 1773.  Despite good relations with the civil governors, he had ongoing problems with supply and funding, and the high cost of living there put him into debt.  He was promoted to [[colonel commandant]] of the Royal American in 1772, and received a pro forma promotion to major general later that year.<ref name="Sutherland"/>

==American Revolution and American Revolutionary War==
General Gage called Haldimand to New York in 1773 to temporarily act as [[Commander-in-Chief, North America|commander-in-chief of North America]] while he went to England on leave.  While Haldimand's command was uneventful, the political climate in the provinces noticeably declined, and he carefully resisted bringing troops in conflict with the population by refusing to get involved in the jurisdictional disputes over the [[New Hampshire Grants]] and refusing to protect tea shipments after the [[Boston Tea Party]] unless specifically requested to do so.

When Gage returned to [[Boston]] in 1774, Haldimand remained in command of the troops in New York, which Gage ordered to Boston in September 1774 in the wake of the colonial uprising known as the [[Powder Alarm]]. While Gage was primarily occupied with his duties as Governor of Massachusetts, Haldimand commanded the army in Boston although Gage did not notify him of the expedition that led to the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]] on April 19, 1775. With the arrival additional military leadership in Boston after that event, Haldimand was advised that his status as a foreigner made it inappropriate for him to exercise command in what was viewed as an internal civil conflict. He sailed from Boston in June 1775 (one day before the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]]), and arrived in London in August.<ref name="Sutherland"/>

===Governor of Province of Quebec===
[[File:Sir Frédéric Haldimand IMG 3180.JPG|thumb|Haldimand as Governor of Quebec, c. 1783]]
Haldimand became Governor of the [[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Province of Quebec]] (which at the time included what is now [[Ontario]]) in 1778,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11867|page=1|date=21 April 1778}}</ref> and served through the [[American Revolution]]. Haldimand built up Quebec's defenses in reaction to repeated rumors of American plans to again invade the province and limited offensive actions to raiding parties such as the [[Carleton's Raid (1778)|1778 raid]] by [[Christopher Carleton]] and the 1780 "[[Burning of the Valleys (American Revolution)|Burning of the Valleys]]" into the rebellious [[United States|American]] colonies. As an administrator, he at times dealt harshly with political activists by arresting [[Fleury Mesplet]] and [[Valentin Jautard]], publishers of a literary journal that often featured political commentary, and [[Pierre du Calvet]], an agitator for judicial reforms.<ref name="Sutherland"/>

In 1781, Haldimand's efforts on behalf of the British cause included engaging in negotiations with political representatives of the [[Vermont Republic]], which had declared its independence from the state of New York in 1777 after long-standing disputes over jurisdiction.  These negotiations, which are sometimes called the [[Haldimand Affair]] because of his participation, involved brothers [[Ira Allen|Ira]] and [[Ethan Allen]], and were promoted to see if Vermont could be convinced to become a new British province, which would then provide a new avenue for attack against the southern portions of New York and [[New England]].<ref name="Sutherland"/> The negotiations had reached the point that Haldimand believed Vermont was almost ready to admit British troops when news of the [[Siege of Yorktown|surrender at Yorktown]] arrived.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

As the revolution came to an end by the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)]], Haldimand helped settle American [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]] refugees, who became known as [[United Empire Loyalists]], many in territories that are now in [[New Brunswick]] and [[Ontario]].<ref name=HDS/><ref name="Sutherland"/>

He and [[Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Johnson]], his Superintendent of Indian Affairs, also helped settle the [[Iroquois]] who had been driven out of New York during the war by issuing what is now known as the [[Haldimand Proclamation]], which awarded them a tract of land on the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] in what is now known as Ontario's [[Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation|Six Nations reserve]].<ref name=HDS/>

==Later life==
In the summer of 1784, Frederick Haldimand returned to England, on leave, but he was not to return to Quebec, as he was formally replaced by General Carleton in 1786. In 1785, he was awarded the [[Order of the Bath]]. He settled in [[London]], but made regular visits to his hometown of Yverdon, where he died, on 5 June 1791, while on one of his visits.<ref name=HDS/> 

Haldimand never married, and in his will he left all his property to his nephew Anthony Francis Haldimand, father of future MP and director of the [[Bank of England]] [[William Haldimand]].<ref name="Sutherland"/>

==Legacy==
[[File:23-02-119-haldimand.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Haldimand at [[Castillo de San Marcos]]]]

Haldimand created and preserved a great deal of written correspondence, especially during his time in North America.   As his military and administrative assignments ranged from [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] to [[Quebec]] and covered the years 1755 to 1784, this correspondence, much of it deposited in the [[Haldimand Collection]] at the [[British Museum]] (with copies at the [[Library and Archives Canada]]), provides a unique view into the colonial history leading to United States independence.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Haldimand has been memorialized with several place names in North America:
* in Canada:
** [[Haldimand County, Ontario]]; and Fort Haldimand at the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] in [[Kingston, Ontario]], the latter named after him in 1949.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11332 |title= Royal Military College of Canada Building 31|work= Canada's historic places|publisher= [[Parks Canada]]|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref>
** Haldimand River in [[Prince Edward Island]]<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= BABGW|title= Haldimand River|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref>
** Haldimand Beach (''Plage Haldimand'' in French),<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= EGPMS|title= Plage Haldimand|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref> Cape Haldimand (''Cap Haldimand'')<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= EGPMR|title= Cap Haldimand|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref> and the unincorporated places of Haldimand East<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= EKRUB|title= Haldimand East|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref> and Haldimand West,<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= EKRUD|title= Haldimand West|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref> all four near the town of [[Gaspé, Quebec|Gaspé]], [[Quebec]];
** Haldimand Cliff (''Falaise Haldimand'') on [[Brion Island]] in the [[Magdalen Islands]] [[archipelago]] in Quebec<ref>{{cite cgndb|id= EPOUF|title= Falaise Haldimand|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref>
* in the United States:
** Haldimand Bay is the main harbor all boats enter to land at [[Mackinac Island, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite gnis|id= 2359972|name= Haldimand Bay|access-date= 2011-07-08}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book|title=Sir Frederick Haldimand|first=Jean Newton|last=McIlwraith|ref=McIlwraith|publisher=Morang|year=1905|oclc=13339514|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5HUOAAAAYAAJ}}
* {{cite DCB |first1=Stuart R. J.|last1=Sutherland|last2=Tousignant |first2=Pierre |last3=Dionne-Tousignant |first3=Madeleine |title=Haldimand, Frederick |volume=5 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/haldimand_frederick_5E.html |accessdate=2009-07-31 |ref=Sutherland}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060328035740/http://www.fortklock.com/hhahaldimand.htm Sir Frederick Haldimand: His Influence on the Mohawk Valley]
*[http://www.mackinacisland.org Mackinack Island, location of Haldimand Bay]
*[https://archive.today/20130628054143/http://www.lib.unb.ca/collections/loyalist/seeOne.php?id=438&string= The Loyalist Collection — University of New-Brunswick]
*Archives of Frederick Haldimand [https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=100668&lang=eng (Sir Frederick Halminand collection, R7255)] are held at [[Library and Archives Canada]]


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{{succession box|title=[[Governor General of Canada|Governor General of British North America]] | before=[[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Sir Guy Carleton]]|after=[[Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|The Lord Dorchester]]|years=1778&ndash;1786}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Haldimand, Frederick}}
[[Category:1718 births]]
[[Category:1791 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Yverdon-les-Bains]]
[[Category:Swiss mercenaries]]
[[Category:18th-century Swiss military personnel]]
[[Category:Swiss emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Governors of the Province of Quebec (1763–1791)]]
[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:British Army lieutenant generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the French and Indian War]]
[[Category:Prussian Army personnel]]
[[Category:People of the War of the Austrian Succession]]
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:Royal American Regiment officers]]