Home > George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend

Townshend served as a brigadier in Quebec, under General James Wolfe; when the latter died, and his second-in-command ( Robert Monckton ) was wounded, Townshend took command of the British forces during the siege of Quebec. He received Quebec City's surrender on September 18, 1759. However, he held Gen. Wolfe in much contempt, and was harshly criticized upon his return to Great Britain for that reason (Wolfe was a popular hero throughout the country). Nonetheless, Townshend became a field marshal on July 30, 1796.