CARLETON, GUY
Carleton, Guy
(September 3, 1724–November 10, 1808)
English General; Colonial Governor
T
he earnest, efficient Carleton was
among Britain’s ablest military leaders
during the American Revolution. His
adroit handling of an indifferent French
Catholic population, coupled with sound mili-
tary action against a serious invasion, pre-
served Canada as part of the British Empire.
He laid the seeds of Canada’s transformation
from a conquered French province into a
prosperous English colony.
Guy Carleton was born in Strabane, Ire-
land, on September 3, 1724, the son of Protes-
tant, landholding parents. His early exposure
to a large Catholic population there appar-
ently inoculated him against religious bias
and prepared him for events later in life.
Carleton joined the British army as an ensign
in May 1742, transferring to the elite First
Regiment of Foot Guards as a lieutenant
colonel nine years later. In this capacity he
ventured to America and fought at the siege
of Louisbourg under Sir Jeffrey Amherst in
- Shortly after, Carleton transferred as
lieutenant colonel of the 78th Regiment of
Foot and accompanied Gen. James Wolfe, a
personal friend, during the campaign against
Quebec. He fought bravely at the decisive bat-
tle on the Plains of Abraham on September
13, 1759, and was wounded. After recovering,
Carleton returned to Europe as an acting
brigadier general and performed well during
the siege of Belle Isle off the coast of France
in 1761. He was wounded again at Port Andro
shortly thereafter, gained promotion to full
colonel, served capably during the siege of
Havana in 1762, and was wounded a third
time. In recognition of his sterling service to
the Crown, and his marked administrative
abilities, Carleton became lieutenant gover-
nor of Quebec in September 1766. The follow-
ing year he advanced to full governorship.
Canada had only recently been captured
from France, and the inhabitants were only
sullenly cooperative. But Carleton played a
vital role in bringing this important territory
firmly into the British fold. Despite his Protes-
tant background, he entertained no prejudice
against the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic
population, and he took active measures to
protect their religious practices. This was
done over the protest of a small but vocal En-
glish community, who demanded preferential
treatment as in England. Carleton rather
wisely catered to the ruling provincial elites
of Quebec, carefully cultivating their friend-
ship. Thus, when he departed for England in
1770, he had secured the loyalty and coopera-
tion of the French-speaking upper classes and
the Catholic Church—no small feat in an age
of religious intolerance. Back home, Carle-
ton’s good conduct resulted in his promotion
to major general in 1772, but he continued
working vigorously on behalf of Canada. He
became a vocal proponent of the Quebec Act
of 1774, through which the English govern-
ment granted full recognition to the Catholic
faith, along with economic rights to the
French-speaking population of Canada. Fur-
thermore, this authority extended far beyond
the boundaries of Quebec and as far away as
the Mississippi Valley. The act served to fur-
ther shore up Canadian loyalties, but it set off
alarm bells in the largely Protestant American
colonies farther south, whose inhabitants
now believed the English government was
hatching a “Popish” plot against them. It was
the latest in a series of British official mis-
steps that helped hasten the onset of the
American Revolution. Carleton returned to
Canada in late 1774, where he was warmly
greeted, and the following spring he gained
appointment as governor of Quebec.
Carleton’s arrival coincided with the onset
of the American Revolution, which had been
brewing in the city of Boston. The British
commander there, Thomas Gage, felt his