RE-CAPTURE OF ST.JOHN'S - THE RECAPTURE OF ST.JOHN'S,NEWFOUNDLAND IN 1762 - AS DESCRIBED IN THE JOURNAL OF LIEUT.-COLONEL WILLIAM AMHERST

Sep 21, 2026

The text presents an edited 1928 account of the 1762 recapture of St. John’s, Newfoundland, drawing on the journal of Lieutenant-Colonel William Amherst, commander of the British expeditionary force. It provides biographical background on Amherst and related military figures, summarizing careers and key actions leading to the campaign. The narrative then contextualizes the broader European war backdrop and the strategic naval plans influencing operations in the region.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

THE RECAPTURE

THE EXPEDITION TO ST.JOHN'S,NEWFOUNDLAND

# RE-CAPTURE OF ST.JOHN'S NEWFOUNDLAND,-1762 JOURNAL OF LIEUT.COL.WILLIAM AMHERST STORAG E-ITEMMAIN LIBRARY LPA一A84D U.B.C.LIBRARY . # THE RECAPTURE OF # ST.JOHN'S,NEWFOUNDLAND IN 1762 AS DESCRIBED IN THE JOURNAL OF LIEUT.-COLONEL WILLIAM AMHERST,COMMANDER OF THE BRITISHEXPEDITIONARY FORCE. EDITEDBYJOHN CLARENCE WEBSTER PRIVATELY PRINTED 1928 LIEUT.-COLONEL WILLIAM AMHERST (From the original portrait by Reynolds,in the possession otLord Amherst of Montreal) SKETCH OF WILLIAM AMHERST William Amherst was born at Riverhead in the parish ofSevenoaks,Kent,about 1732.He was the son of Jeffery Amherstand Elizabeth Kerril,and was the youngest of four brothers whogrew to manhood.The eldest,Sackville,was named after LionelSackville,first Duke of Dorset,whose influence helped the Am-herst boys in their early professional careers.The second sonwas Jeffery,born in 1717;he had a long and distinguished careerin the army,and was Commander-in-Chief in America duringthe eventful years 1758-1763.John Amherst,about a yearyounger than Jeffery,served in the navy,and fought both atLouisbourg and Quebec;he died an admiral. William entered the army as an Ensign of the First Regi-ment of Foot Guards in 1755;he became a Lieutenant and Cap-tain in 1757;Lieut.-Col.and Deputy Adjutant-General in Am-erica,1759;Lieut.Col.in 1766;Colonel of the 32nd Regimentin 1775;Major-Gencral in 1777;Lieut.-Gen.in 1779.He ac-companied his brother Jeffery to Louisbourg in 1758,and after-wards served with him during the operations which terminatedin the capture of Montreal and the cession of Canada in 1760.His Journal describing the events of these years(1758-1760)isof great interest,and has recently been published by me. In 1762 he was sent from New York in command of a forceto attack the French who had taken St.John's,Newfoundland. After his return to England,he held various appointments—Lieut.-Governor of Portsmouth,Adjutant-General at Head-quarters,and aide-de-camp to the King.For a time he was amember of Parliament.In 1774 he was appointed Lieut.-Gov-ernor of Newfoundland,but declined to act.He married a MissPatterson,a celebrated London beauty.His son,William Pitt,succeeded to the peerage conferred on Jeffery Amherst,as thelatter left no children;this son had a distinguished career,hav-ing been sent as ambassador to China,and,afterwards,as Gov-ernor-General to India,being rewarded with an earldom. William Amherst died on May 13th,1781,and was buriedat Sevenoaks,near the grave of his brother John,who had diedin 1778. In 1781,the remaining brother erected a monument to thememory of his brothers in the Sevenoaks church,with the fol-lowing inseription:— They entered early into the military lineAnd served with ardour in their country's cause.The rank they obtained by their sovereign's favour Proved the merit of their public services,And was equally their honour and reward. Universally esteemed when living, Their death is sincerely lamented. In memory Of the unvariable and mutual affection of these brothers,Jeffery,Lord Amherst,Caused this monument to be erected in 1781. It was not until 1797 that Lord Amherst's body was laid be-side his brothers,whom he had so greatly loved during life. The Journal of William Amherst,which I now publish wasfound among the papers of Jeffery Amherst three years ago bythe late Lord Amherst,to whose great kindness I am indebtedfor the privilege of reproducing it. ALEXANDER,LORD COLVILLE ( -1770) The year of his birth,and the date of his first service at seaare not known.The first mention of him is as a Lieutenant inthe navy on the Mediterranean Station in 1743.He was thengiven command of a hospital ship,and in 1744 was made Cap-tain of the Dursley Galley.Before the end of this year he wasadvanced to the Leopard,50 guns.In 1746 he captured a Frenchvessel and destroyed eight others near Genoa.His career duringthe next few years is not known.In 1753 he was promoted tothe Northum

FAQs

What source does the book use to describe the 1762 recapture of St. John’s?

It describes events in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1762 as recorded in the journal of Lieutenant-Colonel William Amherst.

Who edited the journal account and when was it privately printed?

The journal was edited by John Clarence Webster and privately printed in 1928.

What historical conflict context is given before the expedition begins?

In January 1762, Great Britain declared war on Spain, with France preparing to join, shaping the strategic naval situation for operations.

Sep 21, 2026

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