Daniel Webb (British Army officer)

Lieutenant General Daniel Webb (died 11 November 1773) was a British Army general made famous for his actions during the French and Indian War.

He purchased a commission as ensign on 20 March 1720. He was promoted to the majory of the Eighth Horse, in 1742, and served at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743. In April 1745 he was promoted lieutenant colonel of the regiment, and served at the Battle of Fontenoy. He was promoted to colonel of the 48th Regiment of Foot in 1755.

Seven Years War

Webb sailed to North America as a subordinate of Lord Loudoun who was travelling to become Commander-in-Chief of Britain's American colonies. Webb is best remembered for his role in the operations around Lake George in 1757, which culminated in the Battle of Fort William Henry. Believing a French deserter's report that the French army of General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm was 11,000 men strong,^[1] Webb refused to send any of his estimated 1,600 men north to relieve the besieged garrison at Fort William Henry, since they were all that stood between the French and Albany.^[2] General Webb was recalled because of his actions; the influential British Indian agent William Johnson later wrote that Webb was "the only Englishman [I] ever knew who was a coward."^[3] In James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans, Webb is portrayed as a minor character most noteworthy for declining to send adequate support to Fort William Henry.

He obtained the rank of major-general in 1759 and lieutenant-general in 1761. He died in 1773.^[4]

Notes

1. Nester, pp. 57–58
2. Nester, p. 57
3. Starbuck, p. 14
4. Richard Cannon, ed. A. Cuningham Robertson, Historical Record of the King's, Liverpool Regiment of Foot (London, 1883) p. 268

References

• Nester, William R (2000). The First Global War: Britain, France, and the Fate of North America, 1756–1775. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-96771-0. OCLC 41468552.
• Starbuck, David (2002). Massacre at Fort William Henry. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. ISBN 978-1-58465-166-6. OCLC 47746316.