John Carden of Montreal and Quebec

The John Carden who died in Montreal in 1775 was a successful soldier who is mentioned in many records, but whose origins are not yet known.  I have been interested in him for many years and so has Mark Robinson who is hoping to publish a book about military Cardens.

I found this among  Sir Lionel Carden's papers at the library of the Society of Genealogists in London –

Frank Moore's Diary of the American Revolution.

An action with a party of rebels commanded by Colonel Ethan Allen in the
neighbourhood of Montreal.  The latter had formed a design to surprise and
take possession of that city in which a party of Royalists and some Indians
(commanded by Major Carden) went out and attacked them.  In the engagement
Major John Carden, a brave veteran late of the 60th Regt was mortally
wounded by Allen.  Presently after an encounter happened between him and Mr
Johnston.  Allen fired at him without effect and subsequently surrendered.
The Indians finding Mr Johnston had taken this famous leader proposed
sacrificing him to the memory of Major Carden and Mr Johnston had great
difficulty in saving his life.

Ethan Allen is of course an American folk hero, and Google has many references to him, though none mentions that he was nearly put to death for killing Major Carden.

Carden was apparently Assistant Quarter Master General at Montreal and a member of the Quebec Legislative Council.

He was praised in 1758 by General Wolfe (often a harsh judge) in the following words. Carden the American has a great deal of merit, but wants bread to eat.  He is an excellent fellow for the woods; I am sure of my intelligence and therefore wish the field mareschal [sic] would give him leave to serve the campaign with us, as he himself desired – five or six shillings a day for the campaign... He is bold, circumspect and more artful than his appearance bespeaks – has experience in the method of the American war beyond anybody that I can hear of; I hope we shan't lose such a subject so particularly adapted to this sort of work.  In the words of Mark Robinson he almost seems a prototype of James Fenimore Cooper’s literary creation, the backwoodsman Hawkeye, stories of whose adventures were set in these same Adirondack forests, during these same wars.

Mark has discovered that Carden was the father of two sons, John Carden and Hans Carden, both of whom also served as officers in the 60th and appear in, for instance Fortescue’s major work on the history of the British Army. I hear that Mark has managed to trace descendants of John Carden of Montreal living in the present-day USA.

 He must not be confused with Major Carden of Hanging Rock – see my 2009 post below, Admiral John Surman Carden and his father which includes a photograph of Mark.