George Monro (British Army officer)

George Monro (died 3 August 1757) was a British Army officer best known for his defense of Fort William Henry against a superior French force led by General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm in 1757 during the French and Indian War.

Monro was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 35th Regiment of Foot. He commanded the garrison at Fort William Henry, a strategically important post on the southern end of Lake George. In August 1757, Montcalm laid siege to the fort with a force of around 8,000 men, including French regulars, Canadian militia, and Native American allies. Monro's garrison numbered approximately 2,300 soldiers and militia.

Despite a spirited defense, Monro was hampered by a lack of reinforcements. General Daniel Webb, commanding the larger British force at Fort Edward to the south, refused to send substantial aid, fearing his own position would be compromised. After several days of bombardment and with dwindling supplies and mounting casualties, Monro surrendered Fort William Henry to Montcalm on August 9, 1757.

The terms of surrender guaranteed the British soldiers safe passage to Fort Edward, along with their arms and personal belongings. However, Montcalm's Native American allies, angered at not being allowed to plunder the fort, attacked the retreating British column. This massacre, often referred to as the Fort William Henry massacre, resulted in the deaths and capture of a significant number of British soldiers, women, children, and servants.

Monro was not present during the massacre. As per the terms of the surrender, he was taken to parole immediately after the capitulation. He died shortly thereafter, on August 3, 1757, allegedly from apoplexy brought on by the shock and stress of the siege and subsequent events.

His actions during the siege, particularly his determined defense in the face of overwhelming odds, earned him both admiration and criticism. Some viewed his surrender as a pragmatic decision given the circumstances, while others questioned his failure to anticipate and prevent the subsequent massacre. The events surrounding the siege and massacre at Fort William Henry have been fictionalized in James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans.