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| Dominion of Canada July 1st 1870 Two Dollar Bill |
Dominion of Canada 2 Dollar Bill 1870
This was the highest denomination issued in the 1870 series, as $4 notes were not issued until 1882 and denominations of $5 and above were reserved for issuance by chartered banks.Obverse: Portrait of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm (1712 – 1759), a French Lieutenant General known for his command of French forces in North America during the Seven Years' War at right and portrait of Major General James Wolfe (1727-1759) at left. The central vignette on the $2 is a panoramic view of an Indian hunter watching a long passenger train traveling through hunting grounds with mountains in the distance.
"Progress" was a popular theme in nineteenth century America. This was usually represented by native Americans looking at "civilization" in the form of towns, railroads, and the like.
Signatures: W. Dickinson & Mr. F. D. Harington.
Reverse: Inscription - PAYABLE AT MONTREAL at center, flanked by face value in ornate guilloche.
Printer: British American Bank Note Company, Montreal & Ottawa.
Quantity Printed: 2066000.
Text: Authorised by 31 vie. Cap. 46 – The Dominion Of Canada – Will To Pay The Bearer Ottawa, July 1st 1870 – Two Dollars – British American BANK NOTE Co Montreal & Ottawa.
Dominion of Canada Banknotes
1870-1871 Issue
One Dollar 2 Dollars
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Grozon, marquis de Montcalm, in full Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Grozon, marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran (born Feb. 28, 1712, Candiac, France — died Sept. 14, 1759, Quebec), general who served as commander in chief of French forces in Canada (1756–1759) during the Seven Years’ War, a worldwide struggle between Great Britain and France for colonial possessions.
Montcalm joined the army as an ensign at age nine. His first war experience came in 1733 against the Austrians in the War of the Polish Succession (1733–1738).
In the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748) he distinguished himself during the defense of Prague (1742), and he was made colonel of his regiment at Auxerre in 1743. He again distinguished himself at the Battle of Piacenza (1746), where he received five sabre wounds and was taken prisoner. He was later exchanged. In 1747 he was raised to the rank of brigadier, with command of a cavalry regiment by the end of the war.
Montcalm had inherited his father’s titles and property in 1735. He now spent a few years with his family at Candiac. In 1756 he was placed in command of the French regular troops in North America, with the rank of major general; but his commission did not include authority over the greater part of military resources in Canada. He clashed with the governor general of the colony, the Marquis de Vaudreuil, and their animosity handicapped efficient military operations. Montcalm had early success as tactical commander against the British. In 1756 he forced the surrender of the British post at Oswego, thus restoring to France undisputed control of Lake Ontario. In 1757 he turned southward and captured Ft. William Henry, with its 2,500-man garrison; the victory was marred, however, by the slaughter of many English prisoners by the Native American allies of the French.
Montcalm’s greatest feat was at Ticonderoga (July 8, 1758), when, with about 3,800 men, he repulsed an attack by 15,000 British forces under Gen. James Abercrombie. British casualties amounted to nearly 2,000, compared with 377 for the French. The victory was largely a result of Abercrombie’s incompetence; nevertheless, Montcalm was promoted to lieutenant general and given authority over Vaudreuil in all military affairs.
In 1759 the British sent Gen. James Wolfe’s 8,500-man army against Quebec. Montcalm, with a total command of about 15,000 men, took up a defensive position on the banks of the Montmorency River and refused to be drawn into combat for two months. Wolfe finally effected a landing near Quebec by scaling the Plains (Heights) of Abraham, and Montcalm, without waiting for reinforcements, marched out of the city to meet the British forces (September 13), which were victorious. After fighting with conspicuous gallantry, Montcalm was mortally wounded while trying to rally his shattered army.
Major General James Wolfe
Major General James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army Officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Canada in 1759. The son of a distinguished general, Edward Wolfe, he had received his first commission at a young age and saw extensive service in Europe where he fought during the War of the Austrian Succession. His service in Flanders and in Scotland, where he took part in the suppression of the Jacobite Rebellion, brought him to the attention of his superiors. The advancement of his career was halted by the Peace Treaty of 1748 and he spent much of the next eight years on garrison duty in the Scottish Highlands. Already a brigade major at the age of eighteen, he was a lieutenant-colonel by the age of twenty-three.
The outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756 offered Wolfe fresh opportunities for advancement. His part in the aborted raid on Rochefort in 1757 led William Pitt to appoint him second-in-command of an expedition to capture the Fortress of Louisbourg. Following the success of the Siege of Louisbourg he was made commander of a force which sailed up the Saint Lawrence River to capture Quebec City. After a long siege Wolfe defeated a French force under Marquis de Montcalm allowing British forces to capture the city. Wolfe was killed at the height of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham due to injuries from three musket balls.
Wolfe's part in the taking of Quebec in 1759 earned him posthumous fame, and he became an icon of Britain's victory in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion. He was depicted in the painting The Death of General Wolfe, which became famous around the world. Wolfe was posthumously dubbed "The Hero of Quebec", "The Conqueror of Quebec", and also "The Conqueror of Canada", since the capture of Quebec led directly to the capture of Montreal, ending French control of the country.
Canadian 2 Dollar Bills
Dominion of Canada 2 Dollar Bill 1870 Louis-Joseph de Montcalm & Major General James Wolfe