She was named after Major General Montcalm who lost the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759.

She played a minor role in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 where she captured one Prussian sailing ship.

The Alma-class ironclads[Note 1] were designed as improved versions of the armored corvette Belliqueuse suitable for foreign deployments.

Unlike their predecessor the Alma-class ships were true central battery ironclads as they were fitted with armored transverse bulkheads.

[2] On sea trials, the engine produced 1,830 indicated horsepower (1,360 kW) and the ship reached 11.65 knots (21.58 km/h; 13.41 mph).

[4] Montcalm had a complete 150-millimeter (5.9 in) wrought iron waterline belt, approximately 2.4 meters (7.9 ft) high.

During the Franco-Prussian War, she captured the German barque Union in the North Sea and watched the Prussian corvette SMS Arcona in Portuguese waters.