British Generals of the Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815 By: Ron McGuigan Introduction The Duke of Wellington The following are short, basic introductory biographies of many of the British Generals who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815. After the city was bombarded for several days, the Danes surrendered their fleet. It later served in North America. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect the exiled Charles II. In 1665, this regiment was combined with John Russell's Regiment of Guards to form the current regiment, known as the 1st Regiment of Foot . I would appreciate receiving At the end of May, 1797, the British Northe Sea fleet was so diminished (many vessels in port for repairs) that Admiral Duncan found himself blockading the port of Texel (and the whole Batavian fleet in it, under Vice-admiral de Winter) with only two ships, Venerable (74) and Adamant (50). In fact the secret of the success of the navy lay in two key areas: huge investment, both in money and manpower, irreplaceable experience in sea fighting. [17] British infantry were far better trained in musketry than most armies on the continent (30 rounds per man in training for example, compared with only 10 in the Austrian Army) and their volleys were notably steady and effective. [9] A large proportion of officers came from the Militia,[9] and a small number had been gentlemen volunteers, who trained and fought as private soldiers but messed with the officers and remained as such until vacancies (without purchase) for commissions became available. British regular infantry and artillery regiments formed the core of the East India Company army serving under the command of British general Lord Cornwallis. Here British and Nassau troops stubbornly defended the Hougomont buildings all day; the action eventually engaging a whole French Corps which failed to capture the Chateau. chief command of their department. Robert Calder, Egmont (74) Capt. [8] Seriously under-strength battalions might be dissolved, merged with other remnants into "Provisional battalions" or temporarily drafted into other regiments.[5]. The system of smuggling finished products into the continent undermined French efforts to ruin the British economy by cutting off markets. Spanish losses: 14 ships, including two 112s, one 80 and one 74, 5,000 dead, wounded and taken prisoner; British losses: 73 dead, 227 wounded, 5 ships very seriously damaged One unfortunate result however of this policy was that the criminals brought with them typhus, also known as Gaol fever, onto previously healthy ships! British losses ran to 73 dead and 227 wounded. In this theatre a British army under the command of the Duke of York formed part of an Allied army with Hanoverian, Dutch, Hessian, Austrian and Prussian contingents, which faced the French Republican Arme du Nord, the Arme des Ardennes and the Arme de la Moselle. This had an effective range of 100 yards, but fire was often reserved until a charging enemy was within 50 yards. Most British battalions carried flags known as "colours": the First, or "King's Colour", and the Second, or "Regimental Colour". Edward Foote, Bonne Citoyenne (20) Cdr Charles Lindsay, Raven (18) Cdr William Prowse, Fox (10) Lt. John Gibson, The Spanish fleet These developments, because they speeded up the turn around time for ships in the docks, put an end to the problem of excessive number of ships requiring refitting. Duncan left Yarmouth immediately. British regular regiments again formed part of the East India Company army, this time under the command of British general George Harris. During the autumn and winter, they forced the French defensive lines in the Pyrenees and crossed into France, winning the Battle of Nivelle, the Battle of Nive and the Battle of Orthez in February 1814. General Auchmuty mounted a second invasion of the region in 1807, capturing Montevideo. In 1803, Sir John Moore converted two regiments (the 43rd Foot and his own regiment, the 52nd Foot), to light infantry at Shorncliffe Camp, the new specialised training camp for light infantry. This was not entirely rigid, and most regiments had a significant proportion of English, Irish, Scots and Welsh together, except for certain deliberately exclusive regiments. The naval commander of the expedition, Admiral Home Riggs Popham then conceived the idea of occupying the Spanish Plate River colonies. Napoleon's Blackguards, a novel by Stephen McGarry, set in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars about the travails of an elite unit of Napoleon's Irish Legion. During the early war against the French, the British Army was bolstered by light infantry mercenaries from Germany and the Low Countries, but the British light infantry companies proved inadequate against the experienced and far more numerous French during the Flanders campaign, and in the Netherlands in 1799, and light infantry development became urgent.[19]. Unlike other armies of the time, the British did not use conscription to bolster army numbers, with enlistment remaining voluntary. The oldest of these was the 60th Regiment, which had originally been raised in 1756 for service in America, and which had long been composed primarily of Germans. Historian Jenny Uglow (2015) explores a multitude of connections between the Army and its support network, as summarized by a review of her book by Christine Haynes: There were three regiments of Foot Guards, each of which had 2 or 3 battalions. George Cockburn, Southampton (32) Capt. In 1805 British forces under the command of General James Craig were part of an Anglo-Russian force intended to secure the Kingdom of Naples. orders awarded to these generals nor have I indicated those who received Regimental tartans were worn but they were all derived from the Black Watch tartan. Initially the 1st Greek Light Infantry was formed,[36] then by 1812 The Duke of York's Greek Light Infantry Regiment[37][38] and in 1813 a second regiment composed of 454 Greeks 2nd Regiment Greek Light Infantry) which occupied Paxoi islands. Some regiments were raised specifically to serve overseas; the 19th and 25th (later the 22nd) Light Dragoons to serve in India, and the 20th to serve in Jamaica. [44] However, at the conclusion of the Peninsular War only those wives officially on the strength were allowed to return to Britain with their husbands, resulting in a large number of women and children abandoned in France, with no provisions or means of returning to their homes. The British budget in 1814 reached 66million, including 10million for the Navy, 40million for the Army, 10million for the Allies, and 38million as interest on the national debt. [citation needed], Officers also needed permission from their commanding officers to marry, and for their wives to accompany them, but they were not subject to quota, although restrictions might be made due to the officer's age or seniority.[45]. On 9 October, he received the information that the Batavian fleet had left the Texel. After 1801, there were slightly fewer then 70,000 French navy prisoners in British hands. Wells, Ardent (64), Captain R. Burgess, Veteran (64), Captain G. Gregory, Director (64), Captain W. Bligh, Monmouth (64), Captain J. Walker, Isis (50), Captain W. Mitchell, Adamant (50), Captain W. Hotham, Beaulieu (40), Captain F. Fayerman, Circe (28), Captain P. Halkett. Even when attacked by four boats simultaneously (Triumph, Ardent, Director and Venerable the latter coming back around to the other side), Vrijheid did not surrender until she had lost all three masts. The battle of Camperdown (Kamperduin), 11 October, 1797 187 2,300 15,000, These statistics come from civil engineer Robert Fultons book Torpedo War, and submarine explosions, New York: W. Elliot, 1810. Wellington's troops subsequently defeated French attempts to relieve their remaining fortresses in Spain. There were numerous delays, and the Austrians had already surrendered when the army sailed. After being disbanded during the Peace of Amiens, the regiment was reformed in 1803 from Corsicans and Italians (Italian was the main language spoken among Corsicans). The brigade was commissioned on 21 October 1799 on the Isle of Wight, after it had been organised by the Hereditary Prince of Orange who had been an allied commander during the Flanders Campaign of 179395. British troops and ships seized the island of Corsica, turning it temporarily into the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. Wellington's Army 1808-1814, Michael Glovers The Peninsular British regiments of infantry, artillery and cavalry once again formed the core of the Company army, this time under the command of British generals Gerrard Lake and Arthur Wellesley. Furthermore, the British sailors were renowned for their ability to perform repair work at sea. The Royal Corsican Rangers were formed in 1798 from among Corsican exiles on Menorca. any corrections to my errors and omissions or better additional information The British seizure of French colonies 1795, notably, Tobago, Santa-Lucia and Martinique, including influence over Saint-Domingue (and finally the taking of Trinidad in 1797) meant that British trade flourished for example, 14,334 merchant vessels with 1.437m tonnes of goods in 1792 grew to 16,552 vessels carrying 1.797m tonnes in 1802. Most notably, the docks in Portsmouth were refitted new wet and dry docks were excavated, and the docks themselves were drained using steam engines. The mutinies at Spithead (April) and The Nore (May), 1797 Officers generally wore silver or gold epaulettes (depending on regimental colours), with regimental badge to designate rank. Britain possessed the greatest industrial capacity in Europe, and its mastery of the seas allowed it to build up considerable economic strength through trade to its possessions from its rapidly expanding new Empire. [57] In France, the discipline of Wellington's British and Portuguese troops was far superior to that of the Spanish, and even that of the French, thanks to plentiful supplies delivered by sea. Driven by the terrible onboard conditions, the brutal punishments and increasingly infrequent pay, the sailors of the Royal Navy mutinied twice in 1797, once in April and then again in May, first at Spithead, off Portsmouth, and then at The Nore, a sand bank off the Kent coast in the Thames where the fleet usually anchored. © Fondation Napolon 2023 ISSN 2272-1800, http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/1797/Victory/index.html. The government reacted quickly and brutally, passing the Incitement to Mutiny Act (revoked only very recently), which made any act of disaffection in the armed forces an act of treason, and thus punishable by death. He too was forced off course by the winds and in fact (because of the fog and the sleepy Spanish watch) passed unnoticed through the Spanish fleet on the evening of 11 February to reach Jervis. [52] Wellesley was superseded in turn by two superiors, Sir Harry Burrard and Sir Hew Dalrymple, who delayed further attacks. Haiti was left to the insurgent armies. A man who entered the navy as a volunteer was given his shilling and two months pay in advance (using which he was supposed to provide himself with a hammock and some clothes). After the rebellion had already failed, a French expedition under General Humbert landed in the west of Ireland. [9] The Duke of York oversaw a reform of the sale of commissions, making it necessary for officers to serve two full years before either promotion or purchase to captain and six years before becoming a major,[10] improving the quality of the officers through the gained experience. 1 British Pound = 20 Shillings; 1 British Shilling = 12 Pence. 2 April, 1801, Battle of Copenhagen, British victory. Maratha forces were defeated decisively at Assaye and Delhi and further losses eventually compelled them to make peace. In 1808, once the British were allied to Portugal and Spain, they were able to concentrate their forces and capture the French possessions one by one; Cayenne and Martinique in 1809, and Guadeloupe in 1810. Ruth Mather explores the impact of this fear on literature and on everyday life. Vryheid (74), Vice-admiral de Winter, Jupiter (74), Vice-admiral Reyntjes, Brutus (74), Rear-admiral Bloys van Treslong, Staten-Generaal (74), Rear-admiral Story, Cerebus (68), Jacobson, Tjerk Hiddes de Vries (68), Zegers, Gelijkheid (68), Ruysen, Haarlem (68), Wiggerts, Hercules (64), Van Rysoort, Leyden (64), Musquetier, Wassenaer (64), Holland, Alkmaar (56), Kraft, Batavier (54), Souters, Beschermer (54), Hinxt, Delft (54), Verdoorn, Mars (44), Kolff, Monnikendam (44), Lancaster, Ambucade (32), Lieutenant captain Huys Heldin (32), Lieutenant captain LEstrille, The British They were armed with the Pattern 1796 light cavalry sabre, which was very sharply curved and generally used for cutting only. 1809-1814. In October, the army retreated to Portugal. There was no standardised supply for uniforms, and it was generally left to the regimental colonel to contract for and obtain uniforms for his men, which allowed for some regimental variation. A British and Spanish force under Beresford fought the very bloody Battle of Albuera, while Wellesley himself won the Battle of Sabugal in April, and the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro in May. For the first two years of the war, a small number of British regular units formed the hard core around which the Canadian militia rallied. A rebellion inspired by a secret society, the Society of United Irishmen, broke out in Ireland. When war resumed, Britain once again attacked the French possessions in the West Indies. Wellesley won the Battle of Vimeiro while reinforcements landed at nearby Maceira Bay. [32] Wellington in particular was highly unimpressed by the quality and intelligence of many of his cavalry officers. 19 February, 1794, British capture of San Fiorenzo, Corsica, by Lord Hood There was no formal command structure, and a variety of government departments controlled army units depending on where they were stationed; troops in Ireland were controlled by the Irish establishment, rather than the War Office in London, for example. ", Esdaile, Charles J. "[5] In Scotland however, a number of men enlisted due to the collapse of the weaving trade and came from skilled artisan or even middle-class households. The blade has slight warping.</p><p>Great for a wall hanger.</p><br /><p>Must be 18 to purchase. There were also several volunteer company-sized units of dragoons or rangers, and detachments of artillery. Volunteers were much appreciated and usually made the best crewmen, as the expression ran Better one volunteer than three pressed men. James Whitshed, Captain (74) Commodore Horatio Nelson, Capt Ralph Miller, Diadem (64) Capt. Guadeloupe was recaptured in 1796 by Victor Hugues, who subsequently executed 865 French Royalists and other prisoners.[48]. About 10,000 Americans found themselves impressed into service during the Napoleonic Wars. July 1795, Nelson took Elba Onlookers said that at the end of that battle the ships looked like they had never fought at all! When the War of 1812 broke out, six (later eight) battalions of Select Embodied Militia were formed for full-time service from among the militia or from volunteers. Their introduction allowed the rapid differentiation of sergeants and corporals from private soldiers. It consisted of three companies and between 1796 and 1803 served in the West Indies to man guns in forts there. $38.59 + $10.00 shipping . [18], A number of infantry regiments were newly formed as, or converted into, dedicated regular light infantry regiments. 24-25 July, 1797, action in Tenerife British attempt to seize a ship laden with silver anchored in the port. I have not listed all However, after a brief occupation the allied position became untenable with the news of the disastrous Austrian defeat at the Battle of Ulm. 4. officer in the peninsula but were Placed upon the staff or held the With a population of 16 million Britain was barely half the size of France with 30 million. George Towry, Excellent (74) Capt. From 1812, the uniforms of most of the remaining British cavalry changed, following French styles. Although the Royal Navy effectively disrupted France's extra-continental tradeboth by seizing and threatening French shipping and by seizing French colonial possessionsit could do nothing about France's trade with the major continental economies and posed little threat to French territory in Europe. The Batavians It consisted even when first transferred of soldiers of mixed nationalities, and later recruited from among prisoners of war and deserters from all over Europe. With the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793, the French Revolution became a contest of ideologies between the conservative, royalist Kingdom of Great Britain and its allies and radical Republican France. Many in the French government believed that isolating Britain from the Continent would end its economic influence over Europe and isolate it. War 1807-1814, and Stuart Reids Wellington's Army in the Peninsula 1795, French attempt to retake Corsica beatne off by the British Mediterranean fleet under Admiral Hotham loss of the ships of the line Censeur and a-Ira on the French side and the ship of the line Illustrious, on the British side Soldiers began, from 1800 onward, to receive a daily beer money allowance in addition to their regular wages; the practice was started on the orders of the Duke of York. 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