Alexander Fraser, 17th Lord Saltoun
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Alexander George Fraser, 17th Lord Saltoun (22 April 1785 – 18 August 1853) KT
GCH
, KCB
, was a Scottish representative peer and a British Army
general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
and the First Anglo-Chinese War
.
He served with the grenadiers in Sicily, 1806, at Coruna, 1808, in Walcheren, 1809, and in Spain and France from 1812 to 1814. In 1815 Lord Saltoun commanded the Light Companies of the First Regiment of Guards (later the Grenadier Guards
) in the Orchard at Hougomont on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo
; and it Saltoun who, later in the day, first noticed the Imperial Guard emerge from the hollow where they had been hiding all day, and drew the Duke of Wellington
's attention to them. He was appointed a major-general in 1837 and commanded the first brigade in the Battle of Chinkiang
(1842) and afterwards the whole force until 1843. He was further promoted to lieutenant-general in 1849.
He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
(GCH) in 1821 and a Knight of the Thistle in 1852. He was a Scottish representative peer from 1807 until his death and a Lord of the Bedchamber
from 1821.
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
GCH
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
, KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, was a Scottish representative peer and a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and the First Anglo-Chinese War
First Opium War
The First Anglo-Chinese War , known popularly as the First Opium War or simply the Opium War, was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice...
.
He served with the grenadiers in Sicily, 1806, at Coruna, 1808, in Walcheren, 1809, and in Spain and France from 1812 to 1814. In 1815 Lord Saltoun commanded the Light Companies of the First Regiment of Guards (later the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
) in the Orchard at Hougomont on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
; and it Saltoun who, later in the day, first noticed the Imperial Guard emerge from the hollow where they had been hiding all day, and drew the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's attention to them. He was appointed a major-general in 1837 and commanded the first brigade in the Battle of Chinkiang
Battle of Chinkiang
The Battle of Chinkiang was fought between British and Chinese forces in Chinkiang, China, on 21 July 1842 during the First Opium War. It was the last major battle of the war. The British capture of this stronghold allowed them to proceed forward to Nanking....
(1842) and afterwards the whole force until 1843. He was further promoted to lieutenant-general in 1849.
He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
Royal Guelphic Order
The Royal Guelphic Order, sometimes also referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent . It has not been conferred by the British Crown since the death of King William IV in 1837, when the personal union of the...
(GCH) in 1821 and a Knight of the Thistle in 1852. He was a Scottish representative peer from 1807 until his death and a Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
from 1821.