Anthony Coningham Sterling
Encyclopedia
Colonel Sir Anthony Coningham Sterling KCB
(1805–1871) was a British Army
officer and historian
, author of The Highland Brigade in the Crimea.
Sterling, eldest son of Captain Edward Sterling
, by Hester, daughter of John Coningham of Derry
, was born at Dundalk
in 1805. John Sterling
was a younger brother.
After keeping some terms at Trinity College, Cambridge
, he was on 18 February 1826 gazetted Ensign
in the 24th Foot. From 21 March 1834 to 5 December 1843 he was a Captain
in the 73rd Foot, and was then placed on half-pay. He was on active service during the Crimean campaign
of 1854–5, first as brigade major
and afterwards as assistant adjutant-general
to the Highland division, including the battles of the Alma
, Balaklava
, and Inkerman
, and the siege of Sebastopol. He received the medal with four clasps, the order of the Legion of Honour
, the Turkish medal, and the fourth class of the Medjidie
.
On 17 October 1857 he sold his commission, retiring with the rank of Colonel
; but during 1858–9 he was again employed as military secretary to Sir Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
, in the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, and received a medal with clasp. In 1861 Lord Clyde accused Sterling of wilfully neglecting to insert the name of Colonel Pakenham in a list of persons recommended for reward by the bestowal of the KCB at the close of the mutiny. This led to many letters, which are given in Correspondence concerning Charges made by Lord Clyde against Sir Anthony Sterling, March 1861 (privately printed 1863). He was gazetted CB on 5 July 1855, and KCB on 21 July 1860.
He died at 3 South Place, Knightsbridge
, London
, on 1 March 1871, having married in 1829 Charlotte, daughter of Major-general Joseph Baird; she died on 10 April 1863.
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...
(1805–1871) was 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...
officer and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, author of The Highland Brigade in the Crimea.
Sterling, eldest son of Captain Edward Sterling
Edward Sterling
Edward Sterling was a British journalist.He had been called to the Irish bar, but, having fought as a militia captain at the Battle of Vinegar Hill, afterwards volunteered with his company into the line. On the break-up of his regiment he went to Scotland and took to farming at Kames Castle. In...
, by Hester, daughter of John Coningham of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, was born at Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
in 1805. John Sterling
John Sterling (author)
John Sterling , was a British author.He was born at Kames Castle on the Isle of Bute. He belonged to a family of Scottish origin which had settled in Ireland during the Cromwellian period...
was a younger brother.
After keeping some terms at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, he was on 18 February 1826 gazetted Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 24th Foot. From 21 March 1834 to 5 December 1843 he was a Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the 73rd Foot, and was then placed on half-pay. He was on active service during the Crimean campaign
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
of 1854–5, first as brigade major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
and afterwards as assistant adjutant-general
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
to the Highland division, including the battles of the Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
, Balaklava
Battle of Balaclava
The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Anglo-French-Turkish campaign to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russia's principal naval base on the Black Sea...
, and Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
, and the siege of Sebastopol. He received the medal with four clasps, the order of the Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, the Turkish medal, and the fourth class of the Medjidie
Medjidie
Medjidie or Mejidie is the name of a military and knightly order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdülmecid I.-Order of the Medjidie:...
.
On 17 October 1857 he sold his commission, retiring with the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
; but during 1858–9 he was again employed as military secretary to Sir Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde
Field Marshal Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde GCB, KSI was a British Army officer from Scotland who led the Highland Brigade in the Crimea and was in command of the ‘Thin red line’ at the battle of Balaclava...
, in the suppression of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, and received a medal with clasp. In 1861 Lord Clyde accused Sterling of wilfully neglecting to insert the name of Colonel Pakenham in a list of persons recommended for reward by the bestowal of the KCB at the close of the mutiny. This led to many letters, which are given in Correspondence concerning Charges made by Lord Clyde against Sir Anthony Sterling, March 1861 (privately printed 1863). He was gazetted CB on 5 July 1855, and KCB on 21 July 1860.
He died at 3 South Place, Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 1 March 1871, having married in 1829 Charlotte, daughter of Major-general Joseph Baird; she died on 10 April 1863.
Works
Sterling was the author of:- Russia under Nicholas I, a translation, 1841
- Letters from the Army in the Crimea, written by a Staff Officer, 1857
- The Story of the Highland Brigade in the Crimea, founded on Letters written during 1854, 1855, and 1856 by Lieut.-Col. A. Sterling, a Staff Officer who was there, 1895.