Colin Campbell (politician)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell KCB
(1776 – 13 June 1847) was a British Army officer and colonial governor.
to join a vessel bound for the West Indies. He returned to Scotland to enter Moor's Navigation Academy in Perth but in December 1792 sailed for India as a midshipman.
Appointed a lieutenant in the Breadalbane Fencibles in February 1795, he transferred in 1799 to the 1st West India Regiment as an ensign, serving as a brigade-major on St Vincent
in 1800. On 21 Aug. 1801 Campbell entered the 35th Foot as a lieutenant and on 12 Feb. 1802 he joined the 78th Foot
, which was in India as part of the army of Colonel Arthur Wellesley
(who became the Duke of Wellington).
During the attack on Ahmadnagar on 8 Aug. 1803, Campbell so impressed Wellesley by his bravery under fire that he was made a brigade-major. Campbell, who was promoted captain on 9 Jan. 1805, returned to England as aide-de-camp to Lord Wellesley
, Arthur’s brother. He accompanied Arthur Wellesley on the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807 and was thanked by him in general orders. Acting successively as assistant adjutant general, assistant deputy quartermaster general, and assistant quartermaster general, he served with Wellesley in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War
, where he was delivered the despatch at the Battle of Vimeiro
, subsequently serving at the battles of Talavera, Vitoria
, Fuentes de Onoro
, Salamanca
, Badajoz
and Toulouse
. He was subsequently Wellington's commandant at headquarters at Waterloo
being, with Wellington, the only man on the general staff to escape the day uninjured.
On 2 Sept. 1808 Campbell became a major, on 3 May 1810 a lieutenant-colonel, and on 4 June 1814 a colonel. He received numerous British and foreign decorations, and on 2 Jan. 1815 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
. From 1815 until 1818 he remained on Wellington’s staff and lived at the latter’s residence in Paris, and between 1819 and 1825 he did duty with his regiment in England. On 27 May 1825 he became a major-general and on 28 June 1838 a lieutenant-general.
. His brother was Vice-Admiral Sir Patrick Campbell
. He married Jane Harnden, and they had four sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Arthur Wellington, was killed at the Battle of Badhowal Fort in the first Sikh War. His 3rd son, Frederick Archibald, was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy and his daughter Maria married the Hon Edmund Phipps, son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
and was the mother of ambassador Sir Constantine Phipps, father of ambassador Sir Eric Phipps
.
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...
(1776 – 13 June 1847) was a British Army officer and colonial governor.
Military career
In February 1792, at the age of 16, Campbell ran away from Perth AcademyPerth Academy
Perth Academy is a state comprehensive secondary school in the Scottish town of Perth. It was founded in 1760. The standard week at Perth Academy for students is Monday to Friday from 8.55am to 3.30pm, although this may differ for students taking part in any extra curricula activities. The...
to join a vessel bound for the West Indies. He returned to Scotland to enter Moor's Navigation Academy in Perth but in December 1792 sailed for India as a midshipman.
Appointed a lieutenant in the Breadalbane Fencibles in February 1795, he transferred in 1799 to the 1st West India Regiment as an ensign, serving as a brigade-major on St Vincent
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
in 1800. On 21 Aug. 1801 Campbell entered the 35th Foot as a lieutenant and on 12 Feb. 1802 he joined the 78th Foot
78th Regiment of Foot
The 78th Regiment of Foot was a Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line raised in late 18th Century Scotland for service against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.- History :The original 78th Foot was raised by the Earl of Seaforth in 1778...
, which was in India as part of the army of Colonel Arthur Wellesley
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...
(who became the Duke of Wellington).
During the attack on Ahmadnagar on 8 Aug. 1803, Campbell so impressed Wellesley by his bravery under fire that he was made a brigade-major. Campbell, who was promoted captain on 9 Jan. 1805, returned to England as aide-de-camp to Lord Wellesley
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, Arthur’s brother. He accompanied Arthur Wellesley on the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807 and was thanked by him in general orders. Acting successively as assistant adjutant general, assistant deputy quartermaster general, and assistant quartermaster general, he served with Wellesley in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, where he was delivered the despatch at the Battle of Vimeiro
Battle of Vimeiro
In the Battle of Vimeiro the British under General Arthur Wellesley defeated the French under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro , near Lisbon, Portugal during the Peninsular War...
, subsequently serving at the battles of Talavera, Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
, Fuentes de Onoro
Battle of Fuentes de Onoro
In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
, Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
, Badajoz
Battle of Badajoz (1812)
In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
and Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
. He was subsequently Wellington's commandant at headquarters at 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...
being, with Wellington, the only man on the general staff to escape the day uninjured.
On 2 Sept. 1808 Campbell became a major, on 3 May 1810 a lieutenant-colonel, and on 4 June 1814 a colonel. He received numerous British and foreign decorations, and on 2 Jan. 1815 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
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...
. From 1815 until 1818 he remained on Wellington’s staff and lived at the latter’s residence in Paris, and between 1819 and 1825 he did duty with his regiment in England. On 27 May 1825 he became a major-general and on 28 June 1838 a lieutenant-general.
Colonial administrator
- Governor of Nova ScotiaLieutenant-Governors of Nova ScotiaThe following is a list of the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia. Though the present day office of the lieutenant governor in Nova Scotia came into being only upon the province's entry into Canadian Confederation in 1867, the post is a continuation from the first governorship of...
, January 1834-1841. - Governor of Ceylon, 1841-1847.
Family
Fifth son of John Campbell of Melfort, a member of a cadet branch of the Dukes of Argyll. His mother was Colina, daughter of John Campbell of Achallader, whose mother Katherine was a daughter of Sir Ewen Cameron of LochielEwen Cameron of Lochiel
Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel was a Scottish highland chieftain, the 17th Chief of Clan Cameron.Macaulay called Ewen the "Ulysses of the Highlands". He was a man of enormous strength and size...
. His brother was Vice-Admiral Sir Patrick Campbell
Patrick Campbell (Royal Navy officer)
Vice-Admiral Sir Patrick Campbell, KCB was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who was distinguished by his service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
. He married Jane Harnden, and they had four sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Arthur Wellington, was killed at the Battle of Badhowal Fort in the first Sikh War. His 3rd son, Frederick Archibald, was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy and his daughter Maria married the Hon Edmund Phipps, son of Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave GCB, PC , styled The Honourable Henry Phipps until 1792 and known as The Lord Mulgrave from 1792 to 1812, was a British soldier and politician...
and was the mother of ambassador Sir Constantine Phipps, father of ambassador Sir Eric Phipps
Eric Phipps
Sir Eric Clare Edmund Phipps, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a British diplomat.-Family and early life:Phipps was the son of Sir Constantine Phipps, later British Ambassador to Belgium, and his wife Maria Jane...
.