Edward Paget
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Edward Paget GCB
(1775–1849) was a British Army
officer.
in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards
in 1792. He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Caernarvon Boroughs from 1796 to 1806.
He served in the British Army
during the Peninsular War
commanding the reserve at the Battle of Corunna
in 1809 and then conducting the advance to Oporto in 1809.
He was second in command under Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
in 1811 and was captured by French cavalry in 1812.
Briefly serving as the Governor of Ceylon in 1822, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief
, India on 13 January 1823 and conducted the Burmese campaigns of 1824 to 1825, relinquishing his role of as Commander-in-Chief on 7 October 1825. In 1826 he was appointed Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst. He was Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
from 1837 until 1849.
His eldest brother Henry William, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge (1768–1854), was in 1815 created Marquess of Anglesey and is best remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo
. The third eldest brother, Sir Arthur Paget
(1771–1840), was an eminent diplomat during the Napoleonic wars
, the fifth, Sir Charles Paget
(1778–1839), served with distinction in the navy, and rose to the rank of vice-admiral.
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Edward Paget GCB
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...
(1775–1849) 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.
Career
Born the fourth son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge, Edward Paget became a cornetCornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards
1st Regiment of Life Guards
The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated with the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards to form the Life...
in 1792. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Caernarvon Boroughs from 1796 to 1806.
He served in the 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...
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...
commanding the reserve at the Battle of Corunna
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
in 1809 and then conducting the advance to Oporto in 1809.
He was second in command under Arthur Wellesley, 1st 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...
in 1811 and was captured by French cavalry in 1812.
Briefly serving as the Governor of Ceylon in 1822, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
, India on 13 January 1823 and conducted the Burmese campaigns of 1824 to 1825, relinquishing his role of as Commander-in-Chief on 7 October 1825. In 1826 he was appointed Governor of the Royal Military College Sandurst. He was Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
from 1837 until 1849.
His eldest brother Henry William, 2nd Earl of Uxbridge (1768–1854), was in 1815 created Marquess of Anglesey and is best remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry at 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...
. The third eldest brother, Sir Arthur Paget
Arthur Paget (diplomat)
Sir Arthur Paget GCB, PC was a British diplomat and politician.-Family and early life:Arthur Paget was the third son of Henry Paget, 1st Earl of Uxbridge and his wife Jane Chamagné daughter of Arthur Chamagné, Dean of Clonmacnoise in Ireland. He was a younger brother of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess...
(1771–1840), was an eminent diplomat during 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...
, the fifth, Sir Charles Paget
Charles Paget (vice-admiral)
Vice Admiral Sir Charles Paget GCH Kt was a British sailor who also became a liberal politician and Member of Parliament.-Naval career:...
(1778–1839), served with distinction in the navy, and rose to the rank of vice-admiral.