Frederick Adam
Encyclopedia
General Sir Frederick Adam GCB
GCMG
(1781 – 1853) was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo
, in command of the 3rd (Light) Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam
and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone.
. He trained at the artillery school at the Royal Arsenal
, Woolwich
. In the same year he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and in 1796 he was promoted to second lieutenant.
He took part in the campaigns in the Netherlands and Egypt under Sir Ralph Abercromby
, he was promoted to the rank of major in 1803 and a lieutenant colonel in 1804. From 1806 to 1811 he was stationed on Sicily
. Between 1812 and 1813 he was in Spain
fighting in the Peninsular War
, where he was severely wounded at Alicante
. On 12 April 1813, while commanding the Light Brigade in John Murray's expeditionary force, Adam led a brilliant rearguard action against the corps of Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet
at Biar
. The following day, his 2/27th Foot battalion inflicted 350 casualties on Suchet's 121st Line Regiment during the Battle of Castalla
. He was wounded again in an action at Ordal on 13 September 1813.
's 2nd Division at the Battle of Waterloo
. At the crisis of the battle, Adam's 1/52nd (Light) Foot
performed a left-wheel to enfilade the flank of the French Imperial Guard's main attack while the British Guards engaged the head of the column. Under fire from two directions, the French Guardsmen put up a brief resistance then fled. After their unsuccessful attack on the British centre, the Guard rallied to their reserves of three (some sources say four) regiments, just south of La Haye Sainte
for a last stand against the British. But a charge from Adam's Brigade threw them into a state of confusion and those which were left retreated towards La Belle Alliance
. It was during this stand that Colonel Hugh Halkett
took the surrender of General Cambronne
.
The French Imperial Guard made a last stand in squares on either side of the La Belle Alliance
. General Adam's Brigade charged the square which was formed on rising ground to the (British) right of La Belle Alliance and again threw them into a state of confusion. The other square was attacked by the Prussians. The French retreated away from the battle field towards France. The French artillery, and everything else belonging to them, fell into the hands of the British and Prussians.
. His commissioning of the construction of public buildings on Corfu
were much appreciated by the local population. From 25 October 1832 to 4 March 1837 he was Governor of Madras and in 1846 he was promoted to general.
Incomplete list of military commands:
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...
GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1781 – 1853) was a Scottish major-general 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...
, in command of the 3rd (Light) Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam
William Adam (MP)
William Adam, KC was a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament and subsequently a Judge.-Biography:...
and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone.
Military career
At the age of fourteen in 1795, Frederick Adam entered the British ArmyBritish 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...
. He trained at the artillery school at the Royal Arsenal
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, originally known as the Woolwich Warren, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the British armed forces. It was sited on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England.-Early history:The Warren...
, Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
. In the same year he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and in 1796 he was promoted to second lieutenant.
He took part in the campaigns in the Netherlands and Egypt under Sir Ralph Abercromby
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
, he was promoted to the rank of major in 1803 and a lieutenant colonel in 1804. From 1806 to 1811 he was stationed on Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. Between 1812 and 1813 he was in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
fighting in 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 severely wounded at Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
. On 12 April 1813, while commanding the Light Brigade in John Murray's expeditionary force, Adam led a brilliant rearguard action against the corps of Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet
Louis Gabriel Suchet
Louis Gabriel Suchet, 1st Duc d'Albufera was a Marshal of France and one of Napoleon's most brilliant generals.-Early career:...
at Biar
Biar
Biar is a town in the comarca of Alt Vinalopó, province of Alicante, Spain. Biar lies at the foot of the Serra de Mariola and is located 39km from the city of Alicante.The economy in Biar is based on manufacture, particularly dolls, and pottery....
. The following day, his 2/27th Foot battalion inflicted 350 casualties on Suchet's 121st Line Regiment during the Battle of Castalla
Battle of Castalla
In the Battle of Castalla on 13 April 1813, an Anglo-Spanish-Sicilian force commanded by Lieutenant General John Murray, 8th Baronet fought Marshal Louis Gabriel Suchet's French Army of Valencia and Aragon. Murray's troops successfully repelled a series of French attacks causing Suchet to retreat....
. He was wounded again in an action at Ordal on 13 September 1813.
Waterloo
On 18 June 1815, Adam commanded the 3rd British Brigade in Henry ClintonHenry Clinton (Napoleonic Wars)
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH was a British Army officer and a general officer during the Napoleonic Wars.He came from a family of soldiers...
's 2nd Division 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...
. At the crisis of the battle, Adam's 1/52nd (Light) Foot
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
performed a left-wheel to enfilade the flank of the French Imperial Guard's main attack while the British Guards engaged the head of the column. Under fire from two directions, the French Guardsmen put up a brief resistance then fled. After their unsuccessful attack on the British centre, the Guard rallied to their reserves of three (some sources say four) regiments, just south of La Haye Sainte
La Haye Sainte
La Haye Sainte is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road. It has changed very little since it played a very important part in the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815...
for a last stand against the British. But a charge from Adam's Brigade threw them into a state of confusion and those which were left retreated towards La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance is an inn situated a few miles south of Brussels in Belgium.On the morning of June 18, 1815 the inn became Napoleon Bonaparte's headquarters for the Battle of Waterloo....
. It was during this stand that Colonel Hugh Halkett
Hugh Halkett
General Baron Hugh Halkett, GCH, CB, was a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars and later a general of infantry in the Hanoverian service.-Early career:...
took the surrender of General Cambronne
Cambronne
Pierre Jacques Étienne Cambronne, later Pierre, Viscount Cambronne , was a General of the French Empire. He fought during the wars of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Era. He was wounded at the Battle of Waterloo....
.
The French Imperial Guard made a last stand in squares on either side of the La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance
La Belle Alliance is an inn situated a few miles south of Brussels in Belgium.On the morning of June 18, 1815 the inn became Napoleon Bonaparte's headquarters for the Battle of Waterloo....
. General Adam's Brigade charged the square which was formed on rising ground to the (British) right of La Belle Alliance and again threw them into a state of confusion. The other square was attacked by the Prussians. The French retreated away from the battle field towards France. The French artillery, and everything else belonging to them, fell into the hands of the British and Prussians.
| Unit | Commander | Strength | Casualties |
| 3rd (Light) British Brigade | Major General Frederick Adam | 2,937 men | 698 |
| 1/52nd Regiment of Foot (Oxfordshire Light Infantry) 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars... |
Lt-Colonel Sir John Colborne John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:... |
1,130 | 199 |
| 1/71st Regiment of Foot (Highland Light Infantry) | Lt-Colonel Reyner | 936 | 202 |
| 2/95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles) | Major Norcott | 666 | 247 |
| 3/95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles) | . | 205 | 50 |
Later life
From 1817 to 1824, Adam continued his career in the army. Between 1824 and 1832 he was a popular Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian IslandsIonian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
. His commissioning of the construction of public buildings on Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
were much appreciated by the local population. From 25 October 1832 to 4 March 1837 he was Governor of Madras and in 1846 he was promoted to general.
Incomplete list of military commands:
- 1813 - commanded Anglo-Allied Light Brigade at Biar and Castalla.
- 1813 - commanded Anglo-Allied Advanced Guard at Ordal.
- 1815 - commanded 3rd (Light) British Brigade at Waterloo.
- 1829 - 1835 Colonel of 73rd Perthshire Regiment of Foot.
- 1835 - Colonel of 57th Foot who were stationed in India.
- 1843 - Colonel 21st Fusiliers.