George Lewis (Royal Marines officer)
Encyclopedia
George Lewis, later remembered as Lieutenant General George Lewis CB, late Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines' Portsmouth
Division, was a career officer in the Royal Marines
, active during the Napoleonic Wars
and the War of 1812
.
He was born in Stoke Damerel (Devon), on May 2, 1774, and his death was reported from Plymouth (Devon) on September 14, 1854, by the December 1854 edition of The Gentleman's Magazine
.
He was the officer commanding the ship's complement of Marines on board HMS Caesar
during the Battle of Cape Ortegal
in November 1805; the concluding action of the Trafalgar Campaign
.
He first distinguished himself on shore whilst a Captain of Marines on HMS Hibernia
, at the start of the Peninsular War
. In July 1808, he disembarked at Figueira da Foz
in the mouth of the Mondego River in command of a Marine detatchment from the squadron, of upwards of 300 marines, in order to counter the French and to support the Portuguese.
He was present with several companies of Marines in the Netherlands from November 1813 to February 1814. This force was to become the third raiding Battalion
; a precursor to the Marine Commandos of the 20th century. As the officer commanding this battalion, he prepared the battalion for deployment to North America, and accompanied them.
During the War of 1812
, he participated in the Chesapeake campaign, and was present at the battles of Bladensburg
and Baltimore
, and the attack on Washington
. Illness necessitated his departure from that theatre of war in November 1814.
Brevet (Army List) Major
George Lewis was elevated to the honor of Companion of the Bath, CB
, following his return to England in 1815.
Lieutenant Colonel
and 2nd Commandant George Lewis, CB, of the Royal Marines
was promoted to Colonel Commandant
of the Portsmouth
Division on July 10, 1837, vice Colonel Commandant Harry Percival Lewis, retired.. Hart's 1850 Annual Army List shows George Lewis as a Major General on the Army list, having retired from the Royal Marines as a Colonel Commandant with full pay status.
He died in Stonehouse, Plymouth
in 1854.
(NB: the rank of LtCol & 2nd Cmdt, RM, was abolished, together with the rank of Major
, of the Royal Marines
in 1837. The "Lieutenant Colonels and Second Commandants" of 1832-37 became "Colonels and Second Commandants" after 1837, while senior Captain
s became elligible for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
in the Royal Marines
.
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Division, was a career officer in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, active 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...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
He was born in Stoke Damerel (Devon), on May 2, 1774, and his death was reported from Plymouth (Devon) on September 14, 1854, by the December 1854 edition of The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
.
He was the officer commanding the ship's complement of Marines on board HMS Caesar
HMS Caesar (1793)
HMS Caesar, also Cæsar, was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 16 November 1793 at Plymouth. She was designed by Sir Edward Hunt, and was the only ship built to her draught.-Battle of Algeciras Bay:...
during the Battle of Cape Ortegal
Battle of Cape Ortegal
The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
in November 1805; the concluding action of the Trafalgar Campaign
Trafalgar Campaign
The Trafalgar Campaign was a long and complicated series of fleet manoeuvres carried out by the combined French and Spanish fleets; and the opposing moves of the Royal Navy during much of 1805. These were the culmination of French plans to force a passage through the English Channel, and so achieve...
.
He first distinguished himself on shore whilst a Captain of Marines on HMS Hibernia
HMS Hibernia (1804)
HMS Hibernia was a 110-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Plymouth dockyard on 17 November 1804, and was the only ship built to her draught, designed by Sir John Henslow....
, at the start of 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...
. In July 1808, he disembarked at Figueira da Foz
Figueira da Foz
Figueira da Foz , also known as Figueira for short, is a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. It is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, 40 km west of Coimbra, and sheltered by hills ....
in the mouth of the Mondego River in command of a Marine detatchment from the squadron, of upwards of 300 marines, in order to counter the French and to support the Portuguese.
He was present with several companies of Marines in the Netherlands from November 1813 to February 1814. This force was to become the third raiding Battalion
Royal Marines Battalions (Napoleonic Wars)
Three battalions were raised from among the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars; seeing combat in Portugal, Northern Spain, the Netherlands and North America.-The First Battalion:...
; a precursor to the Marine Commandos of the 20th century. As the officer commanding this battalion, he prepared the battalion for deployment to North America, and accompanied them.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, he participated in the Chesapeake campaign, and was present at the battles of Bladensburg
Battle of Bladensburg
The Battle of Bladensburg took place during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C...
and Baltimore
Battle of Bladensburg
The Battle of Bladensburg took place during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C...
, and the attack on Washington
Burning of Washington
The Burning of Washington was an armed conflict during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America. On August 24, 1814, led by General Robert Ross, a British force occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following...
. Illness necessitated his departure from that theatre of war in November 1814.
Brevet (Army List) Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
George Lewis was elevated to the honor of Companion of the Bath, CB
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...
, following his return to England in 1815.
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and 2nd Commandant George Lewis, CB, of the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
was promoted to Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
Division on July 10, 1837, vice Colonel Commandant Harry Percival Lewis, retired.. Hart's 1850 Annual Army List shows George Lewis as a Major General on the Army list, having retired from the Royal Marines as a Colonel Commandant with full pay status.
He died in Stonehouse, Plymouth
Stonehouse, Plymouth
East Stonehouse is one of three towns that were amalgamated into modern-day Plymouth. West Stonehouse was a village that is within the current Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall...
in 1854.
Military promotions and distinctions
- Second LieutenantSecond LieutenantSecond lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
- H.M. Marine Forces, appointed on 23 April 1793 - First LieutenantFirst LieutenantFirst lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
- H.M. Marine Forces, 6 October 1794 - CaptainCaptainCaptain or The Captain is derived from the Greek word katepánō which was a senior Byzantine military rank and office.It may refer to:...
- H.M. Marine Forces, 1 October 1801- Brevet MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
- (Army List), 6 June 1813
- Brevet Major
- CBOrder of the BathThe 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...
, 2 January 1815
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
- Royal Marines, 28 September 1826 - "Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and Second Commandant" - Royal Marines, 16 April 1832
(NB: the rank of LtCol & 2nd Cmdt, RM, was abolished, together with the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, of the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
in 1837. The "Lieutenant Colonels and Second Commandants" of 1832-37 became "Colonels and Second Commandants" after 1837, while senior Captain
Captain
Captain or The Captain is derived from the Greek word katepánō which was a senior Byzantine military rank and office.It may refer to:...
s became elligible for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
.
- Colonel CommandantColonel CommandantColonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
Royal Marines, 10 July 1837- Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
- (Army List), 9 November 1846 - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
- (Army List), 20 June 1854
- Major General