Thomas Montagu Steele
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Thomas Montagu Steele GCB
, PC
(11 May 1820, Guilsborough
, Northamptonshire – 25 February 1890 Frimley Park, Farnborough
) was a British army officer.
, he attended Royal Military College Sandhurst before being commissioned as an ensign
in the 64th foot
in January 1838. Exchanging into the Coldstream Guards
on 20 July that year, he served as aide-de-camp
to the governor of Madras (1842–48) rose to lieutenant and captain in 1844 and captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1851. He then served as Lord Raglan and his successor's military secretary (1854–1855, apart from 5 July to 6 August 1855 when Thomas served as assistant adjutant general
- in that role he served at the battles of the Alma, , and , being mentioned in dispatches.
His rewards for his Crimean War
service were promotion to brevet colonel (1854) and aide-de-camp to queen Victoria (1855), appointment as a commander of the Order of the Bath (1855), the Order of the Mejidiye (third class), the Légion d'honneur
(fifth class), and the order of St Maurice and St Lazarus (second class). He married his first wife Isabel Fitzgerald in 1856 and, on her death 2 years later, he remarried in 1865 to the American Rosalie Malvina M'Carthy of New York. Steele rose further in rank before retiring to half pay on 24 November 1863. He then commanded the troops in the Dublin district (1 April 1872-31 March 1874), the Aldershot Division
(14 April 1875-30 June 1880) and the British forces in Ireland
(1880–85), finally retiring in 1887. He died in 1890 and was survived by his second wife.
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 Thomas Montagu Steele 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...
, PC
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
(11 May 1820, Guilsborough
Guilsborough
Guilsborough is a village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 660 people....
, Northamptonshire – 25 February 1890 Frimley Park, Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
) was a British army officer.
Life
As the eldest son of Major-General Thomas Steele and Elizabeth Montagu, second daughter of the fifth duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester
Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester , styled Viscount Mandeville until 1783, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician.-Background and education:...
, he attended Royal Military College Sandhurst before being commissioned as an 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 64th foot
64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 64th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was created as the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot in 1756, redesignated as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1758, and took a county title as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1782...
in January 1838. Exchanging into the Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
on 20 July that year, he served as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the governor of Madras (1842–48) rose to lieutenant and captain in 1844 and captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1851. He then served as Lord Raglan and his successor's military secretary (1854–1855, apart from 5 July to 6 August 1855 when Thomas served 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...
- in that role he served at the battles of the Alma, , and , being mentioned in dispatches.
His rewards for his Crimean War
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...
service were promotion to brevet colonel (1854) and aide-de-camp to queen Victoria (1855), appointment as a commander of the Order of the Bath (1855), the Order of the Mejidiye (third class), the Légion d'honneur
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...
(fifth class), and the order of St Maurice and St Lazarus (second class). He married his first wife Isabel Fitzgerald in 1856 and, on her death 2 years later, he remarried in 1865 to the American Rosalie Malvina M'Carthy of New York. Steele rose further in rank before retiring to half pay on 24 November 1863. He then commanded the troops in the Dublin district (1 April 1872-31 March 1874), the Aldershot Division
Aldershot Command
-History:After the success of the Chobham Manoeuvres of 1853, a permanent training camp was established at Aldershot in 1854 on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Hardinge...
(14 April 1875-30 June 1880) and the British forces in Ireland
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland
Commander-in-Chief, Ireland was title of the commander of British forces in Ireland before 1922.The role nominally is held by the President of Ireland today as the supreme commander of the Defence Forces.-Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland, 1700-1922:...
(1880–85), finally retiring in 1887. He died in 1890 and was survived by his second wife.
Ranks
- Ensign - 1838
- Lieutenant - 1844
- Captain - 1844
- Lieutenant-Colonel - 1851
- Brevet Colonel - 1854
- Major - 1860
- Lieutenant-Colonel - 1862
- Major-General - 1865
- Lieutenant-General - 1874
- Colonel of the Gloucestershire Regiment - 1874
- Full general - 1877
- Colonel in the Coldstream Guards - 1884
Honours
- commander of the Order of the Bath (1855)
- the Order of the Mejidiye (third class, c 1855)
- the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe 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...
(fifth class, c 1855) - the order of St Maurice and St Lazarus (second class, c 1855)
- KCBOrder 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...
(1871) - GCBOrder 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...
(1887)