Charles Stuart (general)
Encyclopedia
Colonel Sir Charles Stuart, KB
(January 1753 – 25 May 1801) was a British nobleman and soldier. The fourth son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
and Mary Wortley Montagu
, he was born in Kenwood House
, London
.
He had several notable brothers and sisters, including John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute
(1744–1814); The Most Rev. and Hon. William Stuart
(1755–1822), a clergyman who became Archbishop of Armagh, and James Archibald Stuart (1747–1818), another soldier who raised the 92nd Regiment of Foot
in 1779. His sisters were Lady Louisa Stuart
(1757–1851), a writer who died unmarried, Lady Mary Stuart (c. 1741–1824), who married James Lowther
, later the 1st Earl of Lonsdale
; Lady Anne Stuart (born c. 1745), who married Lord Warkworth
, later the 2nd Duke of Northumberland
; Lady Jane Stuart (c. 1748–1828), who married George Macartney
, later the first Earl Macartney; and Lady Caroline Stuart (before 1763–1813), who married The Hon. John Dawson, later first Earl of Portarlington
.
in the 37th Regiment of Foot. He purchased a lieutenant
cy in the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers)
in 1770 and a captaincy
in the 37th Foot in 1775. Late that year, he became a major
commanding a battalion of the regiment, and saw service in the American War of Independence. In 1777, he was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel of the 26th Regiment of Foot
, which he commanded until 1779.
On a visit home to England, he married Anne Louisa Bertie, daughter of Lord Vere Bertie, on 19 April 1778. He returned briefly to America, before coming back to London
as a liaison to the ministry. A harsh critic of the Army's conduct, he was, however, highly favored by General George Clinton
. His two sons were born after his return from America:
He was promoted to colonel
in 1782, but his criticisms and the disfavor of George III towards his father prevented further military commands. He had been elected MP for Bossiney
in 1776, succeeding his elder brother Lord Mount Stuart, who had been created Baron Cardiff. Stuart continued an MP for the remainder of his life, except the years 1794–1796, but showed little interest in politics. In 1792, on the death of his father, he inherited the estate of Highcliffe
House in Hampshire
.
With the opening of hostilities against France by the First Coalition
, he returned to active service. On 23 May 1794, he took command of the army in Corsica
, and supervised the taking of Calvi
(the action in which Horatio Nelson lost an eye). Col. John Moore was at the time his adjutant general
. Stuart was promoted to lieutenant-general for this action, and on 24 October 1794, was made colonel of the 68th Regiment of Foot. However, his pride and violent temper led him to quarrel with Lord Hood
, commanding the Mediterranean Fleet, and with the civilian viceroy of Corsica, Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bt
. His partiality for Pasquale Paoli
against Elliot, and other conflicts, led Stuart to resign in February 1795. On 25 March 1795, he left the colonelcy of the 68th for that of the 26th Regiment of Foot
, which he held for the remainder of his life.
in January 1797 to defend Lisbon
, and was notably successful in instilling discipline and spirit into the force, which was partly foreign in composition.
with 3,000 men, an appointment heartily approved by Lord St Vincent
, who praised Stuart as an excellent general and inspiring leader of troops. Though unequipped with siege artillery, he successfully dissimulated and bluffed the Spaniards into surrendering the island without loss of life, an exploit for which he was made a Knight of the Bath
. From 15 November 1798 until 1800, he served as the British governor of the island. In March 1799, he responded to an appeal by Admiral Nelson (who, like St Vincent, thought him an excellent leader), and brought the 30th and 89th Regiments
under Col. Blayney to Palermo
, from whence they were dispatched to secure Messina against French invasion.
An able general and administrator, Stuart's quarrelsome disposition and tendency toward insubordination blighted an otherwise promising military career.
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...
(January 1753 – 25 May 1801) was a British nobleman and soldier. The fourth son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute KG, PC , styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723, was a Scottish nobleman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain under George III, and was arguably the last important favourite in British politics...
and Mary Wortley Montagu
Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute
Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute and 1st Baroness Mount Stuart was the daughter of Edward Wortley-Montagu and Lady Mary Pierrepont ....
, he was born in Kenwood House
Kenwood House
Kenwood House is a former stately home, in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. It is managed by English Heritage.-History:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
He had several notable brothers and sisters, including John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute
John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute
John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, PC, FRS was a British nobleman.He was the son of the 3rd Earl of Bute and the former Mary Wortley Montagu, a granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull and great-granddaughter of the 1st Earl of Sandwich...
(1744–1814); The Most Rev. and Hon. William Stuart
William Stuart
William Stuart may refer to:*Lord William Stuart, naval commander, MP for Cardiff*Hod Stuart, William "Hod" Stuart", Canadian ice hockey player*William Corwin Stuart , U.S...
(1755–1822), a clergyman who became Archbishop of Armagh, and James Archibald Stuart (1747–1818), another soldier who raised the 92nd Regiment of Foot
92nd Regiment of Foot
92nd Regiment of Foot may refer to:* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1760–1763* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1779–1783* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1793–1795...
in 1779. His sisters were Lady Louisa Stuart
Lady Louisa Stuart
Lady Louisa Stuart was a British writer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Her long life spanned nearly ninety-four years.-Early life:...
(1757–1851), a writer who died unmarried, Lady Mary Stuart (c. 1741–1824), who married James Lowther
James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
Sir James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale was the son of Robert Lowther and Catherine Pennington.He married Mary Crichton-Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and Mary Wortley-Montagu, 1st Baroness Mount Stuart on 7 September 1761.On 9 June 1792 he fought a duel with a Captain Cuthbert...
, later the 1st Earl of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale
Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 , and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowther family....
; Lady Anne Stuart (born c. 1745), who married Lord Warkworth
Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Lieutenant-General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, FRS was an officer in the British army and later a British peer...
, later the 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
; Lady Jane Stuart (c. 1748–1828), who married George Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB was an Irish-born British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat. He is often remembered for his observation following Britain's success in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion at the Treaty of Paris that Britain now controlled...
, later the first Earl Macartney; and Lady Caroline Stuart (before 1763–1813), who married The Hon. John Dawson, later first Earl of Portarlington
Earl of Portarlington
Earl of Portarlington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1785 for John Dawson, 2nd Viscount Carlow, who had earlier represented Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons...
.
Early career
The Hon. Charles Stuart embarked upon a military career in 1768, when he enlisted as an ensignEnsign (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 37th Regiment of Foot. He purchased a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
cy in the 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers)
The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
The Royal Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army until 1968 when it was amalgamated with other regiments to form The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers...
in 1770 and a captaincy
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the 37th Foot in 1775. Late that year, he became a 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. ...
commanding a battalion of the regiment, and saw service in the American War of Independence. In 1777, he was commissioned as a lieutenant-colonel of the 26th Regiment of Foot
26th Regiment of Foot
The 26th Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, active from 1688 to 1881. Although the regiment took the name of its first colonel as The Earl of Angus's Regiment, it became popularly known as The Cameronians until 1751, when it was ranked as the 26th Foot...
, which he commanded until 1779.
On a visit home to England, he married Anne Louisa Bertie, daughter of Lord Vere Bertie, on 19 April 1778. He returned briefly to America, before coming back to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a liaison to the ministry. A harsh critic of the Army's conduct, he was, however, highly favored by General George Clinton
George Clinton (British politician)
Admiral of the Fleet The Hon. George Clinton was a British naval officer and political leader who served as the colonial governor of Newfoundland in 1731 and of New York from 1743 to 1753....
. His two sons were born after his return from America:
- Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Stuart between 1812 and 1828, was a British diplomat...
(2 January 1779 – 6 November 1845) - Captain John James Stuart (29 August 1782 – 19 March 1811), died aboard his command, the frigate HMS Saldanha
He was promoted to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1782, but his criticisms and the disfavor of George III towards his father prevented further military commands. He had been elected MP for Bossiney
Bossiney (UK Parliament constituency)
Bossiney was a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall, one of a number of Cornish rotten boroughs, and returned two Members of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1552 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in 1776, succeeding his elder brother Lord Mount Stuart, who had been created Baron Cardiff. Stuart continued an MP for the remainder of his life, except the years 1794–1796, but showed little interest in politics. In 1792, on the death of his father, he inherited the estate of Highcliffe
Highcliffe
Highcliffe-on-Sea is a small town in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset in southern England. It forms part of the South East Dorset conurbation along the English Channel coast...
House in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
With the opening of hostilities against France by the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
, he returned to active service. On 23 May 1794, he took command of the army in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and supervised the taking of Calvi
Siege of Calvi
The Siege of Calvi was a siege of French Revolutionary forces in Calvi, Haute-Corse in July and August 1794 by British forces, ending in a British victory.- Context :...
(the action in which Horatio Nelson lost an eye). Col. John Moore was at the time his 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...
. Stuart was promoted to lieutenant-general for this action, and on 24 October 1794, was made colonel of the 68th Regiment of Foot. However, his pride and violent temper led him to quarrel with Lord Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
, commanding the Mediterranean Fleet, and with the civilian viceroy of Corsica, Sir Gilbert Elliot, Bt
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 1st Earl of Minto PC , known as Sir Gilbert Elliott between 1777 and 1797 and as The Lord Minto between 1797 and 1813, was a Scottish politician diplomat....
. His partiality for Pasquale Paoli
Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica...
against Elliot, and other conflicts, led Stuart to resign in February 1795. On 25 March 1795, he left the colonelcy of the 68th for that of the 26th Regiment of Foot
26th Regiment of Foot
The 26th Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, active from 1688 to 1881. Although the regiment took the name of its first colonel as The Earl of Angus's Regiment, it became popularly known as The Cameronians until 1751, when it was ranked as the 26th Foot...
, which he held for the remainder of his life.
Defence of Portugal
He took command of a force sent to PortugalPortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in January 1797 to defend Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, and was notably successful in instilling discipline and spirit into the force, which was partly foreign in composition.
Capture of Minorca
In 1798, he was sent to attack MinorcaMinorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
with 3,000 men, an appointment heartily approved by Lord St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
, who praised Stuart as an excellent general and inspiring leader of troops. Though unequipped with siege artillery, he successfully dissimulated and bluffed the Spaniards into surrendering the island without loss of life, an exploit for which he was made a Knight 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 15 November 1798 until 1800, he served as the British governor of the island. In March 1799, he responded to an appeal by Admiral Nelson (who, like St Vincent, thought him an excellent leader), and brought the 30th and 89th Regiments
89th Regiment of Foot
The 89th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army, formed on 3 December 1793.Its nickname was 'Blayney's Bloodhounds'...
under Col. Blayney to Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, from whence they were dispatched to secure Messina against French invasion.
An able general and administrator, Stuart's quarrelsome disposition and tendency toward insubordination blighted an otherwise promising military career.