Edward Mathew (British general)
Encyclopedia
Edward Mathew began his military career in the British army as a commissioned officer. By the time of the American Revolutionary War
he had risen to the rank of colonel
. Promoted to brigadier general
, he was assigned to command the elite Brigade of Guards
in the American campaign. In 1776 he led the Guards at Long Island
, Kip's Bay, and Fort Washington
where he spearheaded one of the assault forces. In the Philadelphia Campaign
, he commanded his brigade at Brandywine
, Germantown
, White Marsh
, and Monmouth
. As a major general
, he took part in the highly successful Chesapeake raid
on Virginia ports in 1779. He led one of the columns in action at Battle of Springfield in 1780. He commanded in the West Indes in 1782 and became a full general in 1797. His beloved daughter Anna predeceased him in 1795. Mathew is likely to have been the model for a character in one of Jane Austen
's novels.
in the Regiment of Coldstream Guards (2nd Foot Guards)
in 1746. In 1760 he married Lady Jane Bertie (d. 21 August 1793), daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
. By the year 1775 he was a colonel
and aide de camp to King George III
. He was appointed commander of the brigade of Guards in America with the rank of brigadier general
. Mathew is described as "generous, full of honors, kind". However, he had a darker side that had a "bitter, stiff, and dictatorial presence". Though he dearly loved his daughter Anna, he could also erupt into a despotic rage. Because he was father-in-law to Jane Austen
's brother James, he is supposed to have inspired the character General Tilney in her novel Northanger Abbey
.
by selecting the men by lottery from the 1st, 2nd
, and 3rd Foot Guards Regiments. The brigade was split into two battalions of about 500 troops each. Other regiments of foot assigned their light and grenadier companies to converged elite battalions, leaving only the eight line companies to fight with the parent unit. The Guards Brigade, however, retained its two flank companies. The grenadier company and the line companies of Hyde, Wrottesley, Cox, and Garth became the 1st Guards Battalion, while the light company and the line companies of Stephen, Murray, O'Hara, and Martin were assigned to the 2nd Guards Battalion. A detailed organization down to the company level can be found in the Brandywine order of battle
. Lieutenant Colonel
Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet
commanded the grenadier company while Captain Thomas Twistleton led the light company.
The Guards Brigade landed on Long Island on 22 August 1776 and was present in the Battle of Long Island
five days later. On 15 September the Guards Brigade took part in the Battle of Kip's Bay, landing in the first wave. Mathew played a significant role at the Battle of Fort Washington
on 16 November. With two light infantry battalions under his leadership, he boated across the Harlem River
near what is now 200th Street and established a bridgehead. This effort was followed up by Lord Charles Cornwallis
with the Guards Brigade, two grenadier battalions, and the 33rd Foot. The advance of this and other columns resulted in a resounding British victory including the capture of 2,818 Americans. After the American victory at Trenton
, the 1st Guards Battalion was assigned to Cornwallis for the Princeton Campaign
in early January 1777. However, Mathew stayed behind with the 2nd Battalion in New Brunswick, New Jersey
. The Guards were involved in several skirmishes during the Forage War
.
The grenadier and light companies of the Guards were in action at the Battle of Short Hills
on 26 June 1777 where one of their officers was mortally wounded. On the 29th, the British army abruptly abandoned New Jersey. Sir William Howe
sailed with his army from New York on 23 July. At the end of August, the British troops landed at Head of Elk, Maryland at the north end of Chesapeake Bay
. Among the Guards officers present during the subsequent Philadelphia Campaign
were Captain-lieutenant Richard FitzPatrick
of the 1st Foot Guards, Colonel Charles O'Hara
of the 2nd Foot Guards, and Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Wrottesley
.
On 11 September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine
, Mathew's brigade joined the flanking column under Howe and Cornwallis. This body of troops reached a position behind the American right flank before it was discovered. The Guards Brigade deployed on the right of the first line around 4:00 PM. Osborn commanded both the grenadier company on the right and the light company which deployed as skirmishers in front. The Guards faced two Maryland brigades under the command of Major General John Sullivan
. Because Sullivan was also the American right wing commander, he left the Marylanders in charge of the senior officer, Brigadier General Philippe Hubert Preudhomme de Borre
. Attempting to shift the troops to the right, de Borre bungled his assignment, throwing his lines into disarray. The attack of the Guards brushed aside their confused opponents. The brigade reported only one killed, five wounded, and two missing, including one casualty from the grenadiers and three from the light company.
The evening before the Battle of Germantown
on 4 October 1777, Howe alerted Osborn of a possible attack and ordered the Guard Brigade's grenadier and light companies to support the Queen's Rangers
on the right flank. In the morning they were attacked by a force of Maryland and New Jersey militia
. The militia effort quickly collapsed, allowing the British to wheel to their left to outflank a brigade of Connecticut continentals. At some point in the action, Mathew led forward the line companies of the Guards Brigade to reinforce Osborn's flank companies. During the Battle of White Marsh
in December 1777, the Guards light company under Captain Twistleton fought with the army's vanguard at Edge Hill
. In early 1778 Mathew was promoted the the "local rank" of major general
.
Mathew led his brigade at the Battle of Monmouth
on 28 June 1778. At Monmouth, Colonel Henry Trelawney led the 502-man 1st Guards Battalion while Lieutenant Colonel James Ogilvie commanded the 480-strong 2nd Guards Battalion. Trelawney was wounded and about 40 casualties were inflicted when some of Anthony Wayne
's troops under Lieutenant Colonels Walter Stewart and Nathaniel Ramsey
fired on the Guards while concealed in a wood. Joined by the 1st Grenadier Battalion, the Guards quickly flushed the Americans out of the trees.Henry Trelawney may be the same person as Harry Trelawny, 7th Baronet. See Leigh Rayment's website.
General Henry Clinton
fitted out a joint navy and army expedition in the spring of 1779. Under Commodore
Sir George Collier
and Mathew, the force sailed from New York City
on 5 May and reached Hampton Roads
four days later. When the expedition approached Fort Nelson near Norfolk, Virginia
, its 100-man American garrison under Major Thomas Matthews immediately decamped and retreated toward the Great Dismal Swamp
. On 11 May, the British force occupied Norfolk, Suffolk
, Portsmouth
, and the Gosport Shipyard
. The Americans burned a 28-gun frigate and two French merchantmen to prevent their capture. Besides seizing enormous amounts of tobacco, naval cannons, and marine supplies, the British burned or captured 137 ships. The damage inflicted on the state of Virginia in the Chesapeake raid
was estimated at £2,000,000. Mathew and Collier returned to New York in triumph, having suffered no loss of life.
The Guards Brigade joined Lieutenant General
Wilhelm von Knyphausen
's 5,000 raid on New Jersey on 7 June 1780. Mathew was one of six brigade commanders employed on the expedition. After the initial attack stalled, the British-Hessian force lunged forward again on 23 June to bring on the Battle of Springfield
. While Knyphausen hammered at Springfield Bridge, he sent Mathew with half his force in a flanking move via Vauxhall Bridge. Colonel Israel Angell
's 2nd Rhode Island Regiment
held back Knyphausen's column for 40 minutes as Brigadier General William Maxwell and Major Light Horse Harry Lee delayed Mathew's envelopment. At length, Major General Nathanael Greene
had to commit additional troops to block Mathew's turning movement. In the face of strong resistance, Knyphausen called off the operation in the afternoon and returned to Staten Island
. Mathew left North America for England later in 1780.
's French fleet had seized Grenada
from the British. At the end of the conflict, the island was restored to Great Britain and its new governor Mathew reported that the local fortifications on Richmond Hill were in a "ruinous condition". The old French fortifications were completely replaced by new works called Forts Frederick, Adolphus, Lucas, and Mathew. Much of the construction labor was performed by the 300-strong Carolina Corps, a military unit formed from African-American slaves freed and recruited by the British army. A report from 1787 stated that progress on the forts was satisfactory. Mathew was promoted to full general in 1797.
While on his second tour as Governor of Grenada
, King George forgot to have the Treasury approve his salary. Despite his innocence, Mathew was billed by the government in 1792 for the £11,000 that he was paid as his legitimate wage. By this time, the king was suffering from fits of madness and could not confirm details such as whether he authorized Mathew's salary. After his death the family had to pay back £23,000 to the Royal Exchequer.
On 27 March 1792, James Austen married Mathew's daughter Anne. James' first wife had died and he was anxious to remarry. Anne, then 30 years old, was considered a spinster. The couple had one child in 1793, Jane Anna Elizabeth. Though Mathew helped support the couple who lived on James' £300 yearly wage as a clergyman, the two ran through their funds quickly. The general purchased the rank of chaplain
in the 86th Foot Regiment so that his son-in-law could live on the salary. However, Anna died very suddenly on 3 May 1795. Mathew died on 25 December 1805.
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
he had risen to the rank of 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...
. Promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, he was assigned to command the elite Brigade of Guards
Brigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
in the American campaign. In 1776 he led the Guards at Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
, Kip's Bay, and Fort Washington
Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain on November 16, 1776. It was a decisive British victory, forcing the entire garrison of Fort Washington to surrender....
where he spearheaded one of the assault forces. In the Philadelphia Campaign
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
, he commanded his brigade at Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
, White Marsh
Battle of White Marsh
The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania...
, and Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
. As a major general
Major General
Major 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...
, he took part in the highly successful Chesapeake raid
Chesapeake raid
The Chesapeake raid was an American Revolutionary War campaign by British naval forces under the command of Commodore Sir George Collier and land forces led by Major General Edward Mathew. Between May 10 and May 24, 1779, these forces raided economic and military targets up and down the...
on Virginia ports in 1779. He led one of the columns in action at Battle of Springfield in 1780. He commanded in the West Indes in 1782 and became a full general in 1797. His beloved daughter Anna predeceased him in 1795. Mathew is likely to have been the model for a character in one of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's novels.
Early career
Born in 1729, Mathew became an ensignEnsign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the Regiment of Coldstream Guards (2nd Foot 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....
in 1746. In 1760 he married Lady Jane Bertie (d. 21 August 1793), daughter of Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven
Peregrine Bertie, 2nd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, 2nd Marquess of Lindsey, 5th Earl of Lindsey, 18th Baron Willoughby de Eresby PC , also styled Hon...
. By the year 1775 he was a 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...
and aide de camp to King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. He was appointed commander of the brigade of Guards in America with the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. Mathew is described as "generous, full of honors, kind". However, he had a darker side that had a "bitter, stiff, and dictatorial presence". Though he dearly loved his daughter Anna, he could also erupt into a despotic rage. Because he was father-in-law to Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's brother James, he is supposed to have inspired the character General Tilney in her novel Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan was written approximately during 1798–99...
.
American Revolutionary War
The British army formed the 1,000-strong Brigade of GuardsBrigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
by selecting the men by lottery from the 1st, 2nd
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....
, and 3rd Foot Guards Regiments. The brigade was split into two battalions of about 500 troops each. Other regiments of foot assigned their light and grenadier companies to converged elite battalions, leaving only the eight line companies to fight with the parent unit. The Guards Brigade, however, retained its two flank companies. The grenadier company and the line companies of Hyde, Wrottesley, Cox, and Garth became the 1st Guards Battalion, while the light company and the line companies of Stephen, Murray, O'Hara, and Martin were assigned to the 2nd Guards Battalion. A detailed organization down to the company level can be found in the Brandywine order of battle
Brandywine order of battle
The Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777 saw a colonial American army led by Major General George Washington fight a British-Hessian army commanded by General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe. Washington drew up his troops in a defensive position behind Brandywine Creek...
. 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...
Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet
Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet
Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet was born into the British aristocracy. He fought in the American Revolutionary War as a British officer. He served as a Member of Parliament before, during, and after that conflict. In 1777 he led a detachment of the Guards Brigade at the battles of Brandywine and...
commanded the grenadier company while Captain Thomas Twistleton led the light company.
The Guards Brigade landed on Long Island on 22 August 1776 and was present in the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
five days later. On 15 September the Guards Brigade took part in the Battle of Kip's Bay, landing in the first wave. Mathew played a significant role at the Battle of Fort Washington
Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain on November 16, 1776. It was a decisive British victory, forcing the entire garrison of Fort Washington to surrender....
on 16 November. With two light infantry battalions under his leadership, he boated across the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
near what is now 200th Street and established a bridgehead. This effort was followed up by Lord Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
with the Guards Brigade, two grenadier battalions, and the 33rd Foot. The advance of this and other columns resulted in a resounding British victory including the capture of 2,818 Americans. After the American victory at Trenton
Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
, the 1st Guards Battalion was assigned to Cornwallis for the Princeton Campaign
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
in early January 1777. However, Mathew stayed behind with the 2nd Battalion in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. The Guards were involved in several skirmishes during the Forage War
Forage War
The Forage War was a partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Trenton and Princeton...
.
The grenadier and light companies of the Guards were in action at the Battle of Short Hills
Battle of Short Hills
The Battle of Short Hills was a conflict between a Continental Army force commanded by Brigadier General William Alexander , and an opposing British force commanded by Lieutenant General William Howe...
on 26 June 1777 where one of their officers was mortally wounded. On the 29th, the British army abruptly abandoned New Jersey. Sir William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
sailed with his army from New York on 23 July. At the end of August, the British troops landed at Head of Elk, Maryland at the north end of Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Among the Guards officers present during the subsequent Philadelphia Campaign
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
were Captain-lieutenant Richard FitzPatrick
Richard FitzPatrick
General Richard FitzPatrick , styled The Honourable from birth, was an Anglo-Irish soldier, wit, poet, Whig politician and ‘sworn brother’ of the illustrious statesman of Charles James Fox...
of the 1st Foot Guards, Colonel Charles O'Hara
Charles O'Hara
General Charles O'Hara was a British military officer who served in the Seven Years War, American War of Independence, and French Revolutionary War, and later served as Governor of Gibraltar...
of the 2nd Foot Guards, and Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Wrottesley
Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet
Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet , of Wrottesley Hall in Staffordshire, was a British army officer and Member of Parliament....
.
On 11 September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Mathew's brigade joined the flanking column under Howe and Cornwallis. This body of troops reached a position behind the American right flank before it was discovered. The Guards Brigade deployed on the right of the first line around 4:00 PM. Osborn commanded both the grenadier company on the right and the light company which deployed as skirmishers in front. The Guards faced two Maryland brigades under the command of Major General John Sullivan
John Sullivan
John Sullivan was the third son of Irish immigrants, a United States general in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge....
. Because Sullivan was also the American right wing commander, he left the Marylanders in charge of the senior officer, Brigadier General Philippe Hubert Preudhomme de Borre
Philippe Hubert Preudhomme de Borre
Philippe Hubert, Chevalier de Preudhomme de Borre joined the French royal army in 1740 and served in the War of the Austrian Succession. During the American Revolutionary War he traveled to America where he was presented as a military expert. Promoted to general officer, his career as a...
. Attempting to shift the troops to the right, de Borre bungled his assignment, throwing his lines into disarray. The attack of the Guards brushed aside their confused opponents. The brigade reported only one killed, five wounded, and two missing, including one casualty from the grenadiers and three from the light company.
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
on 4 October 1777, Howe alerted Osborn of a possible attack and ordered the Guard Brigade's grenadier and light companies to support the Queen's Rangers
Queen's Rangers
The Queen's Rangers was a military unit who fought on the Loyalist side during the American War of Independence. After the war they moved to Nova Scotia and disbanded, but were reformed again in Upper Canada before disbanding again, in 1802, a decade prior to the War of 1812.-French and Indian...
on the right flank. In the morning they were attacked by a force of Maryland and New Jersey militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. The militia effort quickly collapsed, allowing the British to wheel to their left to outflank a brigade of Connecticut continentals. At some point in the action, Mathew led forward the line companies of the Guards Brigade to reinforce Osborn's flank companies. During the Battle of White Marsh
Battle of White Marsh
The Battle of White Marsh or Battle of Edge Hill was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought December 5–8, 1777, in the area surrounding Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania...
in December 1777, the Guards light company under Captain Twistleton fought with the army's vanguard at Edge Hill
Ardsley, Pennsylvania
Ardsley is an unincorporated community located in Abington Township, as well as Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It shares the zip code 19038 with the neighboring town of Glenside. A large portion of this neighborhood is composed of the historic cemeteries...
. In early 1778 Mathew was promoted the the "local rank" of major general
Major General
Major 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...
.
Mathew led his brigade at the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
on 28 June 1778. At Monmouth, Colonel Henry Trelawney led the 502-man 1st Guards Battalion while Lieutenant Colonel James Ogilvie commanded the 480-strong 2nd Guards Battalion. Trelawney was wounded and about 40 casualties were inflicted when some of Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
's troops under Lieutenant Colonels Walter Stewart and Nathaniel Ramsey
Nathaniel Ramsey
Nathaniel Ramsey was an American lawyer and soldier from Cecil County, Maryland. Ramsey fought in the Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Congress of the Confederation....
fired on the Guards while concealed in a wood. Joined by the 1st Grenadier Battalion, the Guards quickly flushed the Americans out of the trees.Henry Trelawney may be the same person as Harry Trelawny, 7th Baronet. See Leigh Rayment's website.
General Henry Clinton
Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)
General Sir Henry Clinton KB was a British army officer and politician, best known for his service as a general during the American War of Independence. First arriving in Boston in May 1775, from 1778 to 1782 he was the British Commander-in-Chief in North America...
fitted out a joint navy and army expedition in the spring of 1779. Under Commodore
Commodore
-Aircraft:*Consolidated Aircraft Commodore, a flying boat used for passenger travel in the 1930s-Animals:* Several species of brush-footed butterflies in the subfamily Limenitidinae, in particular A...
Sir George Collier
George Collier
Sir George Collier was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the frigate HMS Rainbow, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war...
and Mathew, the force sailed from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 5 May and reached Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
four days later. When the expedition approached Fort Nelson near Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, its 100-man American garrison under Major Thomas Matthews immediately decamped and retreated toward the Great Dismal Swamp
Great Dismal Swamp
The Great Dismal Swamp is a marshy area on the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. It is located in parts of southern Chesapeake and Suffolk in Virginia, as well as northern...
. On 11 May, the British force occupied Norfolk, Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
, and the Gosport Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
. The Americans burned a 28-gun frigate and two French merchantmen to prevent their capture. Besides seizing enormous amounts of tobacco, naval cannons, and marine supplies, the British burned or captured 137 ships. The damage inflicted on the state of Virginia in the Chesapeake raid
Chesapeake raid
The Chesapeake raid was an American Revolutionary War campaign by British naval forces under the command of Commodore Sir George Collier and land forces led by Major General Edward Mathew. Between May 10 and May 24, 1779, these forces raided economic and military targets up and down the...
was estimated at £2,000,000. Mathew and Collier returned to New York in triumph, having suffered no loss of life.
The Guards Brigade joined Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant 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....
Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen was a general from Hesse-Cassel. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, during which he led Hessian mercenaries on behalf of the British Empire.-Biography:His father was colonel in a German regiment under the Duke of Marlborough...
's 5,000 raid on New Jersey on 7 June 1780. Mathew was one of six brigade commanders employed on the expedition. After the initial attack stalled, the British-Hessian force lunged forward again on 23 June to bring on the Battle of Springfield
Battle of Springfield (1780)
The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen’s expedition to attack General George Washington’s army at Morristown, New Jersey,...
. While Knyphausen hammered at Springfield Bridge, he sent Mathew with half his force in a flanking move via Vauxhall Bridge. Colonel Israel Angell
Israel Angell
Israel Angell was a soldier of the American Revolutionary War.He was born to Oliver and Naomi Angell in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a descendant of one of the original settlers in Rhode Island. He had a good education and developed an early interest in scientific matters...
's 2nd Rhode Island Regiment
2nd Rhode Island Regiment
The 2nd Rhode Island Regiment also known as Hitchcock's Regiment was authorized on 6 May 1775 under Colonel Daniel Hitchcock in the Rhode Island Army of Observation and was organized on 8 May 1775 as eight companies of volunteers from Providence County of the colony of Rhode Island...
held back Knyphausen's column for 40 minutes as Brigadier General William Maxwell and Major Light Horse Harry Lee delayed Mathew's envelopment. At length, Major General Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
had to commit additional troops to block Mathew's turning movement. In the face of strong resistance, Knyphausen called off the operation in the afternoon and returned to Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Mathew left North America for England later in 1780.
Later career
In November 1782, Mathew was appointed commander-in-chief in the West Indes. In 1779, Charles Hector, comte d'EstaingCharles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
's French fleet had seized Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
from the British. At the end of the conflict, the island was restored to Great Britain and its new governor Mathew reported that the local fortifications on Richmond Hill were in a "ruinous condition". The old French fortifications were completely replaced by new works called Forts Frederick, Adolphus, Lucas, and Mathew. Much of the construction labor was performed by the 300-strong Carolina Corps, a military unit formed from African-American slaves freed and recruited by the British army. A report from 1787 stated that progress on the forts was satisfactory. Mathew was promoted to full general in 1797.
While on his second tour as Governor of Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, King George forgot to have the Treasury approve his salary. Despite his innocence, Mathew was billed by the government in 1792 for the £11,000 that he was paid as his legitimate wage. By this time, the king was suffering from fits of madness and could not confirm details such as whether he authorized Mathew's salary. After his death the family had to pay back £23,000 to the Royal Exchequer.
On 27 March 1792, James Austen married Mathew's daughter Anne. James' first wife had died and he was anxious to remarry. Anne, then 30 years old, was considered a spinster. The couple had one child in 1793, Jane Anna Elizabeth. Though Mathew helped support the couple who lived on James' £300 yearly wage as a clergyman, the two ran through their funds quickly. The general purchased the rank of chaplain
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
in the 86th Foot Regiment so that his son-in-law could live on the salary. However, Anna died very suddenly on 3 May 1795. Mathew died on 25 December 1805.