James Leith (British Army infantry officer)
Encyclopedia
General Sir James Leith GCB (1763–1845) commanded the 5th Division in the Duke of Wellington
's Anglo-Portuguese army at several critical battles during the Peninsular War
between 1810 and 1813.
's division that consisted of the 51st, 2/59th and 2/76th Foot. On 7 January at Lugo, Leith's brigade mounted a successful bayonet charge, inflicting 300 casualties on Marshal Nicolas Soult
's pursuing French for the loss of only 50 men. At the Battle of Corunna
on 16 January, Leith's 2,400-man brigade held the center of the line against Soult's attacks.
's II Corps.
Brigadier-General Andrew Leith Hay
took command of the First Brigade shortly after Bussaco. On 6 October, Eben's brigade was detached and Major-General James Dunlop's Second Brigade became attached to Leith's division. The Second Brigade initially consisted of the 1/4th from England, and the 2/30th and 2/44th from Cadiz. For the rest of its wartime career, the 5th Division would include one Portuguese and two British brigades. During the winter of 1810-1811, Leith's soldiers helped man the Lines of Torres Vedras
, keeping Marshal André Masséna
's French army from capturing Lisbon. Leith went on leave on 1 February and did not return until 1 December 1811. During this period William Erskine
and Dunlop headed the division.
In April 1812, Leith's division played a key part in the storming of Badajoz
. While the 4th and Light Divisions assaulted the breaches and the 3rd Division attacked the castle, the 5th Division escaladed the city wall at the Bastion of San Vicente. The assault on the breaches was a failure, with ghastly losses. However, the French garrison left too few men to guard the rest of the defenses and both the 5th and 3rd Divisions succeeded in climbing over the walls. While the 3rd Division became bottled up in the castle, Leith's men got into the town. Blowing their bugles and spreading confusion, the 5th Division panicked the French survivors so that a final effort by the 4th and Light Division broke through the defenses. Leith's division lost over 500 men and the commander of the Second Brigade, Brigadier-General George Townshend Walker was wounded.
In July 1812, Leith's 5th Division played an important role at the Battle of Salamanca
. Advancing in two-deep lines, with the British brigades in the front line, the division's musketry defeated Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune
's badly-deployed French division. Leith was wounded in the action and sent home to recuperate. He returned to command of the 5th Division on 30 August 1813 and was wounded again almost immediately on 1 September in the bloody but victorious assault at the Siege of San Sebastian
.
For his services in the Peninsula, Leith was awarded the Army Gold Cross and clasp for Corunna, Busaco, Badajoz, Salamanca, and San Sebastian.
He was later made commander in chief of forces in the West Indies and governor of the Leeward Isles. Leith died in 1845 in Barbados, of yellow fever
.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's Anglo-Portuguese army at several critical battles during 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...
between 1810 and 1813.
Early career
Leith was commissioned as an officer in 1780. Promotion to major general occurred in 1808. Leith served in John Moore's campaign in northern Spain in 1808-1809. He commanded a brigade in John HopeJohn Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun
Lieutenant General John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun PC KB , known as the Honourable John Hope from 1781 to 1814 and as the Lord Niddry from 1809 to 1816, was a Scottish soldier and politician.-Military career:...
's division that consisted of the 51st, 2/59th and 2/76th Foot. On 7 January at Lugo, Leith's brigade mounted a successful bayonet charge, inflicting 300 casualties on Marshal Nicolas Soult
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult
Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia , the Hand of Iron, was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804. He was one of only six officers in French history to receive the distinction of Marshal General of France...
's pursuing French for the loss of only 50 men. At the Battle of Corunna
Battle of Corunna
The Battle of Corunna refers to a battle of the Peninsular War. On January 16, 1809, a French army under Marshal Soult attacked the British under Sir John Moore...
on 16 January, Leith's 2,400-man brigade held the center of the line against Soult's attacks.
Under Wellington
When Wellington created the 5th Infantry Division on 8 August 1810, Leith became its commander. The British battalions first assigned to the division, the 3/1st, 1/9th and 2/38th Foot, had been involved in the Walcheren Expedition fiasco. These three units became the First Brigade, under the command Lt-Colonel James S. Barnes. Added to this were two Portuguese brigades led by Colonel William F. Spry and Baron Eben. The 5th Division fought well at the Battle of Bussaco in September 1810, helping to repel the French soldiers of Jean ReynierJean Reynier
Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier rose in rank to become a French army general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He led a division under Napoleon Bonaparte in the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria...
's II Corps.
Brigadier-General Andrew Leith Hay
Andrew Leith Hay
Sir Andrew Leith Hay, KH was a Scottish soldier, politician and writer on architecture.-Biography:Andrew Leith Hay was the eldest son of General Alexander Leith Hay, and was born at Aberdeen on 17 February 1785...
took command of the First Brigade shortly after Bussaco. On 6 October, Eben's brigade was detached and Major-General James Dunlop's Second Brigade became attached to Leith's division. The Second Brigade initially consisted of the 1/4th from England, and the 2/30th and 2/44th from Cadiz. For the rest of its wartime career, the 5th Division would include one Portuguese and two British brigades. During the winter of 1810-1811, Leith's soldiers helped man the Lines of Torres Vedras
Lines of Torres Vedras
The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, constructed by Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet and his Portuguese workers between...
, keeping Marshal André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's French army from capturing Lisbon. Leith went on leave on 1 February and did not return until 1 December 1811. During this period William Erskine
Sir William Erskine, 2nd Baronet
Major-General Sir William Erskine, 2nd Baronet was an officer in the British Army, served as a member of Parliament, and achieved important commands in the Napoleonic Wars under the Duke of Wellington, but ended his service in insanity and suicide.He was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Sir...
and Dunlop headed the division.
In April 1812, Leith's division played a key part in the storming of Badajoz
Battle of Badajoz (1812)
In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
. While the 4th and Light Divisions assaulted the breaches and the 3rd Division attacked the castle, the 5th Division escaladed the city wall at the Bastion of San Vicente. The assault on the breaches was a failure, with ghastly losses. However, the French garrison left too few men to guard the rest of the defenses and both the 5th and 3rd Divisions succeeded in climbing over the walls. While the 3rd Division became bottled up in the castle, Leith's men got into the town. Blowing their bugles and spreading confusion, the 5th Division panicked the French survivors so that a final effort by the 4th and Light Division broke through the defenses. Leith's division lost over 500 men and the commander of the Second Brigade, Brigadier-General George Townshend Walker was wounded.
In July 1812, Leith's 5th Division played an important role at the Battle of Salamanca
Battle of Salamanca
The Battle of Salamanca saw Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish armies under the Duke of Wellington defeat Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces among the hills around Arapiles south of Salamanca, Spain on July 22, 1812 during the Peninsular War....
. Advancing in two-deep lines, with the British brigades in the front line, the division's musketry defeated Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune
Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune
Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune joined the pioneer corps of the French army in 1786 and was a lieutenant by the time the French Revolutionary Wars broke out. He fought in the north in 1792 and in the Alps in 1793. Afterward he served in Italy through 1801. During this period, he fought at Arcole in...
's badly-deployed French division. Leith was wounded in the action and sent home to recuperate. He returned to command of the 5th Division on 30 August 1813 and was wounded again almost immediately on 1 September in the bloody but victorious assault at the Siege of San Sebastian
Siege of San Sebastian
In the Siege of San Sebastián Allied forces under the command of General Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington captured the city of San Sebastián in northern Spain from its French garrison under Brigadier-General Louis Rey...
.
For his services in the Peninsula, Leith was awarded the Army Gold Cross and clasp for Corunna, Busaco, Badajoz, Salamanca, and San Sebastian.
He was later made commander in chief of forces in the West Indies and governor of the Leeward Isles. Leith died in 1845 in Barbados, of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
.
See also
- Sir John Thomas JonesJohn Thomas JonesSir John Thomas Jones was a British major-general in the Royal Engineers who played a leading engineering role in a number of European campaigns of the early nineteenth century.-Biography:...