John Fox Burgoyne
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
Sir John Fox Burgoyne, 1st Baronet GCB
(24 July 1782 – 7 October 1871) was a British Army
officer.
Burgoyne was the illegitimate son of General John Burgoyne
and opera singer Susan Caulfield. In 1798, he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
as a Second Lieutenant
. He fought against the army of Napoleon I
and campaigned in the Pyrenees
under the Duke of Wellington
. Wellington transferred him to Burgos
and later to San Sebastián
to participate in the Siege of Rosetta in 1807. For his services during the Peninsular War, Burgoyne received the Army Gold Cross, with one clasp, for Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, San Sebastian, and the Nive, and the Military General Service Medal
with three clasps for Busaco, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Nivelle.
In the War of 1812
, he fought under General Pakenham
as a Lieutenant Colonel
and participated in the Battle of New Orleans
.
In 1826, Burgoyne accompanied General Clinton
to Portugal
. He was appointed as Colonel in 1830. In 1838, he became a Major General and in 1845 was named Inspector-General of Fortifications, the executive head of the Royal Engineers. His memoirs prompted the fortification of the English coast.
Burgoyne was heavily involved in civil administration in Ireland, serving as Chairman of the Board of Works (1831–45). During the Irish Potato Famine
, he led the efforts to provide relief from mass starvation. In 1851, he was promoted to Lieutenant General. Before the outbreak of the Crimean War
, he went to Constantinople
to assist in its fortification and that of the Dardanelles
. During the siege of Sevastopol, he arranged for the bombardment of Malakoff
. Upon his return to England in 1856, he received a baronet
cy. In 1865, he was made the Commander of the Tower of London
and retired in 1868 as a Field Marshal
.
John Fox Burgoyne died on 7 October 1871 in Kensington
, and is buried in the nearby Brompton Cemetery
, London. Castle Hill Fort in Dover was renamed Fort Burgoyne
in his honour, which in turn has given its name to a residential development called Burgoyne Heights.
He was the father of Hugh Talbot Burgoyne
, and the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland.
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir John Fox Burgoyne, 1st Baronet 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...
(24 July 1782 – 7 October 1871) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer.
Military career
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
and opera singer Susan Caulfield. In 1798, he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second 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...
. He fought against the army of Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and campaigned in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
under the Duke of Wellington
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...
. Wellington transferred him to Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
and later to San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
to participate in the Siege of Rosetta in 1807. For his services during the Peninsular War, Burgoyne received the Army Gold Cross, with one clasp, for Badajoz, Salamanca, Vitoria, San Sebastian, and the Nive, and the Military General Service Medal
Military General Service Medal
The Military General Service Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1847, for issue to officers and men of the British Army.The MGSM was approved on 1 June 1847 as a retrospective award for various military actions from 1793–1814; a period encompassing the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic...
with three clasps for Busaco, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Nivelle.
In 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 fought under General Pakenham
Edward Pakenham
Sir Edward Michael Pakenham GCB , styled The Honourable from his birth until 1813, was an Irish British Army Officer and Politician. He was the brother-in law of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he served in the Peninsular War...
as a 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 participated in the Battle of New Orleans
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
.
In 1826, Burgoyne accompanied General Clinton
Henry Clinton (Napoleonic Wars)
Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH was a British Army officer and a general officer during the Napoleonic Wars.He came from a family of soldiers...
to Portugal
Portugal
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...
. He was appointed as Colonel in 1830. In 1838, he became a Major General and in 1845 was named Inspector-General of Fortifications, the executive head of the Royal Engineers. His memoirs prompted the fortification of the English coast.
Burgoyne was heavily involved in civil administration in Ireland, serving as Chairman of the Board of Works (1831–45). During the Irish Potato Famine
Potato famine
Potato famine may refer to:* Great Famine , the famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1852* Highland Potato Famine, a major agrarian crisis in the Scottish Highlands from 1846 to 1857...
, he led the efforts to provide relief from mass starvation. In 1851, he was promoted to Lieutenant General. Before the outbreak of the 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...
, he went to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
to assist in its fortification and that of the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. During the siege of Sevastopol, he arranged for the bombardment of Malakoff
Battle of Malakoff
The Battle of Malakoff, during the Crimean War, was fought between the French and Russian armies on 7 September 1855 as a part of the Siege of Sevastopol and resulted in a French victory under General MacMahon. In one of the war's defining moments, the French zouave Eugène Libaut installed the...
. Upon his return to England in 1856, he received a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy. In 1865, he was made the Commander of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
and retired in 1868 as a Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
.
John Fox Burgoyne died on 7 October 1871 in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, and is buried in the nearby Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery is located near Earl's Court in South West London, England . It is managed by The Royal Parks and is one of the Magnificent Seven...
, London. Castle Hill Fort in Dover was renamed Fort Burgoyne
Fort Burgoyne
Fort Burgoyne, originally known as Castle Hill Fort, was built in the 1860s as one of the Palmerston forts around Dover in southeast England. It was built to a polygonal system with detached eastern and western redoubts, to guard the high ground northeast of the strategic port of Dover, just north...
in his honour, which in turn has given its name to a residential development called Burgoyne Heights.
He was the father of Hugh Talbot Burgoyne
Hugh Talbot Burgoyne
Captain Hugh Talbot Burgoyne VC RN was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Born in Dublin, he was the son of John Fox Burgoyne and the grandson of John Burgoyne....
, and the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland.
External links
- Royal Engineers Museum: Sapper Biographies
- Sir John Burgoyne - obituary from The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(1871)