John Lambert (British soldier)
Encyclopedia
General Sir John Lambert GCB (28 April 1772 - 14 September 1847) was a British Army
officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars
, the Napoleonic Wars
and the War of 1812
.
Lambert entered the British Army in 1791 as an ensign in the 1st Foot Guards. He saw service in the Peninsula where, at the rank of Major-General, commanded a brigade of the 6th Division at the battles of Nivelle
, the Nive
, Orthez
, and Toulouse
, and was Mentioned in Despatches. He was awarded the Army Gold Cross and was made KCB
on 2 January 1815.
He served during the War of 1812
as a general in the Battle of New Orleans
. Following the battle, the British army withdrew from Louisiana and launched an offensive against Mobile, Alabama
. In the opening stages of the campaign, 1,000 British soldiers under Lambert won the Second Battle of Fort Bowyer
, the last engagement in the war. However when news of the peace treaty arrived, the British troops withdrew from Mobile.
He went on to command the 10th Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo
. He was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph
by Bavaria and was appointed a Knight of the third class of Vladimir of Russia
for his conduct at the battle.
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 who served in the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and 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...
.
Lambert entered the British Army in 1791 as an ensign in the 1st Foot Guards. He saw service in the Peninsula where, at the rank of Major-General, commanded a brigade of the 6th Division at the battles of Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
, the Nive
Battle of the Nive
The Battles of the Nive were fought towards the end of the Peninsular War. Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish army defeated Marshal Nicolas Soult's French army in a series of battles near the city of Bayonne.Unusually, for most of the battle, Wellington...
, Orthez
Battle of Orthez
The Battle of Orthez saw the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington defeat a French army led by Marshal Nicolas Soult in southern France near the end of the Peninsular War.-Preliminaries:...
, and Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
, and was Mentioned in Despatches. He was awarded the Army Gold Cross and was made KCB
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...
on 2 January 1815.
He served during 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...
as a general 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...
. Following the battle, the British army withdrew from Louisiana and launched an offensive against Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. In the opening stages of the campaign, 1,000 British soldiers under Lambert won the Second Battle of Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer
Fort Bowyer was a short-lived earthen and stockade fortification erected by the United States Army on Mobile Point, near the mouth of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama. Built during the War of 1812, the fort was the site of two attacks by the British. The first, unsuccessful, attack led to the...
, the last engagement in the war. However when news of the peace treaty arrived, the British troops withdrew from Mobile.
He went on to command the 10th Brigade at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. He was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph
Military Order of Max Joseph
The Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...
by Bavaria and was appointed a Knight of the third class of Vladimir of Russia
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
for his conduct at the battle.
Literature
- Dod, Robert P.: The Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage of Great Britain and Ireland for 1864: Including All the Titled Classes (1864), Kessinger Pub Co., ISBN 1104501392 p. 343