William Halifax
Encyclopedia
William T. Halifax, Lord Stirling (1786–1871) was a British Army
officer and the Lieutenant Governor of St. Lucia.
on September 25, 1786. He was the second son of George Halifax. Halifax grew up very close to both his mother and his older brother George. His mother died in 1792 and, in his autobiographical notes, Halifax wrote a touching description of how he would lay on a hill and gaze up at the sky, wondering if his mother could see him. His relationship with his father seems to have been a bit more complex. Based on his assorted writings and musings, it seems probable that William attempted to earn his father’s affection and respect by being an overly dutiful son, serving in the army and studying law at the Middle Temple
at his father’s request and was never quite satisfied that he earned his father’s approval.
rank for William in 1798. William was sent to Ireland
where he reported to Charles, Earl Cornwallis
, an old friend of George Halifax. Having just crushed the Irish uprising, Cornwallis apparently had no desire to have a mere boy on his staff and sent William back to England where he served as an aide to Sir William Howe. For the next six years, until Howe’s retirement, William Halifax served as an aide to the old general, taking notes on their assorted conversations and, as Halifax would admit many years later, “Inspecting coastal Defenses & keeping the good General’s glass full.” In 1802, in reward for these services, Halifax purchased a vacancy for a second lieutenant’s commission. He also was able to study law at the Middle Temple at this time, finishing in the middle of his class.
views. But this animosity ensured that Halifax would be kept out of the Napoleonic Wars
, despite numerous letters that Halifax apparently sent demanding transfers to the Continent.
, certainly between 1805–1807, William Halifax met and courted Susan Grant, a grandniece of General James Grant, a soldier that Halifax admired greatly. They became engaged in 1807 and traveled from Scotland to Suffolk where she caught fever and died. Little is known about Susan Grant. Based on the painting that survives of her, she appears to have been a retiring brunette who was slightly overweight. She is buried in the Halifax family plot and her tomb lists her as a Halifax who had been a member of the family for a short time. There are no records of an official marriage between William and Susan. However the grave certainly seems to confirm family legends that William married Susan on the last day of her life.
The death of Susan Grant Halifax changed William dramatically. Before her passing, William came off as a pleasant young officer who was something of a dreamer. After her death, based on contemporary descriptions, Halifax became something of a stern soldier, dedicated to King, Country and Duty. The passing of his father in 1806 may have also affected his personality as he seemed to take on many of his father’s characteristics. In 1807, Halifax purchased a First Lieutenancy
, probably after the death of Susan Grant Halifax. In 1810, he purchased a Captaincy
.
. In 1811, he met the Shawnee
chief Tecumseh
and wrote a number of dispatches based on their conversations regarding the Battle of Tippecanoe
. That same year, the Canadian Legion, a newly formed militia regiment of dragoons, elected Halifax to serve as their lieutenant colonel.
While he would have argued that his chief military skill was in leading hit and run cavalry raids, it appears that training militia was really where Halifax’s chief military abilities were. His unit engaged in numerous actions along the New York
border and there appear to be some notes that indicate that Halifax served in Michigan
and Illinois
as well. There is also a family tradition that Halifax was attacked by a bear at this time though that seems to be a legend at best. His regiment was involved at the battles of Niagara
, Lundy’s Lane and Buffalo Creek
. Halifax was seen by most contemporaries as a competent cavalry commander whose regiment was best used for scouting and screening the enemy though the Canadian Legion served with merit on the border.
In the summer of 1814, Halifax and his unit were transferred to the Chesapeake theatre where they served at Bladensburg and in the raid on Washington, D.C.
Halifax grew very close to Sir Robert Ross and wrote a moving account of his death in that campaign. It appears that Halifax named his favorite horse after Ross. Family legend indicates that Halifax was one of the group of British officers who toasted the burning White House from one of the local taverns. His time in Maryland and, later, Louisiana seems to have left in Halifax a strong hatred of the practice in human slavery.
Halifax also served in the ill-fated New Orleans campaign
of January 1815. The attack on Andrew Jackson
’s position devastated his regiment as well as the rest of the British forces. Halifax’s stirring defenses of the commander of the attack, Sir Edward Michael Packenham, seem misplaced and, along with his excuses for William Howe’s mishandling of the British forces during the American Revolution
, indicate a loyalty that often seemed blind. Halifax himself was wounded in the arm during the attack and was dragged from the field.
Halifax recovered from his wounds at Sint Eustatius, in the Dutch Antilles in the first half of 1815. At this time, he apparently met his half-sister, Kitty van de Graaf (it seems that George Halifax met her mother in 1796 during his visit to the islands for the winter). He apparently was able to convince her to return to England and they remained close until his death. Kitty van de Graaf was an accomplished woman in her own right despite her handicap (based on descriptions, it appears that she had been struck by infantile paralysis in her childhood and remained in a wheelchair her entire life) as well as her Jewish faith. Kitty would later serve as one of Disraeli’s leading patrons.
In 1817, after the death of his brother George, William became the Ninth Earl of Stirling
. That same year, Halifax was kicked upstairs to a Brigadier General
ship and served as one of the chief British liaisons with the Greek independence movement. It would seem that his militia training skills were the chief reason for this sudden promotion and assignment.
He later served as lieutenant governor of St. Lucia during the late 1820s.
Based on his notes, through his antislavery activities, in 1817, Halifax met Lady Alexa Weston who, even more than Susan Grant, must have been the love of his life. In one of the most charming equestrian sculptures in the region, there is a statue of them across from the old church in Suffolk that contains the family plot. Oddly enough, she seems to be riding ahead and he is behind her, looking at her with a look of great affection. Family legend has it that they shared their first kiss at that spot. William Halifax admitted that Alexa Weston was the only person he knew in England who was a better horseman than he was.
They married late in 1817 though William appears to have spent most of the next year in Russia
. During that period, Alexa gave birth to William Alexander
, their first child. William returned from Russia in December 1818.
In 1840, Halifax wrote a report for the Prime Minister regarding the political and military career of William Henry Harrison
before he won the American presidency. Halifax considered Harrison to be the greatest American commander of his age due to his victories at Tippecanoe and the Thames. Halifax also wrote a number of books on his military career including Conversations with Sir William, Fifth Viscount Howe, K.B and General of the Army From His Time in Plymouth Concerning the Defense of England and Assorted Notes on the New York and Philadelphia Campaigns from the War Against the Rebellious Colonies and A History of the Campaigns of 1812 and 1813 and 1814 along the Canadian Border with New York with Appendixes Concerning the Chesapeake Campaign of the Summer of 1814, the Louisiana Campaign Led by the Late General Packenham as well as Assorted Notes Concerning the Militia.
William Halifax died at Justice Hill on November 11, 1871 at the age of 85. While not one of the great commanders of his age, Halifax served his country well and must be considered one of the best British cavalry commanders of the War of 1812. How he would have fared in the Napoleonic Wars remains unknown. While he would not admit it, Halifax was probably at his best as an inspector general, training militia than as an actual field commander. Still, with his sense of duty and loyalty to the Crown, Halifax may have served as a tenacious soldier if fate allowed him to take part on a larger stage in the drama of history.
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 and the Lieutenant Governor of St. Lucia.
Early life
William Halifax was born in Justice Hill, the traditional home of his family in SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
on September 25, 1786. He was the second son of George Halifax. Halifax grew up very close to both his mother and his older brother George. His mother died in 1792 and, in his autobiographical notes, Halifax wrote a touching description of how he would lay on a hill and gaze up at the sky, wondering if his mother could see him. His relationship with his father seems to have been a bit more complex. Based on his assorted writings and musings, it seems probable that William attempted to earn his father’s affection and respect by being an overly dutiful son, serving in the army and studying law at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
at his father’s request and was never quite satisfied that he earned his father’s approval.
Education
The Halifax family purchased a CoronetCoronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
rank for William in 1798. William was sent to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
where he reported to Charles, Earl Cornwallis
Earl Cornwallis
Earl Cornwallis was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1753 for Charles Cornwallis, 5th Baron Cornwallis. The second Earl was created Marquess Cornwallis but this title became extinct in 1823, while the earldom and its subsidiary titles became extinct in 1852...
, an old friend of George Halifax. Having just crushed the Irish uprising, Cornwallis apparently had no desire to have a mere boy on his staff and sent William back to England where he served as an aide to Sir William Howe. For the next six years, until Howe’s retirement, William Halifax served as an aide to the old general, taking notes on their assorted conversations and, as Halifax would admit many years later, “Inspecting coastal Defenses & keeping the good General’s glass full.” In 1802, in reward for these services, Halifax purchased a vacancy for a second lieutenant’s commission. He also was able to study law at the Middle Temple at this time, finishing in the middle of his class.
Army career
After Howe’s retirement in 1805, Lieutenant Halifax was transferred to the staff of Francis, Lord Rawdon, in Scotland. Rawdon immediately assigned Halifax to a garrisoned company of the 92nd regiment. Considering Halifax’s unusual strain of loyalty to his commanders (it is fair to say that Halifax was loyal to a fault to a number of his superiors), it is odd that he remained very hostile to Rawdon. Part of this may have been due to Rawdon’s liberalism clashing with Halifax’s essentially ToryTory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
views. But this animosity ensured that Halifax would be kept out of 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...
, despite numerous letters that Halifax apparently sent demanding transfers to the Continent.
Marriage
Sometime early in his tenure in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, certainly between 1805–1807, William Halifax met and courted Susan Grant, a grandniece of General James Grant, a soldier that Halifax admired greatly. They became engaged in 1807 and traveled from Scotland to Suffolk where she caught fever and died. Little is known about Susan Grant. Based on the painting that survives of her, she appears to have been a retiring brunette who was slightly overweight. She is buried in the Halifax family plot and her tomb lists her as a Halifax who had been a member of the family for a short time. There are no records of an official marriage between William and Susan. However the grave certainly seems to confirm family legends that William married Susan on the last day of her life.
The death of Susan Grant Halifax changed William dramatically. Before her passing, William came off as a pleasant young officer who was something of a dreamer. After her death, based on contemporary descriptions, Halifax became something of a stern soldier, dedicated to King, Country and Duty. The passing of his father in 1806 may have also affected his personality as he seemed to take on many of his father’s characteristics. In 1807, Halifax purchased a First Lieutenancy
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, probably after the death of Susan Grant Halifax. In 1810, he purchased 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...
.
Military and colonial duties
In 1810, Halifax was named a Provincial Major to inspect the Canadian-American Border. He accepted the position with alacrity, and his notes provide one of the best worm’s eye descriptions of the impending crisis that led to the War of 1812War 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...
. In 1811, he met the Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
chief Tecumseh
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
and wrote a number of dispatches based on their conversations regarding the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
. That same year, the Canadian Legion, a newly formed militia regiment of dragoons, elected Halifax to serve as their lieutenant colonel.
While he would have argued that his chief military skill was in leading hit and run cavalry raids, it appears that training militia was really where Halifax’s chief military abilities were. His unit engaged in numerous actions along the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
border and there appear to be some notes that indicate that Halifax served in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
as well. There is also a family tradition that Halifax was attacked by a bear at this time though that seems to be a legend at best. His regiment was involved at the battles of Niagara
Capture of Fort Niagara
The Capture of Fort Niagara took place late in 1813, during the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. The understrength American garrison was taken by surprise, and the fort was captured in a night assault by a select force of British regular infantry.-Background:Fort Niagara was...
, Lundy’s Lane and Buffalo Creek
Buffalo Creek
-Waterways:In Pennsylvania*Buffalo Creek *Buffalo Creek , tributary of the Casselman River*Buffalo Creek *Buffalo Creek In West Virginia...
. Halifax was seen by most contemporaries as a competent cavalry commander whose regiment was best used for scouting and screening the enemy though the Canadian Legion served with merit on the border.
In the summer of 1814, Halifax and his unit were transferred to the Chesapeake theatre where they served at Bladensburg and in the raid on Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Halifax grew very close to Sir Robert Ross and wrote a moving account of his death in that campaign. It appears that Halifax named his favorite horse after Ross. Family legend indicates that Halifax was one of the group of British officers who toasted the burning White House from one of the local taverns. His time in Maryland and, later, Louisiana seems to have left in Halifax a strong hatred of the practice in human slavery.
Halifax also served in the ill-fated New Orleans campaign
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...
of January 1815. The attack on Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
’s position devastated his regiment as well as the rest of the British forces. Halifax’s stirring defenses of the commander of the attack, Sir Edward Michael Packenham, seem misplaced and, along with his excuses for William Howe’s mishandling of the British forces during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, indicate a loyalty that often seemed blind. Halifax himself was wounded in the arm during the attack and was dragged from the field.
Halifax recovered from his wounds at Sint Eustatius, in the Dutch Antilles in the first half of 1815. At this time, he apparently met his half-sister, Kitty van de Graaf (it seems that George Halifax met her mother in 1796 during his visit to the islands for the winter). He apparently was able to convince her to return to England and they remained close until his death. Kitty van de Graaf was an accomplished woman in her own right despite her handicap (based on descriptions, it appears that she had been struck by infantile paralysis in her childhood and remained in a wheelchair her entire life) as well as her Jewish faith. Kitty would later serve as one of Disraeli’s leading patrons.
In 1817, after the death of his brother George, William became the Ninth Earl of Stirling
Earl of Stirling
Earl of Stirling was a title in the Peerage of Scotland created on 14 June 1633, along with the titles Viscount Canada and Lord Alexander of Tullibody, for William Alexander, 1st Viscount Stirling. He had already been created Viscount of Stirling and Lord Alexander of Tullibody on 4 September 1630...
. That same year, Halifax was kicked upstairs to a 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...
ship and served as one of the chief British liaisons with the Greek independence movement. It would seem that his militia training skills were the chief reason for this sudden promotion and assignment.
He later served as lieutenant governor of St. Lucia during the late 1820s.
Based on his notes, through his antislavery activities, in 1817, Halifax met Lady Alexa Weston who, even more than Susan Grant, must have been the love of his life. In one of the most charming equestrian sculptures in the region, there is a statue of them across from the old church in Suffolk that contains the family plot. Oddly enough, she seems to be riding ahead and he is behind her, looking at her with a look of great affection. Family legend has it that they shared their first kiss at that spot. William Halifax admitted that Alexa Weston was the only person he knew in England who was a better horseman than he was.
They married late in 1817 though William appears to have spent most of the next year in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. During that period, Alexa gave birth to William Alexander
William Alexander Duer
William Alexander Duer was an American lawyer, jurist, and educator from New York City. He was a president of Columbia University, then Columbia College.-Biography:...
, their first child. William returned from Russia in December 1818.
In 1840, Halifax wrote a report for the Prime Minister regarding the political and military career of William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
before he won the American presidency. Halifax considered Harrison to be the greatest American commander of his age due to his victories at Tippecanoe and the Thames. Halifax also wrote a number of books on his military career including Conversations with Sir William, Fifth Viscount Howe, K.B and General of the Army From His Time in Plymouth Concerning the Defense of England and Assorted Notes on the New York and Philadelphia Campaigns from the War Against the Rebellious Colonies and A History of the Campaigns of 1812 and 1813 and 1814 along the Canadian Border with New York with Appendixes Concerning the Chesapeake Campaign of the Summer of 1814, the Louisiana Campaign Led by the Late General Packenham as well as Assorted Notes Concerning the Militia.
William Halifax died at Justice Hill on November 11, 1871 at the age of 85. While not one of the great commanders of his age, Halifax served his country well and must be considered one of the best British cavalry commanders of the War of 1812. How he would have fared in the Napoleonic Wars remains unknown. While he would not admit it, Halifax was probably at his best as an inspector general, training militia than as an actual field commander. Still, with his sense of duty and loyalty to the Crown, Halifax may have served as a tenacious soldier if fate allowed him to take part on a larger stage in the drama of history.