William Napier continued from previous page...
His domestic life was shadowed by the incurable affliction to his only son, and when his brother Charles died in 1853, his world seemed to be darkening around him. he devoted himself to writing the life of that brother, which appeared in 1857, and which is in many respects his most characteristic book. Towards the end of 1853 his younger brother Captain Henry Napier ( Royal Navy ) died and in 1855 his brother Sir George. Inspired by his work, William lived on till the year 1860, when broken by trouble, fatigue and ill-health, he died at Clapham. He was bueried at West Norwood. Four months earlier he had been promoted to the full rank of General.
Field Marshal Hugh Gough 1st Viscount Gough, KP, GCSI, KCB, PC .
November 3rd 1779 - March 2nd 1869. Conqueror of the Punjab. Born Woodstown, Limerick, Ireland. Having obtained a commission in the army in August 1794, he served with the 78th Highlanders at the Cape of Good Hope, taking part in the capture of Cape Town and the Dutch Fleet in Saldanha Bay in 1796. His next service was in the West Indies, where with the 87th ( Royal Irish Fusiliers ), he shared in the attack on Puerto Rico, the capture of Surinam, and the Brigand War in St. Lucia.
Wellington's commitment to his army during the Peninsular War was total, and he expected the same from his officers, even discouraging them from going on home leave. He would have been pleased with the commitment and enthusiasm of Major Hugh Gough, of the 2/87th Foot at Barossa in 1811 where he became a hero of the Peninsular War. Hugh was the son of Colonel George Gough, a prominent citizen and Commander of the Limerick Militia, under who young
November 3rd 1779 - March 2nd 1869. Conqueror of the Punjab. Born Woodstown, Limerick, Ireland. Having obtained a commission in the army in August 1794, he served with the 78th Highlanders at the Cape of Good Hope, taking part in the capture of Cape Town and the Dutch Fleet in Saldanha Bay in 1796. His next service was in the West Indies, where with the 87th ( Royal Irish Fusiliers ), he shared in the attack on Puerto Rico, the capture of Surinam, and the Brigand War in St. Lucia.
Wellington's commitment to his army during the Peninsular War was total, and he expected the same from his officers, even discouraging them from going on home leave. He would have been pleased with the commitment and enthusiasm of Major Hugh Gough, of the 2/87th Foot at Barossa in 1811 where he became a hero of the Peninsular War. Hugh was the son of Colonel George Gough, a prominent citizen and Commander of the Limerick Militia, under who young
Hugh served. Hugh had purchased his majority in the newly raised 2/87th ( recruited in the counties of Tipperary and Clare ) This 25 year old eventually led his regiment to the Peninsula to fight throughout Wellington's campaign. Gough with his usual bravery was wounded at Talavera, but escaped with Captain Oates, an equally brave and wounded Connaught Ranger. In February 1810 Gough and his battalion joined an Anglo-Portuguese force at Cadiz, that was blockaded by the French. Barossa was they key to the route into Cadiz, and there on the 5th March 1811, Major Gough led a memorable charge of the 2/87th shouting ' Faugh-a-Ballagh! Faugh-a-Ballagh! ( Irish for clear the way ) The 87th smashed into the French 8th Regiment and in a terrible bayonet fight killed or wounded over half thier fighting strength. The french did not know what had hit them, In the centre of the bloody struggle the eagle of the 8th was desperately defended by the French Colour Party and the Irish furiously cut their way towards it. Sergeant Patrick Masterson, a Roscommon man, snatched the pole bearing the eagle from the French and held onto it throughout the melee.
Sergeant Patrick Masterson from Roscommon captures the French Eagle.
For his valour Masterson was made an ensign and members of his family long served in the Faughs. Hugh Gough was given the Brevet rank of Lieutenat-Colonel for his leadership at Barossa. The prized eagle was sent home and presented to the Prince Regent amidst great public acclaim for the 2/87th Foot and endless newpaper accounts appeared about Gough, and his men. Gough furthered his military reputation as a fighting Irish field commander in late December 1811 when the beseiging French broke through the fortress wall at the Port of Tarifa. He volunteered to hold the breach with his regiment and during the night the defenders attempted to repair the damage. On the morning of the 31st when the French came up again they met the 87th's deadly fire, while above the din could be heard the lively drums and fifes playing ' Garryowen ' requested by Gough. he and his troops repulsed them after a short fierce fight and the French melted away to the 87th's playing ' St Patrick's Day '. Gough cut above the eye and in the hand by flying splinters, ' modestly ' told his wife in a letter:
The scene was awfully grand; every officer and man seemed to outvie one another in acts of heroism, and never...can i forget their expression and looks..at seeing me bleed.
The Spanish conferred on Gough the Grand Cross of the Order Of Charles III. Gough, Masterson and the ' Faugh-a-Ballagh 87th had established a reputation for heroism and 5th March, Barossa Day, would long be long celebrated.
In May 1813 Wellington began his advance to the Pyrenees thrusting forward at a staggering rate over rough terrain and by mid-June he was threatening both Vitoria and Bilbao. On the 21st June he began the Battle of Vitoria with Edward Pakenham ( brother of Kitty Pakenham, whom the duke married ) acting as his Adjutant General. While Wellington struck with his main body, Hugh Gough on the left, leading his 2/87th supoorted by the 2/83rd and 94th, advanced uphill in a charge on the village of Hermandad, that cracked the French line. His regiment suffered severe casualties, 254 out of a strength of 637, including valuable officers like Captain Frederick Vandeleur, who died of his wounds. The 7th October was a momentous dat when Wellington invaded France, his armt crossing the River Bidassoa to engage again Marshal Soult who had built up fortifications on the Nivelle and Nive Rivers. In these bleak Pyrenees mountains where the November violent rain, snow and hailstorms never ceased, the Irish continued to perform bravely. High Gough suffered a severe hip wound when his 2/87th attacked two French redoubts on the Nivelle and lost very heavily; out of 386 men 216 became casualties. Wellington himself was painfully wounded by a spent bullet in February after the Battle of Orthez while riding about, as was his custom. Indomitable, he soon recovered. At the close of the war he returned home and enjoyed a respite of some years from active service. He next took command of a regiment in the south of Ireland, discharging at the same time the duties of a magistrate during a period of agitation. Gough was promoted to Major-General in 1830. Hugh Gough accepted the Mysore Divisional Command in the Madras Army in 1837. Three years later he led a British expeditionary force to China where, in the Opium Wars, he was successful in surrounding Canton, Occupying Shanghai in 1842, and advancing to the important city of Nanking, which capitulated. Gough returned to India and was appointed Commander-in-Chief, which actually meant only Bengal. His first Campaign on arrival in India, aged 64 was the Gwalior War of December 1843 against Mahratta princes in Gwalior who were secretly negotiating with the Sikhs of the Punjab. Both these firce people had large armies that were always a threat to the British and Lord Ellenborough took the initiative to protect British interests and ordered an army to be assembled. Gough was successful at Maharajpore; a seperate Mahratta force was defeated at Punniar by General Grey. This forty-eight-hour conflict which resulted in the conquest of Gwalior was not given much public attention by home newspapers, but the severe fighting which took place by ' our brave and valorous troops ' was reported in the Illustrated London News of 9th March 1844.
Gough's name is chiefly connected with the Sikhs, ' the last of the warrior peoples of India unsubdued by the British ' Since the death of Ranjit Singh ( 1839 ) friction between the British and the Sikhs of the Punjab increased. as did internal disorder in the Punjab. The British watching warily, began to organise an army. When the Sikh Army, known as the Khalsa, well trained by foreign mercenaries especially in the use of artillery, crossed the Sutlej River in British-ruled territory in December 1845, and invested Ferozepore, a typical village of the time, Gough immediately arrived with his army and defeated them at Mudki on the 18th December. After Gough's victory the new Govenor General Sir Henry Hardinge, a Peninsular veteran and Guards officer, offered to serve as Gough's Second-in-Command, a most unusual situation. However just before the 21st December Battle of Ferozeshah, Hardinge, as Governor General, forbade Gough to attack without waiting for Major General Sir John Littler and his division. Their disagreement caused delay, but Gough had to obey. Historian Donald Featherstone points out that ' never before had such powers been exercised by any Govenor General in the field ' Gough did not mention this in his depatch.
In the bitterly contested battle many Irish in the First Bengal European Regiment were casualties when their charge was halted by the Sikhs whose surprising and devastating use of landmines scattered men in every direction. Many were burnt and mutilated.
In May 1813 Wellington began his advance to the Pyrenees thrusting forward at a staggering rate over rough terrain and by mid-June he was threatening both Vitoria and Bilbao. On the 21st June he began the Battle of Vitoria with Edward Pakenham ( brother of Kitty Pakenham, whom the duke married ) acting as his Adjutant General. While Wellington struck with his main body, Hugh Gough on the left, leading his 2/87th supoorted by the 2/83rd and 94th, advanced uphill in a charge on the village of Hermandad, that cracked the French line. His regiment suffered severe casualties, 254 out of a strength of 637, including valuable officers like Captain Frederick Vandeleur, who died of his wounds. The 7th October was a momentous dat when Wellington invaded France, his armt crossing the River Bidassoa to engage again Marshal Soult who had built up fortifications on the Nivelle and Nive Rivers. In these bleak Pyrenees mountains where the November violent rain, snow and hailstorms never ceased, the Irish continued to perform bravely. High Gough suffered a severe hip wound when his 2/87th attacked two French redoubts on the Nivelle and lost very heavily; out of 386 men 216 became casualties. Wellington himself was painfully wounded by a spent bullet in February after the Battle of Orthez while riding about, as was his custom. Indomitable, he soon recovered. At the close of the war he returned home and enjoyed a respite of some years from active service. He next took command of a regiment in the south of Ireland, discharging at the same time the duties of a magistrate during a period of agitation. Gough was promoted to Major-General in 1830. Hugh Gough accepted the Mysore Divisional Command in the Madras Army in 1837. Three years later he led a British expeditionary force to China where, in the Opium Wars, he was successful in surrounding Canton, Occupying Shanghai in 1842, and advancing to the important city of Nanking, which capitulated. Gough returned to India and was appointed Commander-in-Chief, which actually meant only Bengal. His first Campaign on arrival in India, aged 64 was the Gwalior War of December 1843 against Mahratta princes in Gwalior who were secretly negotiating with the Sikhs of the Punjab. Both these firce people had large armies that were always a threat to the British and Lord Ellenborough took the initiative to protect British interests and ordered an army to be assembled. Gough was successful at Maharajpore; a seperate Mahratta force was defeated at Punniar by General Grey. This forty-eight-hour conflict which resulted in the conquest of Gwalior was not given much public attention by home newspapers, but the severe fighting which took place by ' our brave and valorous troops ' was reported in the Illustrated London News of 9th March 1844.
Gough's name is chiefly connected with the Sikhs, ' the last of the warrior peoples of India unsubdued by the British ' Since the death of Ranjit Singh ( 1839 ) friction between the British and the Sikhs of the Punjab increased. as did internal disorder in the Punjab. The British watching warily, began to organise an army. When the Sikh Army, known as the Khalsa, well trained by foreign mercenaries especially in the use of artillery, crossed the Sutlej River in British-ruled territory in December 1845, and invested Ferozepore, a typical village of the time, Gough immediately arrived with his army and defeated them at Mudki on the 18th December. After Gough's victory the new Govenor General Sir Henry Hardinge, a Peninsular veteran and Guards officer, offered to serve as Gough's Second-in-Command, a most unusual situation. However just before the 21st December Battle of Ferozeshah, Hardinge, as Governor General, forbade Gough to attack without waiting for Major General Sir John Littler and his division. Their disagreement caused delay, but Gough had to obey. Historian Donald Featherstone points out that ' never before had such powers been exercised by any Govenor General in the field ' Gough did not mention this in his depatch.
In the bitterly contested battle many Irish in the First Bengal European Regiment were casualties when their charge was halted by the Sikhs whose surprising and devastating use of landmines scattered men in every direction. Many were burnt and mutilated.
