General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Sir Crawford Trotter Chamberlain (1821–1902) was a senior officer in the Indian Staff Corps.

Early life

Born in London on 9 May 1821, was the third son of

Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Chamberlain, 1st Baronet (1773– 31 July 1829) was a British diplomat, consul general to Portugal and chargé d'affaires to Brazil. He was created a baronet on 22 February 1828. Henry was a natural son of the Honourable Henry Fa ...

by his second wife. Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain was an elder brother. After education at private schools and under tutors Crawford obtained a cadetship in the Bengal army in 1837, and was posted to the 28th Bengal infantry. From this corps, he was transferred to the 16th Bengal infantry.

Afghan and Sikh Wars

With the outbreak of the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Afghanistan, Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking si ...

in 1839 Chamberlain's active service began. He was present at the siege of Ghazni (23 July 1839) and at the operations around

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

. In September 1841 he was appointed to the command of the 5th Janbaz cavalry, and in the following month, he became adjutant of Christie's horse. Until the end of the Afghan campaign, he was engaged in constant heavy fighting. In 1843 Chamberlain was sent to

Scinde Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

with two squadrons of Christie's horse as an independent command, to be known as Chamberlain's horse. In 1845 he was invalided to the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

, where he married. Next year he returned to India as second in command of the 9th irregular cavalry, into which his own corps had been absorbed. During the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of ...

and the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...

he was constantly in action. He was at the battle of Chillian walla on 13 January 1849, receiving the medal and clasp. On 30 January he was again engaged in the neighbourhood; here he was wounded and was made the subject of a special despatch by

Lord Gough Field Marshal Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, (3 November 1779 – 2 March 1869) was an Irish officer of the British Army. After serving as a junior officer at the seizure of the Cape of Good Hope during the French Revolutionary Wars, Gough com ...

(31 January). At the

Battle of Gujrat The Battle of Gujrat was a decisive battle in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, fought on 21 February 1849, between the forces of the East India Company, and a Sikh army in rebellion against the company's control of the Sikh Empire, represented by ...

on 21 February, he had to be lifted into the saddle, where he remained throughout the day. He was awarded the clasp, was mentioned in despatches, and, being promoted to captain and

brevet major In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

in November 1849, was given the command of the 1st irregular cavalry, formerly

Skinner's Horse The 1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) is a regiment of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. It traces its origins as a cavalry regiment from the times of the East India Company, followed by its service in the British Indian Army and finally, afte ...

. He served with them in the

Mohmand The Mohmand ( ps, مومند) or Mohmand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people. They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar, Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. Most people of the Mohmand tribe spe ...

expedition of 1854 and received a medal and clasp.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

On the outbreak of the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, Chamberlain's men volunteered to shoot condemned rebels at

Jullundur Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

(4 June 1857). He was given the duty of disarming the 62nd and 69th regiments at

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

. At

Chichawatni Chichawatni ( pa, , ur, ) is a city in the Sahiwal District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Chichawatni Tehsil. Situated near the old main road called Grand Trunk Road, it lies approximately from the dist ...

(September) Chamberlain was attacked by a superior force of the enemy, and housed his cavalry in a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

. He held out until he was relieved three days later. For his services, Chamberlain was promoted to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

. In April 1862 he was made

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Later life

In 1864 Chamberlain was appointed honorary A.D.C. to the governor-general, and two years later was made

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(CSI), and was included in the first list of twelve officers for good service pension. In 1866, too, he was transferred to the command of the central Indian horse, and next year to the command of the

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

district with the rank of brigadier-general. In 1869 Chamberlain was officiating political agent at Gwalior; from October 1869 to February 1870 he was acting political agent at the court of

Scindia The Scindia dynasty (anglicized from Shinde) is a Hindu Maratha dynasty of maratha origin that ruled the erstwhile State of Gwalior. It had the Patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai. It was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal servan ...

until his promotion to major-general. During his unemployed time as major-general he served on various commissions and courts of inquiry, and from 1874 to 1879 he commanded the Oudh division. He became lieutenant-general in October 1877 and general in January 1880. In 1880 Chamberlain returned to England for the first time since 1837. In 1884 he was retired from the active list. In 1897, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee, he was made

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appo ...

(GCIE). He died at his residence, Lordswood,

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, on 13 December 1902, and was buried at

Rownhams Rownhams is a village in Hampshire, England, situated just outside the boundaries of the City of Southampton, to the north-west. It is in the civil parish of Nursling and Rownhams. Rownhams services is a nearby service station on the M27 motorw ...

Family

Chamberlain married twice: # in 1845, at the Cape, to Elizabeth de Witt, daughter of J. de Witt; she died on 19 January 1894; and # in 1896 to Augusta Margaret Christie, daughter of Major-General John Christie, C.B., who survived him. There was no issue by either marriage.

Notes

External links

britishmedals.us, ''General Crawford Trotter Chamberlain''
partly based on DNB text. ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Crawford Trotter Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Star of India British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the First Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War 1821 births 1902 deaths British Indian Army generals Indian Staff Corps officers Younger sons of baronets