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 Charles Henry Ellice (10 May 1823 – 12 November 1888) was a former

Adjutant-General to the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

Life

He was born at Florence on 10 May 1823, was second son of General

Robert Ellice General Robert Ellice (13 October 1784 – 18 June 1856) was a British Army officer. Military career Born the son of Scottish merchant and fur trader Alexander Ellice and brother of Edward Ellice and Alexander Ellice, Ellice was commissioned ...

, the brother of the Right Hon. Edward Ellice, secretary at war, and

Eliza Courtney Elizabeth Courtney (20 February 1792 – 2 May 1859) was the illegitimate daughter of the Whig politician and future Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, and socialite Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, while Georgiana was married t ...

Military career

Having passed through Sandhurst, Charles Ellice was commissioned into the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

on 10 May 1839. He served in Canada in 1840–2, and became lieutenant and captain on 8 August 1845. He exchanged to the

82nd foot The 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Prince of Wales ...

on 20 March 1846, and to the 24th foot, of which his father was colonel, on 3 April. He went with that regiment to India in May, but was aide-de-camp to his father (commanding the troops in Malta) from 17 March 1848 to 3 March 1849, and so missed the

second 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 promoted major on 21 December 1849, and lieutenant-colonel on 8 August 1851. On 28 November 1854 he became colonel in the army. The 24th was at Peshawar when the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

broke out. On 4 July 1857, Ellice was sent to

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

with three companies of it, some native cavalry, and three guns, to disarm the 14th Bengal native infantry and other troops. He arrived rode ahead to discuss the disarming of the garrison with their British Commander and made preparation for it to be carried out the following day whilst the 14th Bengal Native Infantry were on parade. The 14th mutinied on sighting Ellice's forces on the morning of the 7th and he attacked and routed them during what became known as the Battle of Jhelum. He was dangerously wounded in the neck, right shoulder, and leg leading a charge to break through the enemy lines. He was mentioned in despatches, received the

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, and was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

on 1 January 1858. On 3 June 1858, he was given the command of the second battalion of the 24th, which he raised. He went with it to Mauritius in March 1860, but exchanged to half-pay on 8 July 1862. On 25 May 1863, he was appointed to a brigade in the Dublin district; on 8 March 1864 he was transferred to Dover and from 1 September 1867 to 30 June 1868 he commanded the South-Eastern District. He was promoted major-general on 23 March 1865, lieutenant-general on 28 September 1873, and general on 1 October 1877. He went on to become

Quartermaster-General to the Forces The Quartermaster-General to the Forces (QMG) is a senior general in the British Army. The post has become symbolic: the Ministry of Defence organisation charts since 2011 have not used the term "Quartermaster-General to the Forces"; they simply ...

in 1871, and in 1876 was appointed

. In this role he advised the Government that the defeat at the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zulul ...

of 1879 had arisen because they had underestimated the military capability of the

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Na ...

. In the latter capacity, he carried on a correspondence in 1877–8 with the governors of

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, in which he represented the view of many officers of the army that the college was being diverted from its original purpose. The correspondence was published, and a commission of inquiry followed. He left the post of Adjutant-General in 1882, and retired in 1887. He was also

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 ...

of the 49th (Princess of Wales Hertfordshire) Regiment (1874–1881) and the

South Wales Borderers The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years. It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...

from 6 April 1884 until his death in 1888. He lived at 12

South Audley Street South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London.'South Audley Street: Introduction', in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 290–291. Bri ...

in London.Survey of London: volume 40 - The Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings)
British History on Line He died at Brook House,

Horringer Horringer is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It lies on the A143 about two miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds. The population in 2011 was 1055. Heritage Horringer was earlier known as Ho ...

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...

on 12 November 1888.

Family

In 1862 he married Louisa, daughter of

William Henry Lambton William Henry Lambton (1764–1797) was a British member of Parliament (MP) who represented the City of Durham in the House of Commons. He was the son of Major-General John Lambton, who preceded him as the MP for Durham, and the brother of Ra ...

, brother of the first

Earl of Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Gre ...

. He left one daughter, Eliza (died 1899), married to Henry Bouverie William Brand, first

Viscount Hampden Viscount Hampden is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of Great Britain when the diplomat and politician Robert Hampde ...

References

;Attribution , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellice, Charles 1823 births 1888 deaths British Army generals Coldstream Guards officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath South Wales Borderers officers British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Ellice family