General Edward Wells Bell (c. 1789 – 9 October 1870) was a senior British Army officer and Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica. He joined the British army as an ensign and was promoted lieutenant in 1811, captain in 1822, major in 1826, lieutenant-colonel in 1830, colonel in 1846, lieutenant-general in 1860 and full general in 1868. He served with the

7th Regiment of Foot 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...

during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and took part in the Battles of Vittoria,

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

Nivelle Nivelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department * Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front ...

and

Nive The Nive (; eu, Errobi; oc, Niva) is a French river that flows through the French Basque Country. It is a left tributary of the river Adour. It is long. The river's source in the Pyrenees in Lower Navarre. The river Nive was made famous by t ...

, amongst others. He then fought in North America in 1814–15, where he was present at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...

before moving to command the troops in Jamaica, where he was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 1856 (until 1857). In 1859 he was given the Colonelcy of the

66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot The 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1756. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Char ...

, which he held until his death in 1870. He married Mary Anne Chapman, widow of Captain Henry Robert Battersby RN (married 10 May 1816 and died 28 Nov 1816), daughter of William Chapman and Isabella Nevin, and niece of Sir Benjamin Chapman (1st Baronet) and Sir Thomas Chapman Kt (2nd Baronet) of Killua Castle, County Westmeath.''From copy of marriage settlement supplied by Thomas Woodcock when Somerset Herald to G Hudson relating to marriage to Edward Wells Bell'' Their son Major-General

Edward William Derrington Bell Major General Edward William Derrington Bell, (18 May 1824 – 10 November 1879) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Comm ...

won the VC during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Edward Wells British Army generals British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Governors of Jamaica 1780s births 1870 deaths