General Frederick Rennell Thackeray (1775 – 19 September 1860) was a senior British Army officer.
Early life
Thackeray was born in Windsor, Berkshire, a younger son of physician Dr Frederick Thackeray, and a grandson of
Thomas Thackeray
Thomas Thackeray (1693 – 25 August 1760) was a Church of England clergyman who taught at his old school, Eton College, and ended his career as Head Master of Harrow School. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD).
Life
Born in 1693, ...
, headmaster of
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
in 1793 but transferred to the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
the following year. He served from 1793 at
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
, where he was promoted
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
in 1796, and then transferred to the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
in 1797. He took part, on 20 August 1799, in the capture of
Surinam Surinam may refer to:
* Surinam (Dutch colony) (1667–1954), Dutch plantation colony in Guiana, South America
* Surinam (English colony) (1650–1667), English short-lived colony in South America
* Surinam, alternative spelling for Suriname
...
under Sir
Thomas Trigge
General Sir Thomas Trigge (c. 1742 – 11 January 1814) was a British army officer who began his career in 1759 during the Seven Years' War, as an ensign in the 12th Regiment of Foot. He remained with the regiment for the next 36 years, and co ...
. In 1801 he was aide-de-camp to Trigge at the capture of the Swedish West India island of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, from where he proceeded to Egypt with the expedition under Major-General
Alexander Mackenzie Fraser
Lieutenant General Alexander Mackenzie Fraser (1758 – 13 September 1809) was a British General. He was known as ''Mackenzie'' until he took additional name of ''Fraser'' in 1803.
Family and early life
The family of Fraser of Castle Fraser, ...
, returning to Sicily in September. In 1809 Thackeray was the commanding Royal Engineer with a force under Lieutenant-Colonel Haviland Smith, and was detached by Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart to make an attack on the castle of
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla), is obsolete. ( ; grc-gre, Σκύλλα, Skúlla, ) is a legendary monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's r ...
, which Thackeray directed with such skill that although his siege was raised by a superior French force, the castle had by then become untenable and had to be blown up.
In 1810 Thackeray was sent from
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
to join Colonel John Oswald in the Ionian Islands with orders to take part in the siege of the fortress of Santa Maura on the island of Lefkada. The position of the fortress on a long narrow isthmus of sand rendered it difficult to approach, and it was not only well supplied, but contained casemated barracks for a garrison of eight hundred men under General Camus. The now-General Oswald effected a landing on 23 March and the enemy were driven out of their forward entrenchments at bayonet point by the
35th Regiment of Foot
The 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1701. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1881.
History ...
. Large working parties were at once sent in and the entrenchment converted into a secure lodgement from which the British infantry and sharpshooters were so able to distress the artillery of the fort that it surrendered. Thackeray was mentioned in general orders and in despatches and received on 19 May 1810 a brevet
majority
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-WebsterFrederick Maitland and landed at
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...
in August. He took part in the operations of this army, which, after Maitland's resignation in October, was successively commanded by Generals Mackenzie, William Henry Clinton, Colin Campbell, and Sir John Murray, who arrived in February 1813. In 1813 Thackeray marched with them from Alicante to attack General Suchet, and was at the capture of Alcoy. He also took part in the Battle of Castalla when Suchet was defeated. In May 1813 he embarked with the army, fourteen thousand strong, with a powerful siege train and ample engineer stores, for
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tar ...
, where they disembarked in June. Thackeray directed the siege operations, and by 8 June a practicable breach was made in Fort Royal, an outwork over four hundred yards in advance of the place.
Thackeray was promoted to be
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 the Royal Engineers in July 1813. He had moved, at the end of June, with
Lord William Bentinck
Lieutenant General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck (14 September 177417 June 1839), known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British soldier and statesman who served as the Governor of Fort William (Bengal) from 1828 to 1834 and the First G ...
's army to Alicante, and was at the occupation of
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
on 9 July, and at the Siege of Tarragona on 30 July. He took part in the other operations of the army under Bentinck and his successor, Sir William Clinton. During October and November Thackeray was employed in rendering Tarragona once more defensible. In April 1814, by
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
's orders, Clinton's army was broken up, and Thackeray returned to England in ill-health.
At the beginning of 1815 he was appointed commanding Royal Engineer at
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, transferred to
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
in 1817, and thence to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in 1824 as commanding Royal Engineer of North Britain. He was promoted to be
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 ...
in the Royal Engineers on 2 June 1825 and made a Companion of the Bath on 26 September 1831.
In 1833 he was appointed commanding Royal Engineer in Ireland and promoted to be major-general on 10 January 1837 when he retired. He was made a colonel-commandant of the Corps of Royal Engineers on 29 April 1846, was promoted
lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
later that year, and made full
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 ...
Bagshot
Bagshot is a town in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an important staging post between London, Southampton and the West Country, evidenced by the original c ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, on 19 September 1860, and was buried at York Town,
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
. He had married Lady Elizabeth Margaret Carnegie, third daughter of William, 7th Earl of Northesk. Lady Elizabeth, three sons, and five daughters survived him. His daughter Mary Elizabeth married the lawyer and historian
John William Willis-Bund
John William Bund Willis-Bund (8 August 1843 – 7 June 1928) was a British lawyer, legal writer and professor of constitutional law and history at King's College London, a historian who wrote on the Welsh church and other subjects, and a loca ...
.Burke's Landed Gentry 14th ed. (reprint of 1921 ed.), ed. A. Winton Thorpe, 1925, p. 238, 'Willis-Bund of Wick Episcopi' pedigree