Battle-of-talavera-28th-july-1809-william-heath

Lieutenant-General Sir James Charles Dalbiac, (1776–1847) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

officer and Member of Parliament.

Life

He was born the eldest son of Charles Dalbiac of Hungerford Park, Berkshire. In 1793 he joined the

4th Light Dragoons Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

as a cornet and was promoted to lieutenant in 1794, captain in 1798, major in 1801, and lieutenant-colonel in 1808. He was posted to Portugal with his regiment in 1808 to act as second lieutenant-colonel to

Lord Edward Somerset General Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset (19 December 17761 September 1842) was a British soldier who fought during the Peninsular War and the War of the Seventh Coalition. Life Somerset was the third son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufo ...

. In July 1809 he led the left wing of the 4th Light Dragoons in a charge at the

battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spanish ar ...

. He served throughout the Peninsular campaign, taking command of the regiment, in the absence of Lord Edward Somerset, at Campo Mayor in March 1811 and Los Santos in April 1811. In 1805 Dalbiac had married Susanna Isabella, eldest daughter of Lieutenant-colonel John Dalton, of Sleningford Hall, Ripon, Yorkshire. She went out to nurse him when he fell ill with a fever and stayed on by his side, famously at the

Battle of Salamanca The Battle of Salamanca (in French and Spanish known as the Battle of Arapiles) on 22July 1812 was a battle in which an Anglo-Portuguese army under the Earl of Wellington defeated Marshal Auguste Marmont's French forces at Arapiles, so ...

. In that battle on 22 July 1812 the 4th Light Dragoons, the

5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially formed in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse. Following a number of name changes, it became the 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) ...

and the

3rd Light Dragoons Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

were under the command of Major-general Le Marchant and took part in a charge in which the general was killed. Susanna went onto the battlefield to help the wounded. After the battle of Salamanca Dalbiac returned with his wife to England and never saw active service again. He was promoted colonel in 1814. In 1814 Susanna gave birth to her only daughter, Susanna Stephania, and in 1815 the Dalbiacs bought Moulton Hall, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, but when their daughter married

James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe, KT (12 July 1816 – 23 April 1879) was a Scottish peer. Early life Innes-Ker was the only surviving child of the 5th Duke of Roxburghe and the former Harriet Charlewood (–1855). Before h ...

in 1836 they were obliged to sell the house to finance her dowry. From 1822 to 1824 he was brigadier-general commanding the Goojerat district of the Bombay army and was promoted major-general in 1825 and made a Knight Commander of the

Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (german: Königliche Guelphen-Orden), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name ...

(KCH) by William IV. He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1838 and made colonel of the

3rd Dragoon Guards The 3rd (Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685 as the Earl of Plymouth's Regiment of Horse. It was renamed as the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1751 and the 3rd (Prince of Wales's) ...

in 1839. He was transferred to the colonelcy of his old regiment, the

, in September 1842. He was elected M.P. for

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

in 1835, sitting until 1837. He died in London in 1847.

Works

Dalbiac wrote a

catechism A catechism (; from grc, κατηχέω, "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult c ...

for young and non-commissioned cavalry officers and was a disciple of the writer Izaak Walton. He was also the author o
''A Few Words on the Corn Laws: Wherein are Brought Under Consideration Certain of the Statements which are to be Found in the Third Edition of Mr. McCulloch's Pamphlet Upon the Same Subject''
published in 1841.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalbiac, James Charles 1776 births 1847 deaths 3rd Dragoon Guards officers 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers People from Hungerford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1835–1837 British Army lieutenant generals Military personnel from Berkshire British Army personnel of the Peninsular War