Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir John Michel (1 September 1804 – 23 May 1886) was a British Army officer. He commanded the

6th Regiment of Foot 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

during the

Eighth Xhosa War The Eighth Xhosa War was a war between the British Empire and Xhosa as well as Khoikhoi forces, between 1850 and 1853. It was the eighth of nine Xhosa Wars. Background Large numbers of Xhosa were displaced across the Keiskamma by Governor Har ...

in 1851 and served as Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent during the Crimean War in 1854 before transferring to India where he commanded the Malwa Field Force which pursued

Tatya Tope Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 6 January 1814 – 18 April 1859) was a general in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its notable leaders. Despite lacking formal military training, Tantia Tope is widely consi ...

in the aftermath of 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 ...

. He then commanded the 1st Division at the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

and took part in the burning of the Old Summer Palace at Peking in October 1860 as a reprisal for the torture and murder of British prisoners before being appointed Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong in 1861. He later commanded the forces in British North America playing a key role in the organization of the militia volunteers in resistance to the Fenian raids invasions in 1866. His last appointment was as

Commander-in-Chief of Ireland Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

in 1875. Michel was also an English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er with amateur status.

Military career

Born the son of

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 ...

John Michel and Anne Michel (née Fane), Michel was educated at Eton College and commissioned into the

57th Regiment of Foot The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Middlesex Regiment in 1881. His ...

on 3 April 1823.Heathcote, p. 207 He transferred to the

27th Regiment of Foot The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1689. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in 18 ...

a few months later, then to the 60th Regiment of Foot on 6 November 1823 and then to the 64th Regiment of Foot in

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 ...

on 24 November 1823. He was promoted to lieutenant on 28 April 1825, to

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 ...

in an unattached company on 12 December 1826 and to captain the 64th Foot on 15 February 1827. Michel was associated with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and made his first-class debut in 1831. He played for the

Gentlemen A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the ra ...

in the Gentlemen v Players match. Michel attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst in 1832 passing out as a staff officer the following year. He returned to the 64th Foot before transferring to the

3rd Regiment of Foot 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 ...

in Bengal on 20 February 1835 and becoming Aide-de-Camp to General Sir Henry Fane there later that year. Promoted to major in the

on 6 March 1840, he became

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the 6th Foot with the rank of

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 colone ...

on 15 April 1842. Michel was deployed to South Africa in 1847 where he commanded his Regiment at the Battle of Waterkloof in March 1851 and the Battle of Mount Chaco in December 1851 during the

. Promoted to brevet colonel on 20 June 1854, he became an Inspecting Field Officer for the recruiting districts on 1 October 1854 and then Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent serving in the Crimean War with the local rank of major-general on 27 March 1855. After returning to South Africa again with the local rank of major-general on 24 July 1856 to deal with attacks by the cattle-killing movement, he was transferred to India with the local rank of major-general on 7 August 1857 and commanded the Malwa Field Force which pursued

in the aftermath of the

.Heathcote, p. 208 He was promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 26 October 1858. Michel became Commander of the 1st Division and fought at the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during the

. He took part in the burning of the Old Summer Palace at Peking in October 1860 as a reprisal for the torture and murder of British prisoners before being appointed Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong in 1861. Michel became

Commander of the British Troops in Canada This is a list of officers who commanded the Regular Troops of the British Army in Canada until 1906, when the last British garrison was withdrawn. From 1875 there was a separate commander of the Canadian Militia. This officer was responsible to ...

in British North America with the local rank of

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 ...

on 25 April 1865, succeeding Lieutenant-General Sir William Williams. In this capacity, Michel played a key role in the organization of the militia volunteers in resistance to the Fenian raids invasions in 1866. He was also a strong supporter of the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

– French River navigation route advocated by

Casimir Gzowski Sir Kazimierz Stanisław Gzowski, (March 5, 1813 – August 24, 1898), was an engineer known for his work on a wide variety of Canadian railways as well as work on the Welland Canal. He also served as acting Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 189 ...

. Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 25 June 1866 and to full general on 28 March 1874, he became the Commander-in-Chief, Ireland in 1875; in this capacity his social skills and ample means made him very popular. He returned from Ireland on 1 October 1880. He also became colonel of the 86th Regiment of Foot (later the 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Rifles). Promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

on 27 March 1886, Michel retired to Dewlish House in Dorset where he died on 23 May 1886. Upper North Taku Fort

Honours

Michel's honours included: *

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

(GCB) – 20 May 1871 (KCB – 22 March 1859; CB – 30 May 1853) * Order of the Medjidie, Second Class ( Ottoman Empire) – 2 March 1858

Family

In May 1838 Michel married Louise Anne Churchill and together they went on to have two sons and three daughters.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, John 1804 births 1886 deaths People from Dawlish People educated at Eton College British field marshals Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Army personnel of the Second Opium War People of the Fenian raids Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers North Staffordshire Regiment officers English cricketers English cricketers of 1826 to 1863 Military personnel from Dorset Gentlemen cricketers Non-international England cricketers A to K v L to Z cricketers