General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Sir James Macdonell or Macdonnell (1781 – 15 May 1857) was a Scottish officer of the

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 ...

Life

He was the third son of Duncan MacDonell, 14th clan chief of

Clan MacDonell of Glengarry Clan MacDonnell of Glengarry ( gd, Clann Dòmhnaill Ghlinne Garaidh) is a Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl o ...

and his wife, Marjory Grant, daughter of Sir Ludovic Grant.

Alexander Ranaldson Macdonell Colonel Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry (15 September 1773 – 17 January 1828), sometimes called by the Gaelic version of his name, Alastair or Alasdair, was clan chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. As was customary for a laird (l ...

of Glengarry was his elder brother. He was educated at a Roman Catholic school in

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

in France, as was then common with the Scottish aristocracy (Catholicism still at that time being illegal). He died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 15 May 1857.

Military career

He began as an ensign in 1793. In 1794 (aged only 13), he was a lieutenant in the 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot; in 1795, he was captain in the 17th Dragoons. He joined the

19th Foot 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

in 1796; he was major in the 78th Foot, and was awarded the

Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predominantly the Pe ...

for Maida in 1806. He joined 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 ...

in 1811 as a lieutenant colonel, and served in 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 ...

. He is best known for his command of the infantry defending the

Hougoumont Château d'Hougoumont (originally Goumont) is a walled manorial compound, situated at the bottom of an escarpment near the Nivelles road in the Braine-l'Alleud municipality, near Waterloo, Belgium. The site served as one of the advanced defens ...

farmhouse at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in 1815, where he fought with great distinction, including leading the vital closing of the gates, with his sergeant, James Graham. The farmhouse had around 1000 defending it against a French force of 2500. MacDonell was wounded slightly in the battle. The Duke of Wellington awarded him £1000 for his part in the battle calling him "the bravest man in the British Army". MacDonell insisted on splitting this money with his sergeant, James Graham. In 1830 he was promoted to Major General and posted to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

where in 1837 he had to abate the troubles in Armagh. He commanded the Brigade of Guards in Lower

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

under Lord Durham from 1838 to 1841. He returned to Britain in 1842 and was then successively given the colonelcy of the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameron Highlanders) from 1842 to 1849 and the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot from 1849 until his death in 1857. He was promoted full

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in 1854.

Awards

He was awarded

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

, Knight's Cross of Maria Theresa, and Royal Guelphic Order for his service at Waterloo. He was appointed

KGB The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...

in 1855.

References

Sources

*Julian Paget & Derek Saunders (1992); ''Hougoumont: The Key to Victory at Waterloo''; Pen and Sword Books (paperback 2001)

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonell, James 1781 births 1857 deaths British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars British Army generals Green Howards officers Coldstream Guards officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Army Gold Medal Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Recipients of the Waterloo Medal