Casimir Carbonnier, portrait of Sir Neil Campbell, oil on canvas 1818

Major-General Sir Neil Campbell CB (1 May 1776 – 14 August 1827) 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 who fought during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, administered several British colonies, and escorted

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

into exile.

Biography

Born on 1 May 1776, Campbell was the son of a British Army officer.

Early career

In 1797, Campbell purchased his first commission in the Army as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

with a regiment stationed in the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

. In 1799, Campbell purchased a lieutenancy. In 1800, Campbell returned to England and joined a regiment of light troops there. From February 1802 to September 1803, he attended the Royal Military College, then located at

Great Marlow Great Marlow is a civil parishes in England, civil parish within Wycombe district in the England, English county of Buckinghamshire, lying north of the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the Ha ...

. After his time at the college, Campbell became an assistant quartermaster-general. In 1805, Campbell purchased a promotion to major in a regiment that spent two years in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. After returning to England, Campbell purchased a promotion to lieutenant colonel. Over the next three years, Campbell participated in the campaigns to capture

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

, the

Îles des Saintes The Îles des Saintes (; "Islands of the Female Saints"), also known as Les Saintes, is a group of small islands in the archipelago of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. It is part of the Canton of Trois-Rivières and is divided int ...

, and

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

from the French.

War in Europe

Campbell returned to Britain in 1810 and in 1811 was seconded as a colonel in the Portuguese infantry, a post he held until 1813. In that year he was sent as a British

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

to accompany the Russian Army. He was with the Russians when they invaded France in 1814. Campbell actively participated in fighting the French. He was severely wounded on 25 March 1814 while leading a cavalry charge during the

Battle of Fère-Champenoise The Battle of Fère-Champenoise (25 March 1814) was fought between two Imperial French corps led by Marshals Auguste de Marmont and Édouard Mortier, duc de Trévise and a larger Coalition force composed of cavalry from the Austrian Empire, ...

when a Russian

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

mistook him for a French officer. Later in 1814, Campbell became a full colonel and in 1815 received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

Exile of Napoleon and Waterloo

After the abdication of Napoleon in April 1814, Campbell was tasked with escorting him into exile on the Island of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

and then heading the military detachment there.

Lord Castlereagh Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), usually known as Lord Castlereagh, derived from the courtesy title Viscount Castlereagh ( ) by which he was styled from 1796 to 1821, was an Anglo-Irish politician ...

, Great Britain's foreign minister, had insisted that Napoleon be given complete freedom on the island. On 26 February 1815, while Campbell was in Italy, Napoleon escaped Elba. There were suspicions in England that Napoleon had bribed Campbell to allow his escape, but the foreign ministry did not fault Campbell in any way. In 1815 Campbell served in the

Waterloo Campaign The Waterloo campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North (France), Army of the North and two Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied army and a Prussian army. Initially the French army was commanded by ...

and served as a commander of occupation forces in France until 1818.

Sierra Leone

Campbell was promoted to Major General in 1825 and was now able to apply for a staff appointment. The first opportunity was as governor of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

. Due to the health hazards in that colony, Campbell's family asked him to turn down the assignment. However, Campbell decided to go. On 14 August 1827, Campbell died of an unknown disease in Sierra Leone and was buried in

Circular Road Cemetery Circular Road Cemetery is a cemetery located in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was opened in 1827. Urban expansion had meant that the old burial ground at the south end of Howe Street had become surrounded by houses and so could not be enlarged. While ...

Biography

Early career

War in Europe

Exile of Napoleon and Waterloo

Sierra Leone

Notes

References

Further reading