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 ...

Sir John William Floyd, 1st Baronet (22 February 1748 – 10 January 1818), was a British

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

officer.

Family and early life

Born on 22 February 1748, he was the oldest child of Captain John Floyd and Mary Floyd (née Bate).

Career

He was commissioned on 5 April 1760 as a

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the Eliott's Light Horse, a recently raised regiment which became the

15th The King's Hussars The 15th The King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. First raised in 1759, it saw service over two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 19th Royal Hussars into the 15th/19th The King's Ro ...

. He was commissioned Lieutenant on 20 April 1763 and Captain-Lieutenant on 20 May 1770. He was commissioned Captain on 25 May 1772 into the 15th (The King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons and Major of the 21st Light Dragoons on 5 May 1779. On 24 September 1779 he was commissioned and gazetted as Lieutenant-Colonel of the newly formed cavalry regiment for duty in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

called the 23rd Light Dragoons, and later renamed the 19th Light Dragoons. He was commissioned Colonel on 18 November 1790. He was appointed to command all cavalry and military units on the coast of India by

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

in 1790. In the

Third Anglo-Mysore War The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) was a conflict in South India between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the third of four Anglo- ...

(1790–1792), he led cavalry forces against

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...

, including a notable defeat in which he lost 300 horses just before the 1791 siege of Bangalore. He was promoted Major-General on 5 October 1794 and appointed Colonel of the 23rd Light Dragoons on 14 September 1800. On 1 January 1801, he was commissioned Lieutenant-General. He was transferred as colonel to the

8th Light Dragoons The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces ...

on 13 September 1804 and commissioned full General on 1 January 1812.

Post military

In 1800 he returned to England, and then served for some years on the General Staff in Ireland. Floyd was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1816. He died suddenly of gout early in 1818. He married firstly Rebecca Juliana Darke, daughter of Charles Darke of

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, and secondly Anna Morgell, daughter of Crosbie Morgell of

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, and widow of Sir Barry Denny, 2nd Baronet. By his first wife he had three children, including Julia Peel, wife of Sir

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

References

Sources

*Wickwire, Franklin and Mary. ''Cornwallis: The Imperial Years''; {{DEFAULTSORT:Floyd, Sir John Floyd, 1st Baronet British Army generals Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom 15th The King's Hussars officers 19th Light Dragoons officers 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers 1748 births 1818 deaths British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Mysore War