Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

John Robyns, (13 May 1780 – 22 March 1857) was a senior officer of the Royal Marines who served during the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

and earned historically noteworthy military distinctions on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...

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 ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. As a battalion commander of Royal Marines, Captain John Robyns faced enemy forces which included his counterparts of the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

at Bladensburg, Washington, Baltimore, and New Orleans. In his later years Robyns served one term as Mayor of Penzance (1840–41) in his native

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Early life and career

John Robyns, the son of Thomas Robyns, was christened in the Parish of

Madron Madron ( kw, Eglos Madern) is a civil parish and village in west Cornwall, Great Britain. Madron is named after Saint Madern's Church. Its annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was started on 27 Oct ...

, in West Cornwall, on 13 May 1780. The private christening, performed by a midwife, probably occurred soon after his birth, if not on the actual day of birth. It may be assumed that young Robyns received an adequate common school education that was sufficient to prepare him for a commission. He may have served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

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 ...

prior to 1796. It is difficult to document this period of his life with precision. Robyns received his commission as a second lieutenant of His Majesty's Marine Forces in 1796. Soon afterwards he was ordered to the East Indies where he remained on station nearly five years, earning his promotion to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

in 1799. Following his return, shortly prior to the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it s ...

, he was sent to Ireland where he remained on station until his promotion to captain in 1807. John Robyns was thus still a subaltern when H.M. Corps of Marine Forces was elevated to the dignity of Royal Marines on 29 April 1802. In 1808 Captain Robyns of the Marines sailed for Barbados as part of the expedition under Vice Admiral

Alexander Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captai ...

and Lieutenant General George Beckwith.

Invasion of Martinique

In 1809 Captain John Robyns participated in the British Invasion of Martinique, a highly successful amphibious operation. Captain John Robyns remained on the Leeward Islands Station until about 1811, well after the seizure of Guadeloupe by the British forces under Cochrane and Beckwith.

Chesapeake Campaign

Still a Marine captain, Robyns rejoined Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane's command in 1813, as the Officer Commanding the detachment of Marines aboard . He was among the handful of Royal Marines company-grade officers chosen to command a battalion ashore during the

. Robyns commanded a 400-strong composite battalion of Royal Marines and Royal Navy personnel in the

Battle of Bladensburg The Battle of Bladensburg was a battle of the Chesapeake campaign of the War of 1812, fought on 24 August 1814 at Bladensburg, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. Called "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms," a British for ...

, the

Burning of Washington The Burning of Washington was a British invasion of Washington City (now Washington, D.C.), the capital of the United States, during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. It is the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a ...

, and in the

Battle of Baltimore The Battle of Baltimore (September 12–15, 1814) was a sea/land battle fought between British invaders and American defenders in the War of 1812. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland ...

. At Baltimore Robyns was severely wounded while leading his battalion on 12 September 1814. The British Army commander, Major General Robert Ross, was killed in the same action. Writing from , to the Admiralty Lords on 17 September 1814, Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane singled out the "frequently gallant conduct" of Robyns as worthy of special "favour and protection".

Battle of New Orleans

Following the defeat at Baltimore, Robyns was brevetted a major on the British Army List. Though still recovering from a wound described as "severe," he accompanied the British expeditionary force which was sent to engage in the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. Once again charged with a composite command, he commanded a company in the "composite battalion" of 100 Marines commanded by his senior, Brevet Major Thomas Benjamin Adair (1783–1849), of the Royal Marines. Adair's 100 Royal Marines and a similar-sized party of

Edward Nicolls Sir Edward Nicolls ( – 5 February 1865) was an Anglo-Irish officer of the Royal Marines. Known as "Fighting Nicolls", he had a distinguished military career. According to his obituary in ''The Times'', he was "in no fewer than 107&nb ...

' Red Sticks were brigaded with Colonel William Thornton (British Army officer)'s

85th Regiment of Foot (Bucks Volunteers) The 85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment of Foot to form the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1881. ...

. Thornton's Brigade performed laudably at New Orleans, overwhelming the American line on the west bank of the Mississippi. The brigade's small triumph, however, was not enough to counterbalance the British disaster of 8 January 1815. Royal Marines also contributed to the subsequent orderly withdrawal by the British forces.

Peacetime establishment and later years

In spite of the award of a pension for wounds received, Robyns escaped the officer reductions in the Royal Marines establishment of 1814 and 1816. Robyns married Miss Wilmot John (1787–1867), the second daughter of George John, of Penzance, at

on 18 July 1815. Routine duties and assignments followed until his retirement in 1835. He was promoted to the substantive rank of major in the Royal Marines on 16 April 1832, thus finally attaining the permanent status of "General and Field Officer (G & FO)", Royal Marines. In 1840 he served one term as Mayor of Penzance, a largely honorary public function. Robyns died in Cornwall on 22 March 1857. He was buried in Madron on 27 March 1857.

Promotions and awards

* Second Lieutenant, (H.M. Marine Forces) 13 March 1796. *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

, (H.M. Marine Forces) 1 January 1799. * Captain, Royal Marines 19 June 1807. **Brevet Major, (Army List) 27 October 1814. 28 December 1815 Awarded a pension for wounds. * Major, Royal Marines 16 April 1832. Allowed to retire from the Royal Marines as a major with full pay in 1835. *

Knight 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 ...

25 January 1836. *3 November 1840 War Office brevet of lieutenant colonel, on the British Army List as a "late Major" of the Royal Marines, to date from 10 January 1837. This belated and honorary brevet on the Army List occurred at the same time as that of Colonel James Home of the Royal Marines, and Lieutenant Colonel

. *1842 Awarded a good-service pension. *1848/1849

Naval General Service Medal (1847) __NOTOC__ The Naval General Service Medal (NGSM) was a campaign medal approved in 1847, and issued to officers and men of the Royal Navy in 1849. The final date for submitting claims was 1 May 1851.British Battles and Medals, page 34. Admiral Th ...

with Clasp for

Invasion of Martinique (1809) The invasion of Martinique was a successful British amphibious operation against the French colony of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the West Indies campaign of 1804–1810 of the Napoleonic Wars. Mart ...

. **

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

, (Army List) 11 November 1851. **

, (Army List) 20 June 1855.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Crawford, Michael J. (Ed) (2002). ''The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3''. Washington: United States Department of Defense. * Latimer, Jon (2007): '1812: War With America'. Harvard University Press. * Nicolas, Paul Harris (1845): 'Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces, Volume 2', 1805–1842 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robyns, John 1780 births 1857 deaths Royal Marines generals French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Politicians from Cornwall Councillors in Cornwall Mayors of places in Cornwall Military personnel from Cornwall