Major Moses Corbet (1728–1814) 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 served as

Lieutenant Governor of Jersey The Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (, Jèrriais: ''Gouvèrneux d'Jèrri'') is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Jersey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The Lieutenant Governor has his own flag in Jersey, ...

from 4 April 1771 to 6 January 1781.

Early career

Corbet joined the

c.1745. In 1748 he was an Ensign in the

7th Regiment of Foot 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

and by the start of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

he had been promoted to Captain, sailing with his regiment from Ireland to help relieve the

Siege of Fort St Philip (1756) The siege of Fort St Philip, also known as the siege of Minorca, took place from 20 April to 29 June 1756 during the Seven Years' War. Ceded to Great Britain in 1714 by Spain following the War of the Spanish Succession, its capture by France thr ...

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

. The relief failed and his regiment moved to

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 ...

where he served until ill health forced his return to England. Whilst in England he married and became Aide-de-camp to Lieutenant Colonel

Lord Robert Bertie General Lord Robert Bertie (14 November 1721 – 10 March 1782) was a senior British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1751 to 1782. Early life Bertie was the fifth son of Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and th ...

the commander of the

He rejoined the regiment in Gibraltar and received promotion to Major on 14 December 1761 within the

. Returning with the regiment to England, he left the army because of ill health and settled back in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. Becoming involved in politics and following corn riot disturbances in 1769, was appointed

on 4 April 1771. In 1779 the Franco-Dutch Invasion of Jersey was attempted at St Ouen's Bay. The defenders, led by Moses Corbet, were able to prevent the landing, suffering only a few men wounded when a cannon burst.

Battle of Jersey

On 6 January 1781 a French invading force led by

Philippe de Rullecourt Philipe Charles Félix Macquart, Baron de Rullecourt was a French soldier who became a general of the Kingdom of France. In 1781, he was mortally wounded commanding the attempted invasion of Jersey at the Battle of Jersey. Biography Philipe C ...

secured the town of

Saint Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

and surprised Corbet in bed in Government House (then situated at Le Manoir de La Motte).''The Channel Islands'' by C. J. Metcalfe
/ref> De Rullecourt convinced Corbet that thousands of French troops had already overwhelmed

. He threatened to burn the town and slaughter the inhabitants if the garrison did not capitulate and Corbet, unable to ascertain the true situation, surrendered. Major

Francis Peirson Major Francis Peirson (January 1757 – 6 January 1781) was a British Army officer who was serving on Jersey, in the Channel Islands off the coast of France. He was killed in the Battle of Jersey, one of the last battles to take place in the B ...

, suspecting that De Rullecourt only had a small force, took command of the British troops in Corbet's absence and counter-attacked leading to a decisive engagement in which the British forces were victorious. Corbet was subsequently tried by Court-martial at Horseguards. The charges were * Allowing himself to be surprised by the enemy * Signing articles of capitulation when a prisoner * Attempting to induce other officers in command to concur The French General had written the capitulation letter in his own hand and to get Corbet to sign threatened to destroy the town and shipping in the harbour, disclosing in great detail the defences of the Island, leading Corbet to believe many units had been captured and wishing to save the town from destruction by fire, and believing his powers of command had already been removed as he was a prisoner, agreed to sign. Corbet received good references from

and others. The outcome of the Court Martial was inconclusive; he was dismissed as Lieutenant-Governor, but granted a pension of £250 p.a. for life.

Portrait

A formal full-length portrait of Major Moses Corbet's portrait was created by noted artist Philippe Jean (1755–1802). Jersey Heritage collection Philippe Jean was made famous for his miniature portrait of Guernsey born

Sir Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he co ...

as well as his commissioned portrait of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbet, Moses 1728 births 1814 deaths Governors of Jersey British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Fusiliers officers British Army personnel who were court-martialled