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 a ...

Sir Henry Johnson, 1st Baronet, (1 January 1748 – 18 March 1835) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

general in 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 second son of Allen Johnson of

Kilternan Kilternan (), also known as Kiltiernan, is a village in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, Ireland, near the border with County Wicklow. Location Separated from the continuous built-up Dubli ...

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

, and his wife Olivia, daughter of John Walsh of Ballykilcavan, Queen's County; his elder brother,

John Allen Johnson-Walsh Sir John Allen Johnson-Walsh, 1st Baronet (bapt. 19 September 1744 – 16 December 1831) was an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.George Edward Cokayne''The Complete Baronetage'' vol. 5, p. 383(Exeter 1906) He was born John Allen Johns ...

, was created a baronet in 1775. He was appointed

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 ...

on 19 February 1761 in the

28th foot The 28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1694. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 61st (South Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Gloucestershire Regi ...

, in which he became

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1762, and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1763, and is stated to have served with the regiment (probably in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

) during that time. John became major in the 28th in 1775, went to North America, and was posted by

Sir William Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...

to one of the provisional battalions of light infantry, which he commanded in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

campaigns of 1776–8. He was appointed lieutenant-colonel

17th foot The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both ...

on 8 October 1778, and commanded that regiment in the operations in the Jerseys, and afterwards in Virginia and Carolina, under

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 ...

. On the surrender at York Town in October 1781, Johnson returned home and remained unemployed until

the peace ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

. He subsequently commanded the 17th foot in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. At the commencement of the war with France he was appointed inspector-general of recruiting for the English establishment in Ireland, and held the post until 1798. During the rebellion in that year he was detached with three thousand men to occupy

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. It is located on the River Barrow, near the border with County Kilkenny, and is around northeast of Waterford. In 2016 it had a population of 8,040 people, making it the ...

, and defeated the rebels when they attacked the place on 5 June 1798. It was the hardest fight during the rebellion. Lord Cornwallis had an indifferent opinion of Johnson, and wrote of him as "a wrong-headed blockhead". Johnson was made

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 of ...

81st foot The 81st Regiment of Foot (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot to form the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment i ...

in 1798, became a lieutenant-general in 1799, and

governor of Ross Castle Ross Castle ( ga, Caisleán an Rois) is a 15th-century tower house and keep on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It is the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan O'Donoghue, later associated with th ...

in 1801. He held a

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 a ...

's command in Ireland from 1798 to 1803, became a full general in 1809, was created a baronet on 1 December 1818, and in 1819 was transferred to the colonelcy of the

5th foot The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Scots_Brigade, Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III of England, William III to England in the ...

. He died on 18 March 1835, at the age of eighty-seven, at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, where there is a masonic monument to him in the

Abbey Church A church, church building or church house is a building used for Christian worship services and other Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 and 256. From the 11th thro ...

Family

Johnson married in 1782 Rebecca Franks, daughter of David Franks of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and sister of John Franks of

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

, Middlesex, by whom he had a family. She died in 1823. Their eldest son, Henry Allen Johnson (1785–1860), who matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1804. and was a student of the college to 1817, and afterwards aide-de-camp to the Prince of Orange, succeeded as second baronet. Their younger son, George, a captain in the 81st Foot, was killed in Portugal in 1812.

References

* Foster's ''Baronetage'' under "Johnson-Walsh" and "Johnson of Bath" * Philippart's ''Royal Military Calendar'', 1820, vol. i. under
Johnson, Sir Henry
and under
Steuart, Sir James
, for particulars of operations in Ireland in 1798.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Henry 1748 births 1835 deaths 18th-century Anglo-Irish people 19th-century Anglo-Irish people Irish soldiers British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War People of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Johnson of Bath, 1st Baronet Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 28th Regiment of Foot officers Royal Leicestershire Regiment officers 81st Regiment of Foot officers Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers People from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown