James Johnston (~1721 – 13 December 1797) was a general in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Family

He was the only surviving son of Captain George Johnston, an army agentFor army officers their banker, broker for the purchase and sale of commissions, agents for transfers and for arrangement of clothing and equipment. Refer to

Paymaster of the Forces The Paymaster of the Forces was a position in the British government. The office was established in 1661, one year after the Restoration (1660), Restoration of the Monarchy to Charles II of England, and was responsible for part of the financin ...

. at Dublin descended from the Johnstons of Hilton in Berwickshire, by his wife Hester Bland, daughter of James Bland,

Dean of Ardfert The Dean of Limerick and Ardfert is a Church of Ireland official based in the St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick, Cathedral Church of St Mary's in the united diocese of Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe, Limerick, Killaloe and Ardfert. There had been ...

and great-aunt to

Dorothea Jordan Dorothea Jordan (née Bland; 22 November 17615 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish actress, as well as a courtesan. She was the long-time partner of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), and the mother of 10 illegitimate children ...

. His sister Mary married Francis Napier, 6th Lord Napier.James Johnston – Westminster Abbey
Retrieved 21 April 2012. His paternal grandfather was Sir Patrick Johnston, three times

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of ...

Career

JohnstonConfusion with namesake James Johnston, "Johnston of the Blues"
He was known as 'Irish' Johnston because he was often confused with another James Johnston, army officer, of very much the same age, Johnston of the Blues. 'Irish' Johnston's father George was a third cousin of James Johnston son of James Johnston, they shared descent from Archibald Johnston (died 1619) and his wife Rachel Arnot.
These appointments of the two James Johnstons: major general, lieutenant general and general, were identical and gazetted on the same day, one man listed above the other without distinction. In addition on 9 March 1762 they were gazetted respectively colonel of horse and colonel of dragoons (dragoons immediately above horse). Before he became a general officer, the other James Johnston's career and his colonelcies were with crack household regiments.
Lady Henrietta Johnston with effect from 14 December 1797 received an ''Allowance as of His Majesty's Royal Bounty, &c.'' of £200 per annum "In consideration of her late husband's (General James Johnston, late Colonel 6th Dragoons) faithful and unremitted exertions in the Service, during a period of more than 60 years and of the high Rank which he had attained in the Army". ''Estimates and Accounts, Army returns &c, Session 7, January to 30 July 1812, Vol IX'

Retrieved 22 December 2012.
The letter of appointment dated 27 April 1775 of James Johnston to colonel of the

11th Regiment of Dragoons The 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army established in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the World War I, First World War and World War II, Second ...

may rest among his archived papers with his other commissions but if that commission were for him then it would have been mentioned with his wife's pension and it is not. joined the army as a cornet in the 13th Regiment of Dragoons on 5 October 1736, and transferred to the

Royal Dragoons The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons) was a heavy cavalry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was formed in 1661 as the Tangier Horse. It served for three centuries and was in action during the First and the Second World Wars. It was amalgam ...

in 1739, where he rose to the rank of major. On 2 December 1754 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the 13th Dragoons,

Richard Cannon Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a compiler of regimental records for the British Army. Career On 1 January 1802 Cannon was appointed to a clerkship at the Horse Guards, and attained the grade of first-clerk in 1803. Under a Horse Guards order ...

, ''Historical record of the Fourth or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards'' (London, 1839
page 90-91
/ref> then on 7 April 1759 went back to the Royal Dragoons as lieutenant-colonel,'' A List of the general and field officers ... of the officers in the several regiments ... on the British and Irish establishment'' (London, 1767
page 29
/ref> commanding the regiment in Germany under

Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

. He served with distinction at the

Battle of Warburg The Battle of Warburg was fought on 31 July 1760 during the Seven Years' War. The battle was a victory for the Hanoverians and the British against a slightly larger French army. The victory meant the Anglo-German allies had successfully defen ...

on 31 July 1760 and was wounded at the

Battle of Kloster Kampen The Battle of Kloster Kampen (or Kloster Kamp, or Campen) was a tactical French victory over a British and allied army in the Seven Years' War. The Allied forces were driven from the field. Prelude During the autumn of 1760 Duke Ferdinand of ...

on 15 October. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of

Nevis Nevis ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Kitts ...

in April 1761 (and so was briefly responsible for the juveniles

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

and Frances Herbert Woolward 1761–1831) was promoted to colonel on 19 February 1762 and granted local rank as a major-general, commanding a cavalry brigade in the campaign of 1762. As a mark of esteem he was given a gold snuff-box by Brunswick's nephew Hereditary Prince Charles. Johnston was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Minorca in 1763, promoted major-general in April 1770, and made colonel of the

9th Regiment of Dragoons The 9th Queen's Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries, including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, bu ...

on 2 January 1771. He was retired from his responsibilities for Minorca and made governor of (the garrison at) Quebec on 21 November 1774, though manifestly gazetted Governor of Quebec, the lesser position he held until his death in 1797. He transferred as colonel to the 1st Irish Horse on 27 April 1775 and was promoted lieutenant-general in September 1777. On 14 April 1778 he became colonel of the 6th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Dragoons. 'Irish' Johnston was promoted full general in 1793. On his death he was succeeded as Governor of Quebec by

Staats Long Morris General Staats Long Morris (27 August 1728 – 28 January 1800) was a British Army officer and politician who represented Elgin Burghs in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1774 to 1784. He also served as governor of Quebec from 1797 ...

. James Johnston was one of the most celebrated swordsmen of his day. On 5 May 1763, he married Lady Henrietta West, daughter of

Lord De La Warr Earl De La Warr ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1761 for John West, 7th Baron De La Warr. The Earl holds the subsidiary titles of Viscount Cantelupe (1761) in the Peerage of Great Britain, Baron De La Warr (15 ...

, leaving issue; his widow died in 1817. General Johnston died at

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

13 September 1797 in his 77th year and was buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

on 21 December 1797.

Note

* Further resources: :Military commissions of James Johnston, 5 October 1736—12 October 1793. ''Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies'' DE/HL/15994-16003 :Appointment as Governor of Quebec, ''Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies'' DE/HL/16008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James 1720s births 1797 deaths British Army generals British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War 13th Hussars officers 1st The Royal Dragoons officers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers officers 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons officers Burials at Westminster Abbey Irish colonial officials Irish soldiers Military personnel from Dublin (city) Governors of Nevis