Sir John Slade, 1st Baronet
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General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Sir John "Black Jack" Slade, 1st Baronet, (31 December 1762 – 13 August 1859) served as a
general officer A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
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 ...
during the
Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
. Slade was praised in official reports, including by
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...
, who also voiced some criticisms of him privately. Slade received an
Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field officer, field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predom ...
, and was honoured three times with the thanks of
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
.Liddell, p.179 Slade's descendants include two
admirals Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
, namely son Sir Adolphus Slade and grandson Sir
Edmond Slade Admiral Sir Edmond John Warre Slade (20 March 1859 – 20 January 1928) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Director of Naval Intelligence. His daughter Madeleine Slade was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Naval career Born the son of Rev G ...
. Despite achieving high rank during and after active soldiering, Slade was criticised as a general of cavalry by some contemporaries and historians.


Background and early military life

Slade was the son of John Slade (d. 1801) of
Maunsel House Maunsel House in the English county of Somerset was built in the late 14th or early 15th century. The house stands south of the hamlet of North Newton, in the parish of North Petherton. It is the family seat of the Slade baronets and is a Grade I ...
,
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, a Victualling Commissioner, and his wife, Charlotte ''née'' Portal. He obtained a commission as
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. There is also a soprano cor ...
in the 10th Dragoons on 11 May 1780, and became a
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
on 28 April 1783,
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
on 24 October 1787,
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
on 1 March 1794, and lieutenant colonel on 29 April 1795. On 18 October 1798, he exchanged to the
1st 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 ...
(the Royals). He was appointed
equerry An equerry (; from French language, French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attend ...
to the Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland in 1800, and became a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
in the army on 29 April 1802. In June 1804, he was made
brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
, and gave up command of the Royals. He is said to "have danced with
Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
who gave him a
snuff box A decorative box is a form of packaging that is generally more than just functional, but also intended to be decorative and artistic. Many such boxes are used for promotional packaging, both commercially and privately. Historical objects are u ...
".


Peninsular War cavalry general

In October 1808, Slade was sent to Corunna in command of a
hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
. He led the
10th Hussars The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army raised in 1715. It saw service for three centuries including the First World War and Second World War but then amalgamated with the 11th Hussars (Prince ...
in the successful
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
action at
Sahagún Sahagún () is a town and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León and the province of León. It is the main centre of population in the Leonese part of the Tierra de Campos natural region. Sahagún contains ...
on 20 December. The 10th arrived too late to play an active role in the action, primarily because Slade insisted on making a stirring, and apparently over-long, speech ending in the words: "... blood and slaughter, march!" Slade made an enemy of Henry, Lord Paget, who commanded all the cavalry in the Corunna campaign. Paget made no pretence of hiding his low opinion of Slade, once calling him "... that damned stupid fellow", in a voice that many nearby officers and troopers heard. Slade shared in the arduous work of the cavalry during John Moore's retreat, and served as a volunteer at the
Battle of Corunna The Battle of Corunna (or ''A Coruña'', ''La Corunna'', ''La Coruña'' or ''La Corogne''), in Spain known as Battle of Elviña, took place on 16 January 1809, when a French corps under Marshal of the Empire Jean de Dieu Soult attacked a Briti ...
, when the cavalry had embarked. He was employed on the staff in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
for six months, but returned to the
Peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
in August 1809 with a brigade of
dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
, and served there for four years. He participated in the battles of Busaco and
Fuentes de Oñoro Fuentes de Oñoro is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located from the provincial capital city of Salamanca, and has a population of 1058 people. It ...
. He commanded the
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
division, in
Stapleton Cotton Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, (14 November 1773 – 21 February 1865) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Barbados from 1817 to 1820. As a junior officer, ...
's absence, during
André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...
's retreat from
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in the spring of 1811.
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
mentioned him favourably in his dispatch of 14 March. On 11 June 1812, when he was under
Rowland Hill Sir Rowland Hill, KCB, FRS (3 December 1795 – 27 August 1879) was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of Uniform Penny Post and his solu ...
in Estremadura, Slade was beaten by
Charles Lallemand Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
in a cavalry action at Maguilla. Each side deployed 700
dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...
in two regiments. The British had the advantage in the first encounter, and followed headlong in pursuit through a defile, beyond which they found the French reserve drawn up. Their own reserve had joined in the pursuit and lost its formation. The brigade panicked, was pursued by the French for several miles, and lost more than 100 prisoners. Slade rode with the leading squadrons, instead of attending to the supports, and Wellington and others blamed him. Wellington was furious, writing privately: "I have never been more annoyed than by Slade's affair. Our officers of cavalry have acquired a trick of galloping at every thing. They never consider the situation, never think of manoeuvring before an enemy, and never keep back or provide for a reserve." Such criticism from his commander-in-chief was echoed by some of his subordinates; one cavalry officer wrote: "As a leader of cavalry he was deplorable. He was a byword for inefficiency throughout the army." Another officer wrote, commenting specifically on the
Battle of Sabugal The Battle of Sabugal was an engagement of the Peninsular War which took place on 3 April 1811 between Anglo-Portuguese forces under Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington) and French troops under the command of Marshal André Ma ...
: “ eneral Slade… let no possible opportunity for inaction to pass him - pretending not to comprehend orders, which the events passing before him would have made comprehensible to a trumpeter, … a curse to the cause, and a disgrace to the service.” Sir
Charles Oman Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman, (12 January 1860 – 23 June 1946) was a British Military history, military historian. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering. ...
expressed the view that he was capable only of following definite orders and lacked initiative. It has been claimed that Slade eroded the morale of his brigade between 1811 and 1812, with this being partly the cause of the reverse at Maguilla.Fletcher, pp. 7-8 That Slade, accused of ineptitude by contemporaries, remained in command of a brigade until mid-1813 has been attributed by commentators to Wellington's widely perceived inability to rid himself of undesirable senior officers, except by employing various subterfuges.


Later career and honours

In May 1813, Slade's brigade was transferred to Henry Fane, and he went home, and was employed for a year in
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. The official reason for Slade losing his command was that he was senior to Major General Henry Clinton, who had been given the local rank of lieutenant general. Slade received an
Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field officer, field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predom ...
and one clasp for Corunna and Fuentes d'Oñoro. He had been promoted to major general on 25 October 1809, became a
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
on 4 June 1814, and a
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
on 10 January 1837. In 1831, he was given the colonelcy of the
5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially raised in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse or the Earl of Shrewsbury's Horse. By 1687, it was known as Langsdale's Horse, from ...
; on 30 September 1831 he 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 ...
, and in 1835 he was appointed a GCH. He was honoured three times with the thanks of
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
.Liddell, p.179 He died on 13 August 1859 at his home, Montys Court, and was buried at
Norton Fitzwarren Norton Fitzwarren is a village, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton. The village has a population of 3,046. History The village is on the southern slope of Norton Camp, a large hillfort that s ...
, near
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
, Somerset, having been 'the oldest living member of the army save one'.


Family

Sir John married firstly, on 20 September 1792, Anna Eliza Dawson (died 24 December 1819), daughter of James Dawson of Forkhill,
County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...
. They had seven sons (six of whom joined the military) and two daughters: *Charlotte Susan Slade (20 July 1795 – 17 November 1878), married Henri Milliet de Faverges et de Challes *Lt. Col. John Henry Slade (8 July 1796 – 30 October 1843) *Anna Eliza Slade (6 December 1797 – 7 May 1872), married Wadham Penruddock Wyndham *Maj. Charles George Slade (30 September 1799 – 10 February 1839) *Frederick William Slade, 2nd Baronet (22 January 1801 – 8 August 1863), twin with Marcus *Lt. Gen. Marcus John Slade (22 January 1801 – 7 March 1872), twin with Frederick *Admiral Sir Adolphus Slade (22 May 1802 – 13 November 1877) died unmarried. *Ernest Augustus Slade (30 June 1805 – 5 March 1868), served in the 40th and 54th Foot in Burma *Lt. Alfred Robert Slade (7 October 1806 – 20 December 1829), died at sea Secondly, Sir John married Matilda Ellen Dawson, his late wife's sister, on 17 June 1822, (d. 12 September 1868). He had four more sons and two more daughters: *Maj.-Gen. Herbert Dawson Slade (27 May 1824 – 15 June 1900) *Wyndham Dawson Slade (30 August 1826 – 13 March 1910), married Cicely Neave daughter of
Sir Digby Neave, 3rd Baronet Sir Richard Digby Neave, 3rd Baronet (1793–1868), usually known as Digby Neave, was an English artist and author. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Neave, 2nd Baronet, and brother of Sheffield Neave. He was educated at St Mary's Ha ...
*Lt.-Col. William Hicks Slade (9 December 1829 – 28 July 1884), married Cecilia Louisa des Voeux, daughter of Sir Charles des Voeux *Rev. George FitzClarence Slade (13 September 1831 – 23 December 1804), a Fellow of
All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full me ...
, father of Admiral Sir
Edmond Slade Admiral Sir Edmond John Warre Slade (20 March 1859 – 20 January 1928) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Director of Naval Intelligence. His daughter Madeleine Slade was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Naval career Born the son of Rev G ...
(1859–1928) and grandfather of Madelene Slade and Martin Beale *Sophia Louisa Slade (14 August 1837 – 1920), married Lt Col Adolphus William Desart Burton *Gertrude Matilda Slade (18 April 1841 – 8 May 1919), died unmarried He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest surviving son, Sir Frederic Slade, 2nd Baronet (1801–1863),
queen's counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
and bencher of the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
.


In culture

The
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...
posits that one of
Robert Dighton Robert Dighton (c.1752 – 1814) was an English portrait painter, printmaker, and caricaturist. He was the founder of a dynasty of artists who followed in his footsteps. Life and work Robert Dighton was the son of London printseller John Digh ...
junior's military etchings in its Reference Collection was "probably" of Slade. Slade also features as a general in Allan Mallinson's earlier novels in the Matthew Hervey series.


References


Bibliography

*Burnham, R. and McGuigan, R. (2017) ''Wellington's Brigade Commanders: Peninsula and Waterloo'', Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley Yorkshire. *Cassels, S.A.C. (Ed.), ''Peninsular Portrait 1811-1814 - The Letters of William Bragge, Third (King's Own) Dragoons'', London. (1963). *Fletcher, I., ''Galloping at Everything: The British Cavalry in the Peninsula and at Waterloo 1808-15'', Spellmount, Staplehurst (1999). . *Hibbert, C. ''Corunna'', (Batsford, 1961) . *Liddel, R.S., ''The Memoirs of the Tenth Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales' Own)'', London (1891). * Oman, Charles. ''Wellington's Army, 1809-1814.'' London: Greenhill, (1913) 1993. *Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill, 1998. *''Supplementary Despatches, Correspondence and Memoranda of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington'', 2nd Duke of Wellington (ed.), London 1860. *Teffeteller, G.L. (1989) ''Wellington and Sir Rowland Hill'', The International History Review, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Feb., 1989), pp. 68–75, Taylor & Francis. *Weller, J. (1962 - reprinted 1992) ''Wellington in the Peninsula'', Greenhill Books, London. ;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slade, 1st Baronet, Sir John Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom British Army generals British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1762 births 1859 deaths 10th Royal Hussars officers 1st The Royal Dragoons officers 5th Dragoon Guards officers Recipients of the Army Gold Medal