James Welsh (East India Company officer)
General James Welsh | |
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Travancore Rebellion |
General James Welsh (12 March 1775 – 24 January 1861) was an English officer in the Madras Army of the East India Company.[1]
Biography
Welsh, son of John Welsh, a Scotsman, was born on 12 March 1775. He obtained a commission as ensign in the army of the
Welsh was promoted to be lieutenant in the 24th Native Infantry on 1 November 1792, and took part with it in the siege of
On 10 December 1799 Welsh was promoted to be captain, and appointed adjutant and quartermaster of the 3rd Native Infantry, which in 1803 formed part of a force under Major-general
Welsh served on the staff at the
On 15 May 1805 Welsh succeeded to the command of his battalion at Poona, continuing to hold his staff appointment until the end of the year, when he marched with his regiment to
Welsh was promoted to be major on 22 May 1807, and went home on furlough. rejoining his regiment on 5 February 1809 before the lines of
In April 1812 he commanded a small force sent to quell a rising in the Wainad, which he accomplished after a month of heavy marching and desultory fighting. He was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel on 25 January 1813, and was appointed deputy judge-advocate-general, residing at Bangalore.[6]
On 6 February 1821 Welsh was appointed to command the troops in the provinces of
Early in 1829 Welsh went to England on furlough. He was promoted to be colonel on 5 June. In the following year he published Military Reminiscences, from a Journal of nearly forty years' Active Service in the East Indies, with over ninety illustrations (2 vols. 8vo, two editions). The work remains useful for its descriptions of places and military incidents in southern India.[6]
Welsh did not return to India until his promotion to major-general on 10 January 1837. He was appointed on 1 June to the command of the northern division, Madras presidency, to which was added, in November 1838, the command in Katak. He was promoted lieutenant-general on 9 November 1846, and relinquished his command on 16 February following. On leaving India the governor in council expressed the high sense entertained of the gallantry and zeal which had marked his service of fifty-eight years. He was promoted to be general on 20 June 1854. He died at North Parade, Bath, on 24 January 1861.[6]
Family
Welsh married at Calcutta, in 1794, Sarah, a daughter of Francis Light, first governor of Prince of Wales Island, Penang, by whom he had numerous offspring.[6]
Notes
- ^ a b Vetch 1899, pp. 238–239.
- ^ a b c d e f Vetch 1899, p. 238.
- ^ Fitchett 1911, pp. 102–104.
- ^ Vetch & Falkner 2010.
- ^ Vetch 1899, p. 239 cites Political Despatch, 29 September 1809.
- ^ a b c d e Vetch 1899, p. 239.
References
- Fitchett, William Henry (1911), Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852, London: G. Bell, pp. 102–104
- Vetch, R. H.; Falkner, James (reviewer) (May 2010) [2004]. "Welsh, James (1775–1861)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29026. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
Attribution
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Vetch, Robert Hamilton (1899). "Welsh, James". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 60. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 238–239. Endnotes
- India Office Records;
- Royal Military Calendar, 1820;
- Allibone's Dictionary of English Literature;
- Annual Register, 1861;
- Welsh's Military Reminiscences;
- Literary Gazette, Spectator, Scotsman, and London Monthly Review of 1830.
Further reading
- Philippart, John (1820). "4693. xii Lieut.-Col. James Welsh". The Royal Military Calendar, or Army Service and Commission Book. Containing the services and progress of promotion of the generals, lieutenant-generals, major-generals, colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and majors of the army, according to seniority: with details of the principal military events of the last century. Vol. 5 (3rd, in five volumes ed.). London: Printed by A.J. Valpy, sold by T. Egerton etc. pp. 428–432.
- Philippart, John, ed. (1823). "Lieutenant-Colonel James Welsh (Madras Establishment)". The East India Military Calendar: containing the services of General and Field Officers or the Indian Army. Vol. 1 (First ed.). Kingsbury Parbury, and Allen. pp. 329–333.
- Welsh, James (1830). Military Reminiscences: Extracted from a Journal of Nearly Forty Years' Active Service in the East Indies. Vol. 1 (Two volume, 2nd ed.). Smith, Elder, and Company.
- "Art. IV. A review of Military Reminiscences". The Eclectic Review. 3rd series. Vol. V. London: Holdsworth and Ball. January–June 1831. pp. 53–67.