John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
Chatham was the eldest son of
After serving in the 1799
Considered on at least two occasions as a possible Prime Minister, Chatham rejected these approaches due to poor health of his wife. He also turned down the prospect of commanding British troops in Portugal in 1808 at the beginning of the Peninsular War, a command that instead went to Arthur Wellesley. In 1809 he did accept command of an expedition to the island of Walcheren, as part of a plan to strike at a French fleet being assembled in nearby Antwerp. Despite overseeing the largest force Britain had despatched abroad during the war, the expedition became bogged down on the island and began suffering heavy casualty rates due to disease. Chatham was recalled and was subject to an inquiry that largely placed the blame on him.
After a number of years in the political wilderness, in 1820 Chatham was made Governor of Gibraltar. Although Europe was at peace by this time, Gibraltar remained a key strategic post, and he oversaw improvements to the defences while also dealing with a difficult diplomatic relationship with neighbouring Spain which was going through a period of political turbulence.
Early life
John Pitt was born on 9 October 1756 at
As a child he was often in poor health, suffering frequent
Early career
Chatham joined the army as an
Back in Britain, under strong family pressure, Pitt resigned his commission in early 1776 in protest against the war with America, to which his father was vehemently opposed.[9]: 421–422 He became effective head of the family due to his father's ill health, and took an increasing interest in politics. It was rumoured, at one point, that he might stand for Parliament for Westminster.[10]
He only returned to the army in March 1778, this time as a
Having succeeded to the Earldom, Chatham spent the following year in Gibraltar before transferring to the
Political career
For much of the 1780s and 1790s Chatham focused on a political career. As heir to his father, he was poised to be a natural leader of his political supporters, the Chathamites. However, during the years that Chatham had devoted to his military career these followers were led by
Already Chatham was struggling with debt, despite his inheritance, due both to his own overspending and the poor state their father had left the family finances in. Chatham often
Chatham joined with Pitt and Shelburne to oppose the Fox–North coalition of 1783 but generally kept a low profile during these years. Pitt became prime minister in December 1783. Chatham supported his brother in the Lords but did not take office. In February 1784 on the way back from an event in the City of London, the brothers were attacked by a mob likely organised by supporters of their rival Charles James Fox. In the subsequent 1784 general election Pitt won a decisive victory, securing his government's future. Due to his wife's severe illness, Chatham did not consider himself able to join his brother's government for the next few years, despite rumours linking him to various posts.[18]
First Lord of the Admiralty
In July 1788 William offered Chatham the cabinet post of
Pitt's cousin, William Wyndham Grenville, explained the reason for the appointment in more detail: Chatham would connect 'the department of the Admiralty with the rest of the administration, which has never yet been the case under Pitt's government, even in the smallest degree'.[20]
In 1790, Chatham oversaw the
Generally, Chatham's tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty was not especially distinguished. Important reforms were shelved and Chatham soon acquired a reputation for disorganisation and laziness.[22] Contemporaries noted 'the inconvenience attending his laying in bed till the day is advanced, as officers &c were kept waiting'.[23]
During the
The Admiralty was also criticised in the national press for the failure of the Royal Navy to engage in a major fleet engagement against the French during the opening months of the war until the
Demotion
Chatham had become a magnet for criticism of the government, something which his relationship to the Prime Minister did not help. After a further disagreement between Chatham and Dundas, Pitt was forced to choose between them. Dundas has become a trusted ally and advisor, and the Prime Minister chose to back him rather than his brother.[28] In December 1794 Pitt finally responded to pressure and moved his brother to the less responsible post of Lord Privy Seal.[29] He chose to demote Chatham by letter rather than in person as this "must be unnecessarily distressing to us both".[30] Chatham was furious about his dismissal and demanded to see Pitt in person, which eventually the Prime Minister reluctantly agreed to. Their meeting was not productive and Chatham considered refusing his new office, shattering the image of unity in the cabinet that Pitt wanted to project. Eventually, Pitt persuaded the King to make the offer directly which Chatham reluctantly accepted.[31] He believed that it would be thought that he had been removed from the Admiralty because the government had no confidence in his management of it. He was replaced by Lord Spencer. As he feared, almost immediately the opposition did launch attacks in the Commons on his alleged mismanagement.[32]
After losing the Admiralty, Chatham's relationship with his brother never fully recovered.[33] Two years later Chatham was promoted to Lord President of the Council.[34] Although he was tempted to reject the offer, he accepted what was intended as an olive branch by Pitt.[35] The two publicly reconciled and Chatham visited Pitt at Holwood. Nonetheless, there was a lack of the old warmth between them, and Chatham increasingly took an independent line in the cabinet where he had previously been a close supporter of Pitt.[36]
Defence of Britain
Here he stayed, remaining in office after Pitt's resignation under
A major defensive innovation of the period was the Martello tower, which British troops had first encountered in Corsica.
Later military career
In 1798 Chatham returned to the army. He was appointed to command a brigade in the Helder campaign in 1799.[39] This was an expedition sent by Britain to the Batavian Republic, one of several attempts by Britain to liberate the Low Countries during the war. Commanded by the Duke of York, a younger son of the King, the British struggled to co-operate with their Russian allies and faced unexpectedly heavy French resistance.
He was wounded by a spent ball at the Battle of Castricum on 6 October.[40] The Allied forces were evacuated following the Convention of Alkmaar. After this he served as commander of various military districts, but for some reason was passed over in favour of Arthur Wellesley for a command in the Peninsular War.[41]: 27
Walcheren
Campaign
In May 1809 the Secretary of State for War, Lord Castlereagh, offered Chatham the command of an amphibious assault aimed at destroying the French fleet and fortifications around Antwerp and the island of Walcheren.[42] Chatham commanded the largest expeditionary force Britain had yet fielded in the war.[43] Despite early success in taking the town of Flushing, the campaign was an unmitigated disaster. The army made slow headway and the French immediately withdrew their fleet to Antwerp, a tactic that should have been foreseen by the politicians, admirals and generals planning the campaign from the start.[44] While Chatham quarrelled with the naval commander, Sir Richard Strachan, as many as 8,000 British troops succumbed to malaria and other diseases.[41]: 201
Inquiry
Chatham was recalled in disgrace. His appearance before a parliamentary enquiry did him no favours, particularly when it emerged that he had presented the King with a private memorandum which ought to have gone to the Secretary of State for War first.[45] Spencer Perceval's government withdrew its support from Chatham and he was forced to resign from the Ordnance in May 1810.
Chatham's political and military reputation was ruined. A poem circulated making fun of his inactivity and the lack of co-operation between the army and navy:
The Earl of Chatham, with his sword drawn,
Stood waiting for Sir Richard Strachan;
Sir Richard, longing to be at 'em,
Stood waiting for the Earl of Chatham.[41]: 217
Later life
Chatham did not serve actively again but was promoted to full General in January 1812.[13] He continued to hold various ceremonial positions such as Lieutenant Governor of Jersey and High Steward of Colchester to which he had been appointed back in 1807. He prepared a dossier, outlining a defence of his actions during the Walcheren campaign.
During these years Arthur Wellesley made a great success of the command that Chatham had turned down, leading Allied forces to victory in the Peninsular War and invading southern France. Rewarded with a Dukedom, he became Britain's premier military commander and oversaw the Allied victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, with Chatham playing no part in any of these campaigns.
Gibraltar
In 1820 he succeeded
It was more than forty years since Chatham had last visited Gibraltar as a junior officer. During that time it had survived a
He died at his house in Charles Street, London, on 24 September 1835, aged 78.[49]
Family
Chatham married The Hon. Mary Elizabeth Townshend, daughter of the 1st Baron Sydney, on 10 July 1783.[19]: 126 The couple had no children. Lady Chatham died on 21 May 1821.[50] Chatham did not remarry and on his death the Earldom of Chatham became extinct.
Legacy
John Pitt was the namesake of
References
Citations
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22330. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Reiter, Jacqueline. The Late Lord: The Life of John Pitt–2nd Earl of Chatham. Pen & Sword, 2017. p.12
- ^ Reiter pp. 13–14
- ^ Reiter p. 14
- ^ Reiter p. 15
- ^ Reiter p. 16
- ^ Reiter p. 17
- ^ Reiter p. 20
- ^ a b Taylor and Pringle (1839). Correspondence of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham. Vol. 4. John Murray.
- ^ Reiter p. 21
- ^ Reiter pp. 22–23
- ^ Jeremy Black, Pitt the Elder (Cambridge University Press, 1992), p. 299.
- ^ a b Philippart, J. (1820). The royal military calendar. Vol. 1. T. Egerton. pp. 375–6.
- ^ Reiter pp. 24–25
- ^ Reiter pp. 28–29
- ^ Reiter p. 46
- ^ Reiter, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Reiter pp. 33–34
- ^ a b Earl Stanhope, Philip Henry (1861). Life of the Rt. Hon. William Pitt. Vol. 1. J. Murray. p. 376.
- ^ Rodger, N.A.M. (2004). The command of the ocean. Allen Lane. p. 363.
- ^ Reiter, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Ehrman, John (1969). The Younger Pitt: the years of acclaim. Dutton. pp. 316–7.
- ^ Greig, James (1922). The diary of Joseph Farington. Vol. 1. Hutchinson & Co. p. 54.
- JSTOR 566625.
- ^ Wraxall, Sir Nathaniel (1836). Posthumous memoirs of my own time. Vol. 3. R. Bentley. p. 130.
- ^ Reiter pp. 59–60
- ^ Reiter p. 57
- ^ Reiter pp. 62–63
- ^ Ashbourne, Lord (1898). Pitt: some chapters of his life and times. Longmans, Green & Co. pp. 172–3.
- ^ Reiter pp. 63–64
- ^ Reiter pp. 64–65
- ^ Reiter pp. 69–69
- ^ Reiter pp. 70–71
- ^ Hague, William (2004). William Pitt the Younger. HarperCollins. pp. 382–3.
- ^ Reiter p. 71
- ^ Reiter pp. 71–73
- ^ Pellew, George (1847). The life of Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth. Vol. 1. J. Murray. p. 410.
- ^ "Lord Chatham's aides-de-camp at Walcheren, 1809". 19 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ Ehrman, John (1996). The Younger Pitt: the consuming struggle. Constable. p. 253.
- ^ Earl Stanhope, Philip Henry (1862). The life of the Rt. Hon. William Pitt. Vol. 3. J. Murray. p. 198.
- ^ a b c Howard, Martin R. (2012). Walcheren 1809: the scandalous destruction of a British army. Pen and Sword.
- ^ Marquis of Londonderry, Charles William Vane (1851). Memoirs and correspondence of Viscount Castlereagh, 2nd series. Vol. 6. William Shoberl. p. 256.
- PMID 10600979.
- ^ Christie, Carl A. (1981). "The Royal Navy and the Walcheren campaign of 1809". In Symonds, Craig L. (ed.). New Aspects of Naval History. Naval Institute Press. pp. 190–200.
- ^ Gray, Denis (1963). Spencer Perceval: the Evangelical prime minister. Manchester University Press. pp. 299.
- ^ Reiter pp. 216–218
- ^ Reiter pp. 219–222
- ^ Reiter pp. 222–224
- ^ The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 4 (1835), p. 546.
- ^ Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume IX (April–August 1821), p. 364.
- ^ McEwen (1988), p. 237.
Bibliography
- McEwen, Alec (July 1988), "The English Place-Names of the Galápagos", The Geographical Journal, vol. 154, London: Royal Geographical Society, pp. 234–242, JSTOR 633849.