Joseph Thackwell
Sir Joseph Thackwell 15th Hussars | |
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Battles/wars |
Lieutenant-General Sir Joseph Thackwell
Early life
Thackwell was the fourth son of John Thackwell,
15th Hussars
In April 1800, he purchased a commission in the
The 15th Hussars formed part of Lord Paget's hussar brigade in 1807, and was sent to the Peninsula in 1808. It played the principal part in the Battle of Sahagún on 21 December 1808, and to cover the retreat of General Sir John Moore's army to Corunna.
After some years of service back in England, the regiment was sent back to the Peninsula in 1813. It formed part of the hussar brigade attached to General Graham's corps. At the passage of the river Esla on 31 May 1813, Thackwell commanded the leading squadron which surprised a French cavalry picket and took thirty prisoners.
He took part in the Battle of Vitoria on 21 June 1813 and in the subsequent pursuit, in the Battle of the Pyrenees at the end of July 1813, and in the Siege of Pamplona. He was also present at the battles of Orthez, Tarbes, and Toulouse. On 1 March 1814, after passing the river Adour, Thackwell was in command of the leading squadron of his regiment, and had a creditable encounter with the French light cavalry, on account of which he was recommended (unsuccessfully) for a brevet majority by Sir Stapleton Cotton. He was awarded the Peninsular Medal with two clasps.[2]
He served with the 15th Hussars in the campaign of 1815, in General Colquhoun Grant's brigade, which was on the right of the line at the Battle of Waterloo. He wrote of his experiences at Waterloo.[3] After several engagements with the French cavalry at Waterloo, the regiment suffered severely in charging a square of infantry towards the end of the day. Thackwell had two horses shot under him and was wounded in his left arm, which was amputated the next day.[4]
He was promoted to the rank of major at Waterloo, and he was made brevet lieutenant-colonel on 21 June 1817. The regiment charged the crowd at the
He took command of the regiment in June 1820. After serving nearly 32 years in the regiment, and nearly 12 as its commander, he was placed on half-pay on 16 March 1832, exchanging with Lord Brudenell. He was made a Knight of the Royal Guelphic Order (KH) in February 1834.
India
Thackwell became a colonel in the army in January 1837, and in May 1837, by exchange, he took command of the 3rd The King's Own Dragoons, travelling with his new regiment to India and arriving in Calcutta in November 1837.
He became local major-general and was placed in command of the cavalry of the
He commanded the cavalry division of Sir
In the
When the
Thackwell also commanded the cavalry at the
At the Battle of Gujrat on 21 February 1849, Thackwell, was also on the left, and kept in check the enemy's cavalry when it tried to turn that flank. After the battle was won he led a vigorous pursuit till nightfall. In his despatch of 26 February 1849 Gough said: ‘I am also greatly indebted to this tried and gallant officer for his valuable assistance and untiring exertions throughout the present and previous operations as second in command with this force.’
Thackwell received the thanks of parliament for the third time, and was advanced to
Based on his diaries and correspondences, his memoir, The Military Memoirs of Lieut.-General Sir Joseph Thackwell was published in 1908, edited by British Army colonel and military historian,
Later life
In November 1849, Thackwell he was given the colonelcy of the
He had married, on 29 July 1825, Maria Audriah Roche, eldest daughter of Francis Roche of Rochemount, County Cork (an uncle of Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy). They had four sons and three daughters. He bought Aghada Hall in County Cork in 1853, and died there in April 1859.
His four sons became officers in the British Army. His second son, Major-General William de Wilton Roche Thackwell (1834–1910), served in the Crimean War and in Egypt in 1882. His third son, Osbert Dabitôt Thackwell (1837–1858), was lieutenant in the
His nephew
Works
- . John Murray, London.
References
- ^ "SIR JOSEPH THACKWELL: Though to-day his name is scarcely remembered". The Spectator. 30 January 1909. pp. 5–6 (153–154). Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ The British Army Against Napoleon, by Bob Burnham
- ^ Siborne, Waterloo Letters, pp. 124–128, 141–3
- ^ required.)
- ^ E. M. Lloyd, 'Thackwell, Sir Joseph (1781–1859)', rev. Roger T. Stearn, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
- ^ London Gazette, 8 March 1844
- ^ "General Thackwell, C.B Biography". The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 70. Victoria University of Wellington. p. 67. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
8. Obituary, British Newspaper Archives, 12 April 1859, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England