William Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan
1st Regiment of Foot Guards | |
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Battles/wars |
A strong supporter of the
Early life
Cadogan was born in
He was one of five children, including two brothers Ambrose and
At the age of ten, he was sent to England to be educated at
War in Ireland
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Midway through his studies, however, the
During 1689 he took part in the defence of Enniskillen which was one of only two places, along with Derry, which held out against the Jacobite Irish Army. Following the relief of Derry and Enniskillen by a large expeditionary force under Percy Kirke, Cadogan served with the Williamite troops for the remainder of the Irish War.[4]
He was present at Dundalk Camp during the autumn of 1689, when the Army suffered large casualties from sickness. The following year he served at the Battle of the Boyne a major victory in which William III personally led his forces to victory over the Jacobites, leading to the capture of Dublin.[5]
Later in the same year, he took part in the Siege of Cork where he first served with Marlborough, then an Earl. It appears that it was during this action that Cadogan, although only a junior officer, attracted the attention of his future commander by his conduct.[6]
Following the climatic victory at the Siege of Limerick in 1691 he continued to serve in Ireland for three years having decided to become a professional soldier rather than return to his law studies. In 1694, he purchased a Captaincy in Erle's Regiment, which was then based in Flanders as part of the Nine Years' War with France.
In 1695, he took part in the
War of the Spanish Succession
Appointment
In June 1701, Cadogan was selected as Quartermaster General to Marlborough on the latter's appointment to command the British contingent in the Low Countries.[8] Marlborough had been impressed by Cadogan's administrative skills and his courage and the Siege of Cork a decade before. He had Cadogan promoted to Colonel, over the heads of more experienced officers. In July 1701 he accompanied both Marlborough and King William to Holland.[9]
Britain had not yet officially entered the war, although military preparations were underway. He learnt to speak Dutch at this time, having already mastered French. During his time in Amsterdam, he fell in love with a Dutch heiress named Margaretta Munter.[10] He married her two years later.
War broke out in 1702, following the accession of Queen Anne to the throne. Cadogan was made Marlborough's chief of staff, soon becoming a trusted figure alongside other intimates including the General's brother Charles Churchill, military secretary Adam de Cardonnel and the artillery commander Colonel Holcroft Blood. He also worked with the Dutch political representative Anthonie Heinsius.[11] Cadogan soon demonstrated a flair for logistics and administration. He also came to head the extensive intelligence-gathering operations.
In early 1704 while travelling back to England, carrying important documents, his ship was attacked by a French Privateer. Fearing the seizure of his secret papers, he threw them over the side into the sea. However, his ship managed to get away and safely into harbour. While in London he had an audience with Queen Anne.[12]
Blenheim
During the campaign of 1704, he was one of the few entrusted with the truth of Marlborough's march from the Spanish Netherlands to the Danube
He fought at the battles of the Schellenberg and Blenheim. Shortly after he was promoted to brigadier general and became Marlborough's chief of staff.
Ramillies
He commanded the army's scouting part which located the French army on the morning of Ramillies,[16] and acted as a senior messenger for Marlborough during the battle, recalling Orkney's British infantry from their diversionary attack on the French right flank to assault the French centre around Ramillies itself.[17]
In August 1706 Cadogan was captured while scouting enemy positions and taken as a prisoner to Tournai. Marlborough was distressed when he heard that he was missing, claiming "I shall not be quiet till I know his fate". Within two days an exchange had been agreed upon, with Cadogan being swapped with a French General captured at Ramillies.[18]
At
Malplaquet
In 1709 he was promoted to
Exile
After Marlborough's dismissal from his posts at the end of 1711 Cadogan remained with the army, but refused to return with it when Britain withdrew from the war in 1712, going into voluntary exile with the Duke. In doing so he lost his rank, positions and emoluments under the crown. He was strongly opposed to the terms of the
During Marlborough's voluntary exile during the last years of Queen Anne's reign, Cadogan accompanied him, and often acted as a go-between to maintain Marlborough's links with Britain.[23] When the Hanoverian King George I succeeded in 1714, he reinstated Cadogan to his military offices. Marlborough was reappointed commander-in-chief, although as his deputy Cadogan had increasingly to take on much of the Duke's workload.
Cadogan was rewarded with the post of
Jacobite Rebellion
In 1715 he replaced the
Cadogan was then sent north by Marlborough to provide effective leadership.[25] He brought with him many of the 6,000 Dutch troops supplied as part of a treaty commitment, whose shipping to Britain he had overseen. During his absence from The Hague, the diplomat Horatio Walpole fulfilled his duties there.
Cadogan found that Argyll remained reluctant to move against the Jacobites due to the wintery conditions. This continued even after James Stuart, who proclaimed himself to be King, arrived near Aberdeen in December.
Argyll and Cadogan worked together for a while, although the Duke no longer enjoyed the confidence of the government in London. Cadogan established better supply lines for the Army, personally took part in scouting operations, and organised the advance on the rebel capital at Perth. Rather than face a siege of the city, the Jacobites withdrew to Dundee.[26] In February 1716, James abandoned the attempt to personally lead the rebellion in Scotland and sailed for the Continent.
Soon afterwards, Argyll resigned and went to London, turning over total command to Cadogan. He was shortly afterwards dismissed from all his military and political roles, amidst allegations that he had Jacobite sympathies. Cadogan's task was to oversee continued military operations across northern Scotland, forcing the leading Clan chiefs to submit.
In April Cadogan declared the rebellion to be over, and returned to London the following month. Marlborough was instrumental in securing him a peerage as a reward for his efforts during the campaign.[27]
Later life
Cadogan was a
When the Duke of Marlborough died in 1722, Cadogan walked at the head of the procession at his funeral. He succeeded his former commander as Master-General of the Ordnance (1722–1725). However, the Opposition's staunch hostility towards him meant that he had lost any political influence several years before his death on 17 July 1726. Despite his closeness to Marlborough, he was much occupied in his later years with a lawsuit brought against him by Marlborough's widow. He was himself rather litigious by nature, even engaging in a bitter lawsuit against his own sister Penelope over her son's inheritance.
Family
He married Margaret Cecilia Munter in April 1704 at
References
- ^ Watson p. 2
- Thomas Ulick Sadleirp. 125: Dublin, Alex Thom and Co., 1935.
- ^ Watson p. 3
- ^ Watson pp. 4–7
- ^ Watson p. 7
- ^ Watson p. 8
- ^ Churchill, Marlborough:His Life and Time; Book 1, p. 465
- ^ Chandler, Marlborough as Military Commander; p. 70
- ^ Watson p. 17
- ^ Watson p. 20
- ^ Watson p. 21
- ^ Watson p. 26
- ^ Spencer, Blenheim:Battle for Europe; p 131
- ^ Spencer, Blenheim:Battle for Europe; p 141
- ^ Watson p. 38
- ^ Falkner, Great and Glorious Days, p. 98
- ^ Churchill, Marlborough:His Life and Times; Book 2, pp. 111–2
- ^ Webb p. 143
- ^ Falkner, Great and Glorious Days, p. 140
- ^ Churchill Marlborough:His Life and Times; Book 2, p 375
- ^ Chandler, Marlborough as Military Commander; p. 267
- ^ Hussey, Marlborough; p. 209
- ^ Churchill, Life and Times, Book 2, p. 983
- ^ Falkner, Great and Glorious Days; p. 200, n 36
- ^ Webb pp. 323–24
- ^ Szechi pp. 164–67
- ^ Webb p. 324
- ^ "CADOGAN, William (c.1671–1726), of Caversham, Berks. and Jermyn Street, Westminster". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
Bibliography
- Szechi, Daniel. 1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion. Yale University Press, 2006.
- Watson, J.N.P. Marlborough's Shadow: The Life of the First Earl Cadogan. Leo Cooper, 2003.
- Webb, Stephen Saunders. Marlborough's America. Yale University Press, 2013.