Charles Cornwallis
- "Cornwallis" redirects here.
- "Lord Cornwallis" redirects here.
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805, in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh) was a British military commander and colonial governor. In the United States, he is best remembered as a British general in the American War of Independence. His 1781 defeat by a combined American-French force at the Siege of Yorktown is generally considered the end of the War, although minor skirmishes continued for another two years. In India, where he served two terms as Governor-General, he is remembered for promulgating the Permanent Settlement. As Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, he argued for Catholic emancipation.
Early life
Cornwallis was the oldest son 5th Baron Cornwallis (later 1st Earl Cornwallis) and was born at Grosvenor Square in London, even though his family's estates were in Kent.
Cornwallis had all the advantages that money and family connections could bring. The Cornwallis family was established at Brome Hall, near Eye, in Suffolk, in the course of the 14th century, and members of it occasionally represented the county in the House of Commons during the next 300 years. Frederick Cornwallis, created a Baronet in 1627, fought for King Charles I, and followed King Charles II into exile. He was created Baron Cornwallis, of Eye in the County of Suffolk, in 1661, and his descendants by fortunate marriages increased the importance of the family.
Cornwallis' mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of the 2nd Viscount Townshend and a niece of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. His father was created Earl Cornwallis and Viscount Brome in 1753, at which point he was styled Viscount Brome. His Brother was Admiral Sir William Cornwallis. An uncle, Frederick, was Archbishop of Canterbury and another uncle, Edward, was a leading colonialist in Canada.
Military career
Charles was educated at Eton College — where he received an injury to his eye by an accidental blow at hockey from Shute Barrington, afterwards Bishop of Durham — and Clare College, Cambridge. He obtained his first commission as Ensign in the 1st Foot Guards, on December 8, 1757. His military education then commenced, and after travelling on the continent with a Prussian officer, Captain de Roguin, Lord Brome, as he was then known, studied at the military academy of Turin. He also became a Member of Parliament in January 1760, entering the House of Commons for the village of Wye in Kent. He succeeded his father as 2nd Earl Cornwallis in 1762.
Throughout the Seven Years' War, Lord Cornwallis served four terms in different posts in Germany, interspersed with trips home. He served as a staff officer to Lord Granby in 1758. In 1765, he was assigned to the 85th Regiment of Foot and, after action at the Battle of Minden, was promoted to Captain before returning to England.
In 1771, he was again sent to Germany, this time for duty with the 11th Foot, and was promoted to Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel. He led his unit in the Battle of Villinghausen on July 15-July 16 1771, and was noted for his gallantry.
First term as Governor-general of India
After the war Cornwallis returned to Britain, and in 1786 he was appointed governor-general and commander in chief in India. He instituted land reforms and reorganized the British army and administration. In 1792 he defeated Tipu Sultan, the powerful sultan of Mysore. Cornwallis was given the title marquis in 1792 and returned to England the following year.
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Cornwallis was only made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in June 1798, just before the outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 between republican United Irishmen and the British Government.
Due to the execution of prisoners of war in Ballinalee after the Battle of Ballinamuck, he achieved local notoriety that lasts to this day. In the village, in the north Leinster county of Longford, the site of the executions is known as Bullys Acre.
Second term as Governor-general of India
He was reappointed governor-general of India in 1805, but died on October 5 of that year, soon after arriving in India.
Issue
His only son, Charles, Viscount Brome, (b. 1774), succeeded as 2nd Marquess Cornwallis. He married Lady Louisa Gordon, daughter of the 4th Duke of Gordon, had five daughters, and died on 16 August, 1823, when the Marquessate became extinct. James Cornwallis, the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, succeeded as 4th Earl Cornwallis.
Bibliography
Primary Documents:
Public Record Office, United Kingdom: Cornwallis Papers, Ref: 30/11/1-66 The Correspondence of Charles, First Marquis Cornwallis, Vol. 1, 1859, ed. Ross,
Secondary Sources:
Adams, R: “A View of Cornwallis's Surrender at Yorktown”, American Historical Review, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Oct., 1931), pp. 25-49,
Bicheno, H: Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolutionary War, London, 2003
Buchanan, J: The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution and the Carolinas, New York, 1997
Clement, R: “The World Turned Upside down At the Surrender of Yorktown”, Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 92, No. 363 (Jan. - Mar., 1979), pp. 66-67
Ferling, J: The World Turned Upside Down: The American Victory in the War of Independence, London, 1988
Harvey, R:A Few Bloody Noses: The American War of Independence, London, 2001
Hibbert, C: Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolution Through British Eyes, London, 2001
Mackesy, P: The War for America, London, 1964
Peckham, H:The War for Independence, A Military History, Chicago, 1967
Weintraub, S: Iron Tears, Rebellion in America 1775-1783, London, 2005
Wickwire, F: Cornwallis, The American Adventure, Boston, 1970
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| Preceded by: The Lord Monson |
Justice in Eyre south of the Trent 1767–1769 |
Succeeded by: Sir Fletcher Norton |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by: Sir John MacPherson |
Governor-General of India 1786–1793 |
Succeeded by: Sir John Shore, Bt |
| Preceded by: The Earl Camden |
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1798–1801 |
Succeeded by: The Earl of Hardwicke |
| Preceded by: The Marquess Wellesley |
Governor-General of India 1805 |
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| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by: Sir Robert Sloper |
Commander-in-Chief, India 1786–1793 |
Succeeded by: Sir Robert Abercromby |
| Preceded by: The Duke of Richmond |
Master-General of the Ordnance 1795–1801 |
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Commander-in-Chief, Ireland 1798–1801 |
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Commander-in-Chief, India 1805 |
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British Plenipotentiary to France 1801–1802 |
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| Peerage of Great Britain
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Marquess Cornwallis 1792–1805 |
Succeeded by: Charles Cornwallis |
| Preceded by: Charles Cornwallis |
Earl Cornwallis 1762–1805 | |
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