Alexander Adams
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General
Alexander Adams (died 1835) was a British army officer. He distinguished himself in the Second Anglo-Maratha War
, serving with the 78th Highlanders in India. His commander, General Wellesley
(later Duke of Wellington), thanked him for his services on several occasions. After the settlement of Java, he was appointed to a command in the army, and also as minister at the court of the emperor.
family". Joseph Adams was a "major in the army".
as an ensign
, and served in that regiment as a lieutenant and adjutant, or acting adjutant, for a considerable time, chiefly at Gibraltar
, a period he remembered with much pleasure.
. He trained the men using David Dundas's
then little-known drill-book of 1788 as a guide and is credited with instilling a high degree of discipline. He was promoted to major and given command of the regiment at Fort William, Bengal, in 1801.
During the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803, the 78th was sent via Bombay
to Poona to join a division of the Madras Army
commanded by Major-General Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington). Wellesley, by an extraordinary march, had saved the city from destruction.
Adams distinguished himself at the successful escalade
of the Pettah of Ahmednagar. During the heat of the action, the 78th, on the extreme left of the line and somewhat separated from it, had to charge a double column of regular infantry and artillery, while keeping a large body of cavalry in check on the left and, at the same time, being fired upon from the rear by their own guns. The 78th's guns, left behind by the necessity of closing quickly with the enemy, had been seized and turned against them by a party that had passed through the gap between the 78th and the rest of the brigade, along with some stragglers. Once the 78th had captured the enemy guns to its front, General Wellesley rode up and instructed Lieutenant-Colonel Adams to "face about, and drive those fellows from our guns", which was immediately done.
In his next general action, Adams was engaged against the combined armies of Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar at Argaum on 29 November later the same year. Here he took command of the leading brigade, owing to the illness of the unit's brigadier, who soon after died. The enemy troops were drawn up in an extended line, flanked by masses of cavalry, on a gently sloping plain. They permitted the British column to advance parallel to their front to within a very short distance without opposition. Having concentrated the greater number of their guns to bear upon one point of the road in front of a mud-walled village, the enemy suddenly opened fire on the leading battalions of sepoys, causing them to give way. General Wellesley, riding up to ascertain the situation, gave his directions, which were implemented by Adams, to lead the column round by the other side of the village. The natives were rallied behind this shelter, formed a line, and charged. Several hundred of the devoted sect of Gossains advanced to meet them, discharged their firearms, and attacked with swords the 78th and the remains of the 74th Regiment (which had suffered severely in the former action), but were wiped out. The British were soon in possession of the field, artillery, baggage, and all. After this achievement, Wellesley expressed his appreciation of Adams's conduct.
Adams also participated in the subsequent siege and storming of the strong hill-fort of Gawilghur
. The Second Anglo-Maratha War ended immediately afterward.
A strong detachment, consisting of the 78th along with a proportion of natives and artillery under the command of Adams, was sent to reduce the hill-fort of Lhoghur, whose governor proved hostile. Upon learning of preparations being made to storm the place, however, the governor became alarmed and surrendered. Wellesley once again thanked Adams, this time for the judiciousness of his preparations and his negotiations for the surrender, the fort being considered almost impregnable.
About the middle of 1804, the 78th went into cantonment
s at Bombay, where it remained until 1806, when it was sent to Goa
. Adams was nominated to the command of the British auxiliary force at that Portuguese settlement under very delicate circumstances, during the French occupation of Portugal. At one time, the British force was ordered to be prepared to take possession of the colony if necessary.
In 1811, the 78th Regiment was ordered to Madras to augment the force which Sir Samuel Auchmuty, the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Presidency
, was about to lead to Java
.
sailed the day before a tremendous hurricane which devastated the Coromandel coast
. The expedition, which was well out to sea, suffered only trifling damage.
Reinforced at Malacca
by a body of troops from Bengal, the army disembarked near Batavia, took possession of it, and made preparations to attack the strongly fortified position of Cornelis
, within three or four miles of that city. After a heavy cannonade from both sides for some days, it was taken by assault, resulting, after some subsequent minor operations, in the final surrender of the island and its dependencies.
On the settlement of Java, Adams was appointed to the command of the central division of the army, and to the important office of minister at the court of the emperor at Solo. He held this office until it was merged in the appointment of a civil commissioner to superintend the affairs of the native courts. Adams was then nominated Resident at Sourabaya, and to the command of the troops of the eastern division. The latter position, he continued to exercise at Sourabaya and at Samarang, until the general peace and restitution of Java to the Dutch.
. In 1830, he was promoted to lieutenant-general.
He died on 12 September 1835 in a shooting accident in the vicinity of Pembroke. While in the act of getting over a hedge, his fowling-piece
, although at half-cock, went off; the contents entered his left eye and blew off the entire side of his head, killing him instantly.
He had married Frances-Louisa Holcombe, daughter of the Reverend William Holcombe, in 1801. She survived him.
Lieutenant-General (UK)
Lieutenant-general is a senior rank in the British Army and the Royal Marines, although the highest ranking officer in the Royal Marines at present is major general...
Alexander Adams (died 1835) was a British army officer. He distinguished himself in the Second Anglo-Maratha War
Second Anglo-Maratha War
The Second Anglo-Maratha War was the second conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India.-Background:...
, serving with the 78th Highlanders in India. His commander, General Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(later Duke of Wellington), thanked him for his services on several occasions. After the settlement of Java, he was appointed to a command in the army, and also as minister at the court of the emperor.
Family
Alexander Adams was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (née Campbell) Adams, and was a member of an "ancient PembrokeshirePembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
family". Joseph Adams was a "major in the army".
Gibraltar
Adams originally joined the Queen's RoyalsQueen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)
The Queen's Royal Regiment was a regiment of the English and later British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Army line infantry order of precedence...
as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
, and served in that regiment as a lieutenant and adjutant, or acting adjutant, for a considerable time, chiefly at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, a period he remembered with much pleasure.
India
He joined the 78th Highlanders, not long after its formation, with the rank of captain. Around 1796, he was the paymaster of the regiment in BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
. He trained the men using David Dundas's
Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet
General Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British general who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1809 to 1811.-Military service:...
then little-known drill-book of 1788 as a guide and is credited with instilling a high degree of discipline. He was promoted to major and given command of the regiment at Fort William, Bengal, in 1801.
During the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803, the 78th was sent via Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to Poona to join a division of the Madras Army
Madras Army
The Madras Army was the army of the Presidency of Madras, one of the three presidencies of the British India within the British Empire.The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Government of India Act 1858 transferred all three...
commanded by Major-General Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington). Wellesley, by an extraordinary march, had saved the city from destruction.
Adams distinguished himself at the successful escalade
Escalade
Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, and was a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times...
of the Pettah of Ahmednagar. During the heat of the action, the 78th, on the extreme left of the line and somewhat separated from it, had to charge a double column of regular infantry and artillery, while keeping a large body of cavalry in check on the left and, at the same time, being fired upon from the rear by their own guns. The 78th's guns, left behind by the necessity of closing quickly with the enemy, had been seized and turned against them by a party that had passed through the gap between the 78th and the rest of the brigade, along with some stragglers. Once the 78th had captured the enemy guns to its front, General Wellesley rode up and instructed Lieutenant-Colonel Adams to "face about, and drive those fellows from our guns", which was immediately done.
In his next general action, Adams was engaged against the combined armies of Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar at Argaum on 29 November later the same year. Here he took command of the leading brigade, owing to the illness of the unit's brigadier, who soon after died. The enemy troops were drawn up in an extended line, flanked by masses of cavalry, on a gently sloping plain. They permitted the British column to advance parallel to their front to within a very short distance without opposition. Having concentrated the greater number of their guns to bear upon one point of the road in front of a mud-walled village, the enemy suddenly opened fire on the leading battalions of sepoys, causing them to give way. General Wellesley, riding up to ascertain the situation, gave his directions, which were implemented by Adams, to lead the column round by the other side of the village. The natives were rallied behind this shelter, formed a line, and charged. Several hundred of the devoted sect of Gossains advanced to meet them, discharged their firearms, and attacked with swords the 78th and the remains of the 74th Regiment (which had suffered severely in the former action), but were wiped out. The British were soon in possession of the field, artillery, baggage, and all. After this achievement, Wellesley expressed his appreciation of Adams's conduct.
Adams also participated in the subsequent siege and storming of the strong hill-fort of Gawilghur
Gawilghur
Gawilghur was a well-fortified mountain stronghold of the Maratha Empire north of the Deccan Plateau, in the vicinity of Melghat Tiger Reserve, Amravati District, Maharashtra. It was successfully assaulted by an Anglo-Indian force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on the 15 December 1803 during the...
. The Second Anglo-Maratha War ended immediately afterward.
A strong detachment, consisting of the 78th along with a proportion of natives and artillery under the command of Adams, was sent to reduce the hill-fort of Lhoghur, whose governor proved hostile. Upon learning of preparations being made to storm the place, however, the governor became alarmed and surrendered. Wellesley once again thanked Adams, this time for the judiciousness of his preparations and his negotiations for the surrender, the fort being considered almost impregnable.
About the middle of 1804, the 78th went into cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
s at Bombay, where it remained until 1806, when it was sent to Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. Adams was nominated to the command of the British auxiliary force at that Portuguese settlement under very delicate circumstances, during the French occupation of Portugal. At one time, the British force was ordered to be prepared to take possession of the colony if necessary.
In 1811, the 78th Regiment was ordered to Madras to augment the force which Sir Samuel Auchmuty, the Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, was about to lead to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
.
Java
Adams was appointed to the command of a brigade. The Java ExpeditionJava Expedition
The Java Expedition established the British in control of Java from 1811 to August 1816, with Stamford Raffles as its Lieutenant Governor.Around 1807, Napoleon I of France, after having deposed his brother Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, had ordered General Charles Mathieu Isidore Decaen to...
sailed the day before a tremendous hurricane which devastated the Coromandel coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
. The expedition, which was well out to sea, suffered only trifling damage.
Reinforced at Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
by a body of troops from Bengal, the army disembarked near Batavia, took possession of it, and made preparations to attack the strongly fortified position of Cornelis
Cornelis
Cornelis is a Dutch form of the male given name Cornelius. Some common shortened versions of Cornelis in Dutch are Cees, Cor, Corneel, Crelis, Kees, Neel and Nelis....
, within three or four miles of that city. After a heavy cannonade from both sides for some days, it was taken by assault, resulting, after some subsequent minor operations, in the final surrender of the island and its dependencies.
On the settlement of Java, Adams was appointed to the command of the central division of the army, and to the important office of minister at the court of the emperor at Solo. He held this office until it was merged in the appointment of a civil commissioner to superintend the affairs of the native courts. Adams was then nominated Resident at Sourabaya, and to the command of the troops of the eastern division. The latter position, he continued to exercise at Sourabaya and at Samarang, until the general peace and restitution of Java to the Dutch.
Retirement
Having attained the rank of major-general, he returned to Europe and retired to his paternal estate near PembrokePembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...
. In 1830, he was promoted to lieutenant-general.
He died on 12 September 1835 in a shooting accident in the vicinity of Pembroke. While in the act of getting over a hedge, his fowling-piece
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, although at half-cock, went off; the contents entered his left eye and blew off the entire side of his head, killing him instantly.
He had married Frances-Louisa Holcombe, daughter of the Reverend William Holcombe, in 1801. She survived him.