Daniel Hoghton
Encyclopedia
Major-General Daniel Hoghton (27 August 1770 – 16 May 1811) was a talented and experienced British Army
officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars
with distinction until his death during combat with the French at the Battle of Albuera
in the Peninsula War. His death brought general mourning in Britain and a monument to his memory was raised in St Paul's Cathedral
.
During his long career, Hoghton had fought on several West Indian islands, in India, Denmark, Portugal and Spain and had even spent a brief period standing in for a Royal Marines
detachment in the Channel Fleet. A popular and able officer, Wellington
was reported to have commented on his death: "I understand that it was impossible for anybody to behave better than he did . . . he actually fell waving his hat and cheering his brigade on to the charge"
in Essex
as second son to Sir Henry Hoghton, 6th Baronet and his second wife Fanny in 1770. Raised in political circles as the son of an MP
, Daniel instead chose a military career and at 23 joined the 82nd Regiment of Foot as a captain
through purchase at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War in 1793. It took some time for Hoghton to settle, moving in 1794 to the short-lived 97th Regiment of Foot and in 1795 on their disbandment joining the 67th Regiment of Foot. Whilst with the 97th, Hoghton and his troops spent some months with the Channel Fleet as makeshift marines after manning shortages necessitated the posting. His father died the same year and the titles, estates and political offices passed to his elder brother Henry Philip Hoghton.
The 67th Regiment was dispatched to the West Indies in 1796 to take part in several campaigns, including serving in San Domingo during the Haitian Revolution
and spending time stationed in Jamaica
. The same year Hoghton was promoted to lieutenant colonel
. In January 1799 Hoghton was transferred to the 88th Regiment of Foot
, also known as the Connaught Rangers who were stationed in India. Hoghton took passage and met his regiment in Bombay. For unknown reasons Hoghton did not accompany his men to Egypt
for the final defeat of the French army stationed there in 1801 and instead spent some years on the staff of Lord Mornington
, returning to England with dispatches in 1804.
under Sir Arthur Wellesley
, whose brother Hoghton had known in India. Hoghton was not heavily engaged at Copenhagen and was soon transferred to the West Indies once more, participating in the invasion and capture of Martinique
in 1809. It was for this reason that Hoghton did not join Wellesley in the Iberian Peninsula until 1810, taking command of a brigade in Cadiz
.
On 25 July 1810, Hoghton made the jump to major-general and in September took command of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division under Sir William Stewart
, a man he had served under during the 1790s. Hoghton's first taste of action during the Peninsula War was at the Battle of Albuera
, where Stewart's division was hastily deployed after a Spanish withdrawal on the right of the battleline. The rapid nature of the deployment opened the division to attack by French cavalry and the 1st brigade under Colonel John Colborne
was almost destroyed. Hoghton's brigade held firm however and drove off the French cavalry and then withstood an attack by the 11,000 men of the French 5th Corps, three-quarters of the brigade falling dead or wounded during the furious battle. As the attack subsided, Hoghton removed his hat to motion his men forward and as he did so was struck by a musket ball and killed instantly.
Despite Hoghton's death, the brigade remained strong and withdrew from the field in good order, the action failing to produce a clear victor. Alone amongst the hundreds of men who fell from his division, Hoghton's body was retrieved in the immediate aftermath and carried to Elvas, where it was buried in the British Cemetery Elvas
which is now a memorial to the British soldiers killed in the battles around the Spanish fortress of Badajoz
. In Britain his death was treated with sorrow and a government motion paid for a monument to his memory to be raised in St Paul's Cathedral
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
with distinction until his death during combat with the French at the Battle of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
in the Peninsula War. His death brought general mourning in Britain and a monument to his memory was raised in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
During his long career, Hoghton had fought on several West Indian islands, in India, Denmark, Portugal and Spain and had even spent a brief period standing in for a Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
detachment in the Channel Fleet. A popular and able officer, Wellington
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...
was reported to have commented on his death: "I understand that it was impossible for anybody to behave better than he did . . . he actually fell waving his hat and cheering his brigade on to the charge"
French Revolutionary Wars
Hoghton was born in Hedingham CastleHedingham Castle
Hedingham Castle in Essex, England, is a Norman motte and bailey castle with a stone keep. For four centuries it was the primary seat of the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford.-Description:...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
as second son to Sir Henry Hoghton, 6th Baronet and his second wife Fanny in 1770. Raised in political circles as the son of an MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Daniel instead chose a military career and at 23 joined the 82nd Regiment of Foot as a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
through purchase at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War in 1793. It took some time for Hoghton to settle, moving in 1794 to the short-lived 97th Regiment of Foot and in 1795 on their disbandment joining the 67th Regiment of Foot. Whilst with the 97th, Hoghton and his troops spent some months with the Channel Fleet as makeshift marines after manning shortages necessitated the posting. His father died the same year and the titles, estates and political offices passed to his elder brother Henry Philip Hoghton.
The 67th Regiment was dispatched to the West Indies in 1796 to take part in several campaigns, including serving in San Domingo during the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
and spending time stationed in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. The same year Hoghton was promoted to lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. In January 1799 Hoghton was transferred to the 88th Regiment of Foot
88th Regiment of Foot
Three regiments of the British Army have been numbered the 88th Regiment of Foot:* 88th Regiment of Foot , also known as "Campbell's Regiment"* 88th Regiment of Foot...
, also known as the Connaught Rangers who were stationed in India. Hoghton took passage and met his regiment in Bombay. For unknown reasons Hoghton did not accompany his men to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for the final defeat of the French army stationed there in 1801 and instead spent some years on the staff of Lord Mornington
Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley
Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
, returning to England with dispatches in 1804.
Napoleonic Wars
Following his arrival in England during November 1804, Hoghton was given command of the newly raised 2nd battalion, 8th Regiment of Foot, gaining promotion to full colonel the following year. After training and preparing the regiment, Hoghton was dispatched with his troops to Denmark for participation in the Siege of CopenhagenBattle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
under Sir Arthur 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...
, whose brother Hoghton had known in India. Hoghton was not heavily engaged at Copenhagen and was soon transferred to the West Indies once more, participating in the invasion and capture of Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
in 1809. It was for this reason that Hoghton did not join Wellesley in the Iberian Peninsula until 1810, taking command of a brigade in Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
.
On 25 July 1810, Hoghton made the jump to major-general and in September took command of the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division under Sir William Stewart
William Stewart (1774-1827)
Lieutenant-General Sir William Stewart, GCB was a British military officer who was the first Commanding Officer of the Rifle Corps, a Division Commander in the Peninsula and a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament...
, a man he had served under during the 1790s. Hoghton's first taste of action during the Peninsula War was at the Battle of Albuera
Battle of Albuera
The Battle of Albuera was an indecisive battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about 20 kilometres south of the frontier fortress-town of Badajoz, Spain.From...
, where Stewart's division was hastily deployed after a Spanish withdrawal on the right of the battleline. The rapid nature of the deployment opened the division to attack by French cavalry and the 1st brigade under Colonel John Colborne
John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton
Field Marshal John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH, PC was a British field marshal and colonial governor.-Early service:...
was almost destroyed. Hoghton's brigade held firm however and drove off the French cavalry and then withstood an attack by the 11,000 men of the French 5th Corps, three-quarters of the brigade falling dead or wounded during the furious battle. As the attack subsided, Hoghton removed his hat to motion his men forward and as he did so was struck by a musket ball and killed instantly.
Despite Hoghton's death, the brigade remained strong and withdrew from the field in good order, the action failing to produce a clear victor. Alone amongst the hundreds of men who fell from his division, Hoghton's body was retrieved in the immediate aftermath and carried to Elvas, where it was buried in the British Cemetery Elvas
British Cemetery Elvas
The British Cemetery at Elvas, Portugal is one of the oldest British Military Cemeteries in existence. It holds only five known graves but two of these are the only marked graves of the thousands of British soldiers who fell at the Battle of Albuera and another is the sole marked grave of the...
which is now a memorial to the British soldiers killed in the battles around the Spanish fortress of Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
. In Britain his death was treated with sorrow and a government motion paid for a monument to his memory to be raised in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.