James Malcolm (Royal Marines officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Malcolm, KCB
, was a Scottish officer of the British Royal Marines
who served in the American Revolutionary War
, in the Napoleonic Wars
, and with noteworthy distinction in the Americas during the War of 1812
. James Malcolm was born in Dumfriesshire
, Scotland, on 13 January 1767, and died in Minholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on 27 December 1849.James was the second son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, and his wife, the former Margaret Pasley. James was thus the older brother of Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm
RN; Major-General Sir John Malcolm
, Madras Army
; and Vice Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, RN. The boys' maternal uncle was Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet
.
in 1779 at the age of twelve.. During the American Revolutionary War he was assigned to the Channel Fleet
. In October, 1782, the fifteen year-old Marine Lieutenant participated in the Relief of Gibraltar, and the subsequent Battle of Cape Spartel
, under the orders of Admiral Lord Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
. Royal Marine Captain James Malcolm fought at sea under the command of Vice Admiral Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet in the Battle of San Domingo
. In the course of the fighting, in which Royal Marines played an important role, all of the enemy's ships of the line were either captured or destroyed. For his valor in that action, Captain James Malcolm was brevetted a Major on the Army List with seniority in that grade dating 6 February 1806.
which were then in service. He led the battalion in Spain until January of 1813. In the spring of 1813 he sailed with his command to the North American and West Indies Station. Participating in operations on the Chesapeake in the summer of 1813, he was rewarded by a second brevet promotion, this time to Lieutenant Colonel, on the British Army List.
In October 1813 he accompanied his battalion to Canada. Together with a 200-man detachment of the Canadian Fencibles
, the Marines formed a corps of observation and reconnaissance watching the American forces under Major General James Wilkinson
.
In May 1814, Malcolm's 2nd battalion of Royal Marines served together with a mixed British expeditionary force of veteran Scotsmen, Swiss, Canadian militiamen, and armed sailors, which probed American outposts on Lake Ontario in the Battle of Fort Oswego (1814). Malcolm's Royal Marines battalion made up about half of the actual landing force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Karl Victor Fischer (1766-1821) of the De Watteville regiment, (a veteran Swiss regiment in British pay,) which assaulted and carried the American positions. Both Fischer and Malcolm were praised for their active role in the action.
Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm commanded another battalion on the Chesapeake in the Battle of Bladensburg
; the burning of Washington
; and the Battle of Baltimore
. Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm and his Marines continued to operate on the Atlantic coast, as far south as Georgia's Sea Islands
and Spanish Florida, until the peace was established in May, 1815.
In addition to the brevet promotions on the Army List, Sir James Malcolm was knighted in 1815 as a Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) for his valor and merit on the North American Station.
Sir James then retired to Dumfriesshire
, Scotland, where he figured among members of his household on the 1841 Scotland Census.
Note: H.M. Marine Forces redesignated as Royal Marines
29 April 1802
Sir James Malcolm disposed of his commission and left the Royal Marines on 6 November 1827. He was allowed to retain his rank and his name was carried (in italics) on the annual British Army Lists from 1828 until 1850, (the year following his death,) as a Lieutenant Colonel
with seniority dating from June 1813.
Together which such names as Sir Richard Williams (Royal Marines officer)
and Sir Edward Nicolls
, Sir James Malcolm figures prominently in the first authoritative history of the British
Royal Marines
, Paul Harris Nicolas
's Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces in two volumes (London, 1845).
. The mid 19th century lithograph was donated to the Reference Collection of the National Portrait Gallery in 1985 by Mrs Carey.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, was a Scottish officer of the British 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...
who served in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, in 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...
, and with noteworthy distinction in the Americas during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. James Malcolm was born in Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, Scotland, on 13 January 1767, and died in Minholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, on 27 December 1849.James was the second son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, and his wife, the former Margaret Pasley. James was thus the older brother of Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm
Pulteney Malcolm
Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm GCB GCMG was a British naval officer. He was born at Douglan, near Langholm, Scotland, on 20 February 1768, the third son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, Langholm, in Dumfriesshire, and his wife Margaret, the sister of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley...
RN; Major-General Sir John Malcolm
John Malcolm
Major-general Sir John Malcolm was a Scottish soldier, statesman, and historian-Early life:Born at Burnfoot, Dumfriesshire, Malcolm was the son of George Malcolm, a gentleman farmer of Eskdale and Burnfoot. Jock, as he was then known, was one of the four Malcolm brothers who attained knighthoods...
, 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...
; and Vice Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, RN. The boys' maternal uncle was Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet was a senior and highly-experienced British Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth century, who served with distinction at numerous actions of the Seven Years War, American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars...
.
Royal Marine officer
James Malcolm was commissioned in what would later become known as the Royal MarinesRoyal 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...
in 1779 at the age of twelve.. During the American Revolutionary War he was assigned to the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
. In October, 1782, the fifteen year-old Marine Lieutenant participated in the Relief of Gibraltar, and the subsequent Battle of Cape Spartel
Battle of Cape Spartel
The Battle of Cape Spartel was an indecisive naval battle between a Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova and a British fleet under Admiral Richard Howe...
, under the orders of Admiral Lord Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
. Royal Marine Captain James Malcolm fought at sea under the command of Vice Admiral Sir John Duckworth, 1st Baronet in the Battle of San Domingo
Battle of San Domingo
The Battle of San Domingo, in 1806, was a naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars. French and British squadrons of ships of the line met off the southern coast of the French-occupied Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo in the Caribbean...
. In the course of the fighting, in which Royal Marines played an important role, all of the enemy's ships of the line were either captured or destroyed. For his valor in that action, Captain James Malcolm was brevetted a Major on the Army List with seniority in that grade dating 6 February 1806.
Seaborne, shore, and amphibious operations
In July 1812 Brevet Major Malcolm was named to command the 2nd of the two Royal Marines Battalions (Napoleonic Wars)Royal Marines Battalions (Napoleonic Wars)
Three battalions were raised from among the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars; seeing combat in Portugal, Northern Spain, the Netherlands and North America.-The First Battalion:...
which were then in service. He led the battalion in Spain until January of 1813. In the spring of 1813 he sailed with his command to the North American and West Indies Station. Participating in operations on the Chesapeake in the summer of 1813, he was rewarded by a second brevet promotion, this time to Lieutenant Colonel, on the British Army List.
In October 1813 he accompanied his battalion to Canada. Together with a 200-man detachment of the Canadian Fencibles
Fencibles
The Fencibles were army regiments raised in the United Kingdom and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars in the late 18th century...
, the Marines formed a corps of observation and reconnaissance watching the American forces under Major General James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson
James Wilkinson was an American soldier and statesman, who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, but was twice compelled to resign...
.
In May 1814, Malcolm's 2nd battalion of Royal Marines served together with a mixed British expeditionary force of veteran Scotsmen, Swiss, Canadian militiamen, and armed sailors, which probed American outposts on Lake Ontario in the Battle of Fort Oswego (1814). Malcolm's Royal Marines battalion made up about half of the actual landing force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Karl Victor Fischer (1766-1821) of the De Watteville regiment, (a veteran Swiss regiment in British pay,) which assaulted and carried the American positions. Both Fischer and Malcolm were praised for their active role in the action.
Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm commanded another battalion on the Chesapeake in the Battle of Bladensburg
Battle of Bladensburg
The Battle of Bladensburg took place during the War of 1812. The defeat of the American forces there allowed the British to capture and burn the public buildings of Washington, D.C...
; the burning of Washington
Burning of Washington
The Burning of Washington was an armed conflict during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America. On August 24, 1814, led by General Robert Ross, a British force occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following...
; and the Battle of Baltimore
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore was a combined sea/land battle fought between British and American forces in the War of 1812. It was one of the turning points of the war as American forces repulsed sea and land invasions of the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading...
. Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm and his Marines continued to operate on the Atlantic coast, as far south as Georgia's Sea Islands
Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. They number over 100, and are located between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns Rivers along the coast of the U.S...
and Spanish Florida, until the peace was established in May, 1815.
In addition to the brevet promotions on the Army List, Sir James Malcolm was knighted in 1815 as a Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) for his valor and merit on the North American Station.
Later career and retirement
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Sir James Malcolm continued to serve in the peace establishment until 1827.He advanced to the substantive rank of Major in the Royal Marines in 1821. In 1826 he was confirmed in the substantive rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Corps of Royal Marines.Sir James then retired to Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
, Scotland, where he figured among members of his household on the 1841 Scotland Census.
Military promotions and distinctions
- Second LieutenantSecond LieutenantSecond lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
H.M. Marine Forces, appointed on 29 November 1779 - First LieutenantFirst LieutenantFirst lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
H.M. Marine Forces 18 April 1793 - CaptainCaptainCaptain or The Captain is derived from the Greek word katepánō which was a senior Byzantine military rank and office.It may refer to:...
H.M. Marine Forces 1 January 1797- Brevet MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
(Army List) 6 February 1806
- Brevet Major
Note: H.M. Marine Forces redesignated as 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...
29 April 1802
-
- Brevet Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant 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...
(Army List) 4 June 1813
- Brevet Lieutenant Colonel
- KCBOrder of the BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
2 January 1815 - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Royal Marines 19 July 1821 - Lieutenant-Colonel Royal Marines 19 July 1826
Sir James Malcolm disposed of his commission and left the Royal Marines on 6 November 1827. He was allowed to retain his rank and his name was carried (in italics) on the annual British Army Lists from 1828 until 1850, (the year following his death,) as a 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...
with seniority dating from June 1813.
Together which such names as Sir Richard Williams (Royal Marines officer)
Richard Williams (Royal Marines officer)
Richard Williams , later Colonel Commandant Sir Richard Williams KCB Royal Marines, was a career British officer of Marines active during the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812....
and Sir Edward Nicolls
Edward Nicolls
General Sir Edward Nicolls, KCB was an Irish officer of the Royal Marines. Known as "Fighting Nicolls", he had a distinguished career, was involved in numerous actions, and often received serious wounds. For his service, he received medals and honours, reaching the rank of General...
, Sir James Malcolm figures prominently in the first authoritative history of the British
British
The word British is an adjective referring in various ways to the United Kingdom or the island of Great Britain and its people and language.People...
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...
, Paul Harris Nicolas
Paul Harris Nicolas
Paul Harris Nicolas, an elder brother of the English antiquary Nicholas Harris Nicolas, was a nineteenth century British historian, an accomplished, if little known, water colourist, a Royal Marines officer, and a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar...
's Historical Record of the Royal Marine Forces in two volumes (London, 1845).
Portrait
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Malcolm (1767-1849) of the Royal Marines sat for a portrait by the Scottish artist Sir Henry RaeburnHenry Raeburn
Sir Henry Raeburn was a Scottish portrait painter, the first significant Scottish portraitist since the Act of Union 1707 to remain based in Scotland.-Biography:...
. The mid 19th century lithograph was donated to the Reference Collection of the National Portrait Gallery in 1985 by Mrs Carey.