John Huske (1692?-1761) was a
British ArmyThe British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and...
general known for his leadership at the
Battle of FalkirkBattle of Falkirk may refer to:* Battle of Falkirk * Battle of Falkirk...
and the
Battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final clash between the French-supported Jacobites and the Hanoverian British Government in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Culloden dealt the Jacobite cause—to restore the House of Stuart to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain—a decisive defeat...
during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. From 1760 he was governor of Jersey.
Life
He was appointed on 7 April 1708 ensign in Colonel Toby Caulfield's (afterwards David Creighton's) regiment of foot, then campaigning in Spain, and subsequently disbanded. He obtained his company in Lord Hertford's (15th foot) on 11 January 1715. On 22 July 1715 he was appointed captain and lieutenant-colonel of one of the four new companies then added to the
Coldstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
. At that time and afterwards he was aide-de-camp to
William Cadogan, 1st Earl CadoganWilliam Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan KT, PC was a noted military officer in the army of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough during the War of the Spanish Succession...
. In two letters written by Cadogan, at the Hague, in a feigned name, promising high reward for disclosure of Jacobite plots, confidence is invited in the writer's aide-de-camp, Colonel John Huske, who, in the letter of 1 November 1716, is deputed to meet the recipient (E. Burke) privately at Cambray. The treasury records note a payment of £100 to Huske for a journey to Paris on particular service, and disbursements by him for the subsistence of three Dutch and two Swiss battalions in the pay of Holland, which were taken into the British service on the alarms of an invasion from Spain in April 1719.. Huske concerted measures with Whitworth, British plenipotentiary at the Hague, for collecting these troops at Williamstadt and bringing them into the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
.
He was appointed lieutenant-governor of
Hurst CastleHurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts built at the end of a long shingle spit at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Portsmouth. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides creates strong...
8 July 1721; became second major of the Coldstreamers, 30 October 1734; first major, 5 July 1739; and colonel 32nd foot, 25 December 1740. He was a brigadier at the
battle of DettingenThe Battle of Dettingen took place on 27 June 1743 at Dettingen in Bavaria during the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the last time that a British monarch, George II, personally led his troops into battle...
, where he was severely wounded. He was promoted major-general, and appointed colonel 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers 28 July 1743, in recognition of his distinguished services.
On the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, he was appointed to serve under General
George WadeField Marshal George Wade served as a British military commander and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.-Early career:Wade, born in Kilavally, Westmeath in Ireland, joined the British Army in 1690 and served in Flanders in 1692, earning a promotion to Captain...
at Newcastle, and on 25 December of that year was given a command in Scotland. By his conduct at the
battle of FalkirkBattle of Falkirk may refer to:* Battle of Falkirk * Battle of Falkirk...
, where he was second in command to
Henry HawleyLieutenant-general Henry Hawley was a British Army officer who entered the army, it is said, in 1694.He saw service in the War of Spanish Succession as a captain of Erie's Foot. After Almanza he returned to England, and a few years later had become lieutenant-colonel of the 19th...
, he secured the retreat of the royal forces to
LinlithgowLinlithgow is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island. Linlithgow's patron saint is Saint Michael and its motto is St...
. He distinguished himself at the
battle of CullodenThe Battle of Culloden was the final clash between the French-supported Jacobites and the Hanoverian British Government in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Culloden dealt the Jacobite cause—to restore the House of Stuart to the throne of the Kingdom of Great Britain—a decisive defeat...
, where he commanded the second line of the Duke of Cumberland's army. He was gave the orders that defeated the rebel charge on the left flank, and decided the battle.
He became a lieutenant-general in 1747, and again served in
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
in 1747-8. As was then not uncommon with general officers otherwise unemployed, he joined his regiment in
MinorcaMinorca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, and commanded it during the unsuccessful defence of that island in 1756. He became a full general 5 December 1756. He was appointed to the governorship of
SheernessSheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
in 1745, and transferred to that of Jersey in 1760. A brave, blunt veteran, whose solicitude for his soldiers earned him the nickname of 'Daddy Huske,' Huske died at
BalingBaling is a major town in the northern state of Kedah in Malaysia. It is also the name of a district in which Baling town is situated. It is an hour's drive away from Betong, the southernmost town in Thailand....
, near London, 18 January 1761.