Charles Cornwallis(1738-1805)
- Writer
Charles Cornwallis was born into one of the most-distinguished families in the United Kingdom: his father was created Earl Cornwallis by George II; his uncles were the Governor of Nova Scotia and the Archbishop of Canterbury, respectively; his maternal grandfather was the 2nd Viscount Townshend; his paternal great-grandfather was First Lord of the Admiralty; and his maternal great-uncle was the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. Upon his father's death, he became 6th Baron Cornwallis, 2nd Viscount Brome, 2nd Earl Cornwallis, and took his seat in the House of Lords. He surprised many by marrying beneath his station, as Jemima Jones was the daughter of an army colonel.
His status afforded him a life of general wantonness, yet he was determined to be of service and pursued a military career. He obtained his first commission as Ensign in the 1st Foot Guards in 1757, then gained permission to enroll at the Military Academy (Turin, Italy). Literally missing the boat which was taking his regiment to fight in the Seven Years' War, Cornwallis secured an appointment as an aide-de-camp to Lord Granby.
Although opposed to policies which antagonized the Colonies (he voted against the Stamp Act), when hostilities broke out, he volunteered for what is now known as the Revolutionary War. He scored victories at Brandywine, and Monmouth, often risking his life leading his men on the battlefield. However, he found himself continually outmaneuvered by George Washington, whom he chased from one theater of engagement to another.
Receiving news that his wife was gravely ill, he returned home and was at Jemima's beside when she died. Now a widower with two young children, no one would have held it against Cornwallis had he remained in England. Instead, he returned to America, determined to defeat Washington, who had become the bane of his existence. He captured Charleston, won at Camden, and at Guilford Court House; of this battle, he remarked: "I never saw such fighting since God made me. The Americans fought like demons". However, due to the ineptitude of his superiors, chiefly, Sir Henry Clinton, his plan to invade Virginia was stymied. Trapped by French and American forces at Yorktown, he was forced to surrender on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War.
Despite this humiliation, he retained the confidence of George III, who invested him as a Knight of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Governor-General of India in 1786. His defeat of the Sultan of Mysore, ending the Third Anglo-Mysore War, did much to restore his reputation. He was created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.
Shortly after being appointed Governor-General of Bengal, he died of fever in Ghazipur. As his son Charles had no sons, the marquessate became extinct upon Charles's death in 1823. The rest of Cornwallis's titles passed to his brother, James.
His status afforded him a life of general wantonness, yet he was determined to be of service and pursued a military career. He obtained his first commission as Ensign in the 1st Foot Guards in 1757, then gained permission to enroll at the Military Academy (Turin, Italy). Literally missing the boat which was taking his regiment to fight in the Seven Years' War, Cornwallis secured an appointment as an aide-de-camp to Lord Granby.
Although opposed to policies which antagonized the Colonies (he voted against the Stamp Act), when hostilities broke out, he volunteered for what is now known as the Revolutionary War. He scored victories at Brandywine, and Monmouth, often risking his life leading his men on the battlefield. However, he found himself continually outmaneuvered by George Washington, whom he chased from one theater of engagement to another.
Receiving news that his wife was gravely ill, he returned home and was at Jemima's beside when she died. Now a widower with two young children, no one would have held it against Cornwallis had he remained in England. Instead, he returned to America, determined to defeat Washington, who had become the bane of his existence. He captured Charleston, won at Camden, and at Guilford Court House; of this battle, he remarked: "I never saw such fighting since God made me. The Americans fought like demons". However, due to the ineptitude of his superiors, chiefly, Sir Henry Clinton, his plan to invade Virginia was stymied. Trapped by French and American forces at Yorktown, he was forced to surrender on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War.
Despite this humiliation, he retained the confidence of George III, who invested him as a Knight of the Order of the Garter. He was appointed Governor-General of India in 1786. His defeat of the Sultan of Mysore, ending the Third Anglo-Mysore War, did much to restore his reputation. He was created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.
Shortly after being appointed Governor-General of Bengal, he died of fever in Ghazipur. As his son Charles had no sons, the marquessate became extinct upon Charles's death in 1823. The rest of Cornwallis's titles passed to his brother, James.