Henry Havelock
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Major-General Sir Henry Havelock (April 5, 1795 – November 29, 1857) was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during The Indian Mutiny of 1857 (also known as the First War of Indian Independence).
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[edit] Biography
Havelock was born at Ford Hall, Bishopwearmouth (now in Sunderland), the son of William Havelock, a wealthy shipbuilder, and Jane, daughter of John Carter, solicitor, of Stockton-on-Tees. He was the second of four brothers, all of whom entered the army. The family removed to Ingress Park, Dartford, Kent, when Henry was still a child, and here his mother died in 1811. From the age of five until he was ten, Henry attended Mr Bradley's school in Swanscombe, after which he was placed with his elder brother in the boarding-house of Dr. Raine, head-master of the Charterhouse until he was 17. Among his contemporaries at the Charterhouse were Connop Thirlwall, George Grote, William Hale, Julius Hare, and William Norris, the last two being his special friends. Shortly after leaving the Charterhouse his father lost his fortune by unsuccessful speculation, sold Ingress Hall, and removed to Clifton.
In accordance with the desire of his mother he entered the Middle Temple in 1813, and became a pupil of Joseph Chitty; his fellow-student was Thomas Talfourd. Henry's legal studies having been interrupted by a misunderstanding with his father. Havelock was thrown upon his own resources, and obliged to abandon the law as a profession. By the good offices of his brother William, who had distinguished himself in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, he obtained on 30 July 1815, at the age of 20, a second lieutenancy in the in the 95th Regiment of Foot, Rifle Brigade, and was posted to the company of Captain (afterwards Sir) Harry Smith, who encouraged him to study military history and the art of war. He was promoted lieutenant on 24 October 1821. During the following eight years of service in Britain he read extensively all the standard works and acquired a good acquaintance with the theory of war.
[edit] India
Seeing no prospect of active service, he resolved to go to India, and at the end of 1822 exchanged into the 13th regiment (Light Infantry), then commanded by Major (afterwards Sir) Robert Sale, and embarked in the General Kyd in January 1823 for India. Before embarkation he studied Persian and Hindustani with success under John Borthwick Gilchrist. During the voyage a brother officer, Lieutenant James Gardner, was the means of awakening in him religious convictions which had slumbered since his mother's death, but henceforth became the guiding principle of his life.
Havelock served with distinction in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826), after which he returned to England and married Hannah Marshman, the daughter of eminent Christian missionaries Dr. and Mrs. Joshua Marshman. At about the same time he became a Baptist, being baptized by Mr. John Mack at Serampore. He introduced some of his new family's missionary ideas to the army and began the distribution of bibles to all soldiers. He also introduced all-rank bible study classes and established the first non-church services for military personnel.
By the time Havelock took part in the First Afghan War in 1839, he had been promoted to the rank of captain. He was present as aide-de-camp to Willoughby Cotton at the capture of Ghazni, on the May 23, 1839 and at the occupation of Kabul. After a short absence to Bengal to secure the publication of his Memoirs of the Afghan Campaign, he returned to Kabul in charge of recruits, and became interpreter to General Elphinstone.
In 1840, being attached to Sir Robert Sale's force, he took part in the celebrated passage of the defiles of the Ghilzais and in the fighting from Tezeen to Jalalabad. Here, over many months siege, his column in a sortie en masse defeated Akbar Khan on the April 7, 1842. He was now made deputy lieutant-general of the infantry division in Kabul, and in September he assisted at Jagdalak, at Tezeen, and at the release the British prisoners at Kabul, besides taking a prominent part at Istalif. Having obtained a regimental majority he next went through the Mahratta campaign as Persian interpreter to Sir Hugh Gough, and distinguished himself at Maharajpur in 1843, and also in the Sikh Wars at the battles of Mudki, Ferozeshah and Sobraon in 1845.
He used his spare time to produce analytical reports about the skirmishes and battles in which he was involved. These writings were returned to Britain and were reported on in the press of the day. For these services he was made Deputy Adjutant-General at Bombay. He exchanged from the 13th Foot to the 39th Foot, then as second major into the 53rd at the beginning of 1849, and soon afterwards left for England, where spent two years. He returned to India in 1852 with further promotion, and in 1854 he was appointed Quartermaster-General, promoted to full colonel, and lastly appointed Adjutant-General to the British Army in India in 1857.
In that year, he was selected by Sir James Outram for the command of a division in the Persian campaign, during which he was present at the action of Muhamra. Peace with Persia set him free just as the Indian Mutiny broke out; and he was chosen to command a column to quell disturbances in Allahabad, to support Sir Henry Lawrence at Lucknow and Wheeler at Cawnpore, to pursue and utterly destroy all mutineers and insurgents. Throughout August Havelock led his soldiers northwards across Oudh (present day Uttar Pradesh), defeating all rebel forces in his path, despite being greatly outnumbered. His years of study of the theories of war and his experiences in earlier campaigns were put to good use. At this time Lady Canning wrote of him in her diary: "General Havelock is not in fashion, but all the same we believe that he will do well." But in spite of this lukewarm commendation Havelock proved himself the man for the occasion and won the reputation a great military leader.
Thrice he advanced for the relief of Lucknow, but twice prudence forbade a reckless exposure of troops wasted by battle and disease in the almost impracticable task. Reinforcements arrived at last under Outram, and he was enabled by the generosity of his superior officer to crown his successes on the 25th of September 1857 by the capture of Lucknow. However, a second rebel force arrived and besieged the town again. This time Havelock and his troops were caught inside the blockade.
There he died on the November 29, 1857 of dysentery, a few days after the siege was lifted. The illness was likely brought on by the anxieties and fatigue connected with his victorious march and with the subsequent blockade of the British troops. He lived long enough receive news that he had been created a Baronet for the first three battles of the campaign; but he never knew of the major-generalship which was conferred shortly afterwards. On November 26, before tidings of his death had reached England, letters-patent were directed to create him a baronet and pension of £1,000 a year was voted at the assembling of parliament. The baronetcy was afterwards bestowed upon his eldest son, Henry; while to his widow, by royal order, was given the rights to which she would have been entitled had her husband survived and been created a baronet. Parliament awarded pensions of £1,000 a year to both widow and son.
[edit] Statue in Trafalgar Square
There is a statue of Havelock (by William Behnes) in Trafalgar Square, London (a copy is also situated in Mowbray Park, Sunderland). The plaque on the plinth reads: To Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB and his brave companions in arms during the campaign in India 1857. Soldiers, your labours, your privations, your suffering and your valour, will not be forgotten by a grateful country. In 2003, there was minor controversy when the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone suggested that the Trafalgar Square statue, together with that of General Charles James Napier, be replaced with "more relevant" figures, not taking into account the actual historical importance of the two individuals. He did not, however, suggest the removal of Nelson's Column.
[edit] Bibliography
- Pollock, John — Way to Glory: the biography of General Henry Havelock, Christian Focus Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-85792-245-X.
- Marshman, John Clark — Memoirs of Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, K.C.B, London : Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860 (and subsequent editions up to 1909).
[edit] Other
- "H" a play about Havelock by Charles Wood was performed at the National Theatre, London in 1969. Harold Hobson in the Sunday Times called it: "One of the National Theatre's outstanding achievements".
- As a tribute to General Havelock, Lucknow has a road and locality dedicated to his name called Havelock Road and Havelock Road Colony. This is situated next to Hazratganj.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
