John Moore | |
|---|---|
_-_original_colors_version.jpg) | |
| Born | 13 November 1761 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 16 January 1809(1809-01-16) (aged 47) A Coruña,Province of A Coruña, Spain |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1776–1809 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Order of the Bath |
| Other work | WhigMP forLanark Burghs |
Lieutenant-GeneralSir John MooreKB (13 November 1761 – 16 January 1809) was aBritish Army officer and politician. He is known for his military training reforms and for his death at theBattle of Corunna, in which he fought a French army under MarshalJean-de-Dieu Soult during thePeninsular War.[1][2]
John Moore was born inGlasgow, the son ofJohn Moore, a physician and writer, and the older brother of AdmiralSir Graham Moore. He attendedGlasgow High School, but at the age of 11 joined his father and Douglas, the young 16-year-old8th Duke of Hamilton (1756–1799), his father's pupil, on aGrand Tour ofFrance, Italy and Germany. This included a two-year stay inGeneva, where Moore's education continued.[3]
He joined the British Army in 1776 as an ensign in the51st Regiment of Foot then based inMenorca.[3] He first saw action in 1778 during theAmerican War of Independence as a lieutenant in the82nd Regiment of Foot, which was raised inLanarkshire for service in North America by the 8th Duke of Hamilton.[3] From 1779 to 1781 he was garrisoned atHalifax, Nova Scotia. In 1779, he distinguished himself in action during thePenobscot Expedition in present-day Maine, when a small British detachment held off a much larger American force until reinforcements arrived.[4] After the war, in 1783, he returned to Britain and in 1784 was elected to theParliament of Great Britain as theWhig member forLanark Burghs, a seat he held until 1790.[3]
In 1787 he was madeMajor and joined the60th briefly before returning to the 51st.[5] In 1791 his unit was assigned to theMediterranean and he was involved in campaigning in theinvasion of Corsica in 1794 during theWar of the First Coalition and was wounded atCalvi. He was given a Colonelcy and became Adjutant-General toSir Charles Stuart.[6]
Friction between Moore and the new Britishviceroy of Corsica led to his recall and posting to theWest Indies underSir Ralph Abercromby in 1796. Moore played a leading role in the British recapture ofSaint Lucia, which at the time was under the nominal control of the French as a result of a successful invasion by the French Republican administratorVictor Hugues. During the campaign, Moore retook Fort Charlotte with the27th Inniskilling Fusiliers after two days of bitter fighting. The regiment were honoured for their actions in capturing the fort by having their regimental colour displayed on the flagstaff of the captured fortress atMorne Fortune for an hour, before being replaced by theBritish flag.[7] Upon the capture of the fort, Abercromby departed the island, placing Moore in charge of the garrison.[8] Moore remained at this post until falling ill withyellow fever, upon which he was repatriated to Britain.[6]
In 1798 he was made Major-General and served in the suppression of theIrish Rebellion of 1798.[6] His personal intervention was credited with turning the tide at theBattle of Foulksmills on 20 June and he regained control ofWexford town before GeneralGerard Lake could, thereby possibly preventing its sacking.[6]
In 1799 he commanded a brigade in theHelder Expedition, with the campaign failing after the British and Russian forces failed to overcome entrenched Dutch defenders. Moore himself was seriously injured in the action. He recovered to lead the52nd regiment during the Britishcampaign in Egypt against the French, having become colonel of that regiment in 1801 on the death of GeneralCyrus Trapaud.[9]
He returned to Britain in 1803 to command a brigade atShorncliffe Army Camp nearFolkestone, where he established the innovative system of drill and manoeuvre.[9] The historianSir Arthur Bryant wrote: "Moore's contribution to the British Army was not only that matchless Light Infantry who have ever since enshrined his training, but also the belief that the perfect soldier can only be made by evoking all that is finest in man – physical, mental and spiritual."[10]
When it became clear thatNapoleon was planning an invasion of Britain, Moore was put in charge of the defence of the coast fromDover toDungeness. It was on his initiative that theMartello Towers were constructed (complementing the already constructedShorncliffe Redoubt), following a pattern he had been impressed with in Corsica, where theTorra di Mortella, at Mortella Point, had offered a stout resistance to British land and sea forces. He also initiated the cutting of theRoyal Military Canal inKent andSussex, and recruited about 340,000 volunteers to a militia that would have defended the lines of theSouth Downs if an invading force had broken through the regular army defences. In 1804 Moore was made a Knight Companion of the Bath[11] and, in 1805, he was promoted to Lieutenant-General.[9]
In 1806 he returned to active duty in theMediterranean and then in 1808 in theBaltic withEdward Paget toassist the Swedes. Disagreements withGustav IV Adolf soon led to his being sent home where he was ordered toPortugal in July 1808.[12]
Moore took command of the British forces in the Iberian Peninsula following the recall ofSir Harry Burrard,Sir Hew Dalrymple andSir Arthur Wellesley (the futureDuke of Wellington) to face the inquiry over theConvention of Cintra on the French troops' evacuation from Portugal. WhenNapoleon arrived in Spain with 200,000 men, Moore drew the French northwards while retreating to his embarkation ports ofA Coruña andVigo. Moore established a defensive position on hills outside the town while being guarded by the15th Hussars.[13]
Moore was fatally wounded at theBattle of Corunna, being "struck in his left breast and shoulder by a cannon shot, which broke his ribs, his arm,lacerated his shoulder and the whole of his left side and lungs".[14] Like AdmiralLord Nelson, he was mortally wounded in battle, surviving long enough to be assured that he had gained a victory. He remained conscious and composed throughout his final hours. Before succumbing to his wounds, Moore confided to his old friend and aide-de-camp, Colonel Paul Anderson:[a] "You know, I always wished to die this way, I hope the people of England will be satisfied! I hope my country will do me justice!"[15] He asked Colonel Anderson to speak to his friends and mother, but became too emotional to continue, and changed the subject.[15] He asked if his staff were safe and was assured that they were,[b] and where his will could be found. Casting his eyes around the room, he spiedCharles Banks Stanhope and said to him: "Remember me to your sister, Stanhope."[16][c] He was then silent and died shortly afterwards.[18]
In 1815, French GeneralJean Sarrazin published a history of the Peninsular War, in which he argued: "WhateverBonaparte may assert, Soult was most certainly repulsed at Corunna; and the English gained a defensive victory, though dearly purchased with the loss of their brave general Moore, who was alike distinguished for his private virtues, and his military talents."[d] Though Moore's army had been "compelled to conduct a precipitate retreat and evacuate by sea", leaving Madrid and Northern Spain under French military occupation, the Peninsular War continued on.[20]
Moore was buried wrapped in a military cloak in the ramparts of the town. Moore's funeral was commemorated in "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" by the Irish poetCharles Wolfe (1791–1823), which became popular in 19th-century poetry anthologies.[21] The first verse runs:
Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O'er the grave where our hero we buried.
ending six verses later with:
Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone with his glory.
Although the soldier and historianSir William Francis Patrick Napier, a contemporary of Moore, attributes the funeral monument to MarshalJean-de-Dieu Soult, it was erected by orders of the Spanish commander, theMarquis de la Romana, when he returned to Corunna after the French abandoned Galicia.[22][23]
In his native Glasgow he is commemorated by the 1819Statue of Sir John Moore inGeorge Square, and in England by a monument inSt Paul's Cathedral by the sculptorJohn Bacon.[24] Houses are named for him at theHigh School of Glasgow andQueen Victoria School inDunblane. Sir John Moore Avenue is inHythe, Kent, near theRoyal Military Canal.[25]
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLanark Burghs 1784 –1790 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Colonel of the52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot 1801–1809 | Succeeded by |
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