Field MarshalGarnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley (4 June 1833 – 25 March 1913) was anAnglo-Irish officer in theBritish Army. He became one of the most influential British generals after a series of victories in Canada, West Africa and Egypt, followed by a central role in modernizing the British Army in promoting efficiency.
Wolseley is considered to be one of the most prominent and decorated war heroes of theBritish Empire during the era ofNew Imperialism. He served in Burma, theCrimean War, theIndian Mutiny, China, Canada and widely throughout Africa—including hisAshanti campaign (1873–1874) and theNile Expedition againstMahdist Sudan in 1884–85. Wolseley served asCommander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1895 to 1900. His reputation for efficiency led to the late 19th century English phrase "everything's all Sir Garnet", meaning, "All is in order."[2]
Lord Wolseley was born into a prominentAnglo-Irish family inDublin, the eldest son ofMajor Garnet Joseph Wolseley of theKing's Own Scottish Borderers (25th Foot) and Frances Anne Wolseley (née Smith). The Wolseleys were an ancient landed family inWolseley, Staffordshire, whose roots can be traced back a thousand years.[3] Wolseley was born at Golden Bridge House, the seat of his mother's family. His paternal grandfather was Rev. William Wolseley, Rector ofTullycorbet, and the third son ofSir Richard Wolseley, 1st Baronet, who sat in theIrish House of Commons forCarlow.[4] The family seat was Mount Wolseley inCounty Carlow.[5] He had four younger sisters and two younger brothers,Frederick Wolseley (1837–1899) andSir George Wolseley (1839–1921).[3]
Wolseley's father died in 1840 at age 62, leaving his widow and seven children to struggle on his Army pension. Unlike other boys in his class, Wolseley was not sent to England to attendHarrow orEton, but was instead educated at a local school in Dublin. There, he enjoyed military history and the Latin classics, and excelled at mathematics, history, drawing, reading, and sports.[6][7] However, the family circumstance forced Wolseley to leave school at age 14, when he found work in asurveyor's office, which helped him bring in a salary and continue studying mathematics and geography.[8][9] The methodical nature of the job, with its need for attention to detail, would prove to serve him well in his future army career.[10]
Wolseley first considered a career in the church, but his financial situation meant that he would have needed a wealthy patron to support such an endeavour. Instead he sought acommission in the Army. Unable to affordSandhurst orbuying a commission, Wolseley wrote to his fellow Dubliner,Field MarshalThe 1st Duke of Wellington, for assistance. Wellington, then theCommander-in-Chief of the Forces, promised to assist him when he turned 16.[8] However, Wellington apparently overlooked him and did not respond to another letter sent when he was 17. Wolseley unsuccessfully appealed to his secretary,Lord Fitzroy Somerset. The British Army was then recovering from significant casualties in the latestwar in South Africa, and Wolseley wrote to Somerset, "I shall be prepared to start at the shortest notice, should your Lordship be pleased to appoint me to a regiment now at the seat of war."[8] His mother then wrote to the Duke to appeal his case, and on 12 March 1852, the 18-year-old Wolseley wasgazetted as anensign in the12th Foot,[11] in recognition of his father's service.[9]
Just a month after he joined the12th Foot, Wolseley transferred to the80th Foot on 13 April 1852,[12] with whom he served in theSecond Anglo-Burmese War.[13] He was severely wounded when he was shot in the left thigh with ajingal bullet on 19 March 1853 in the attack onDonabyu,[3][13] and wasmentioned in despatches. Promoted tolieutenant on 16 May 1853 and invalided home, Wolseley transferred to the84th Regiment of Foot on 27 January 1854,[14] and then to the90th Light Infantry,[15] at that time stationed inDublin, on 24 February 1854.[13] He was promoted tocaptain on 29 December 1854.[16]
Wolseley accompanied the regiment tothe Crimea, and landed atBalaklava in December 1854. He was selected to be an assistantengineer, and attached to theRoyal Engineers during theSiege of Sevastopol. Wolseley served throughout the siege, where he was wounded at "the Quarries" on 7 June 1855, and again in the trenches on 30 August 1855, losing an eye.[13]
After the fall ofSevastopol, Wolseley was employed on thequartermaster-general's staff, assisting in the embarkation of the troops and supplies, and was one of the last British soldiers to leave the Crimea in July 1856.[13] For his services he was twice mentioned in despatches, received the war medal with clasp, the 5th class of the FrenchLégion d'honneur[17] and the 5th class of the TurkishOrder of the Medjidie.[18][19]
Six months after joining the90th Foot atAldershot, he went with it in March 1857 to join the troops being despatched for theSecond Opium War.[13] Wolseley was embarked in the transportTransit, which wrecked in theStrait of Banka. The troops were all saved, but with only their personal arms and minimal ammunition. They were taken toSingapore, and from there dispatched toCalcutta on account of theIndian Mutiny.[18][20]
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Wolseley distinguished himself at therelief of Lucknow under SirColin Campbell in November 1857, and in the defence of theAlambagh position underOutram,[13] taking part in the actions of 22 December 1857, of 12 January 1858 and 16 January 1858, and also in the repulse of the grand attack of 21 February 1858.[9] That March, he served at the finalsiege and capture of Lucknow. He was then appointed deputy-assistant quartermaster-general on the staff of SirHope Grant'sOudh division,[9] and was engaged in all of the operations of the campaign, including the actions ofBari,Sarsi,Nawabganj, the capture ofFaizabad, the passage of theGumti and the action ofSultanpur. In the autumn and winter of 1858–59 he took part in theBaiswara, trans-Gogra and trans-Rapti campaigns ending with the complete suppression of therebellion.[20] For his services he was frequently mentioned in dispatches, and having received theMutiny medal and clasp, he was promoted to brevetmajor on 24 March 1858[18][21] and to brevetlieutenant-colonel on 26 April 1859.[22]
During the rebellion, Wolseley displayed strong views towards native peoples, referring to them as "beastlyniggers", and remarking that thesepoys had "barrels and barrels of the filth which flows in these niggers' veins".[23]
Wolseley continued to serve on Sir Hope Grant's staff in Oudh, and when Grant was nominated to thecommand of the British troops in theAnglo-French expedition to China of 1860,[13] accompanied him as the deputy-assistant quartermaster-general. He was present at the action atSin-ho, the capture ofTang-ku, the storming of theTaku Forts,[13] the Occupation ofTientsin, the Battle ofPa-to-cheau and the entry intoPeking (during which the destruction of theChineseImperialOld Summer Palace was begun).[13] He assisted in the re-embarkation of the troops before the winter set in. He was Mentioned, yet again, in Dispatches, and for his services received the medal and two clasps. On his return home he published theNarrative of the War with China in 1860.[18][24] He was given the substantive rank ofmajor on 15 February 1861.[25]
After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, Wolseley was one of the special service officers sent to theProvince of Canada in November 1861, in connection with theTrent incident.[9]
In 1862, shortly after theBattle of Antietam, Wolseley took leave from his military duties and went to investigate theAmerican Civil War. He befriendedSouthern sympathizers inMaryland, who found him passage intoVirginia with ablockade runner across thePotomac River. There he met GeneralsRobert E. Lee,James Longstreet andStonewall Jackson.[13] He also provided an analysis of Lieutenant GeneralNathan Bedford Forrest. TheNew Orleans Picayune (10 April 1892) published Wolseley's ten-page portrayal of Forrest, which condensed much of what was written about him by biographers of the time. This work appeared in theJournal of the Southern Historical Society in the same year, and is commonly cited today. Wolseley addressed Forrest's role at theBattle of Fort Pillow nearMemphis, Tennessee, in April 1864 in whichblackUSCT troops andwhite officers were alleged by some to have been slaughtered afterFort Pillow had been conquered. Wolseley wrote, "I do not think that the fact that one-half of the small garrison of a place taken by assault was either killed or wounded evinced any very unusual bloodthirstiness on the part of the assailants."[26]
Following the end of the Civil War in the United States, Wolseley returned to Canada, where he became a brevetcolonel on 5 June 1865[13] and Assistant Quartermaster-General in Canada with effect from the same date.[27] He was actively employed the following year in the defence of Canada fromFenian raids launched from the United States. He was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General in Canada on 1 October 1867.[28] In 1869 hisSoldiers' Pocket Book for Field Service was published. In its pages Wolseley gave his opinion on the fitness of the officer corps of his time and other sensitive subjects. For that he was put on half-pay, according to one source.[29][30]
In 1870, he led theRed River Expedition against the ongoinguprising in theNorth-West Territories (present-dayManitoba), establishing Canadian colonial sovereignty in the province.[29] As part of theNorth-West Territories, Manitoba formally enteredCanadian Confederation in 1870 when theHudson's Bay Company transferred its control ofRupert's Land to the government of the Dominion of Canada. However, British and Canadian authorities ignored the pre-existingCouncil of Assiniboia and botched negotiations with itsMétis replacement, the provisional government headed byLouis Riel, who sought to join Canada on their own terms.[29]
The expedition was made difficult by challenging terrain and a lack of easily navigable routes, Canada not yet having a transcontinental railway line.Fort Garry (nowWinnipeg), thecapital of Manitoba, was separated from eastern Canada by the rocks and forests of the Canadian Shield region of western Ontario. The easiest route to Fort Garry that did not pass through the United States was through a network of rivers and lakes extending for 970 kilometres (600 mi) fromLake Superior, rarely traversed by those who were not part of thefur trade, and where a conventional army would struggle to obtain supplies.[29] An end to the uprising was negotiated while Wolseley's force was en route, but in recognition of his achievements in successfully leading the expedition, Wolseley was made aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George on his return home to Britain on 22 December 1870,[31] and aCompanion of the Order of the Bath on 13 March 1871.[32]
Appointed assistantadjutant-general at theWar Office in 1871, he furthered theCardwell schemes of army reform.[29] The reforms met strong opposition from senior military figures led by theDuke of Cambridge,Commander-in-Chief of the Forces.[33] At their heart was the intent to expand greatly the Army's latent strength by building reserves, both through introducing legislation for 'short service',[34] which allowed soldiers to serve the second part of their term on the reserve, and by bringing militia (i.e. non-regular) battalions into the new localised regimental structure. Resistance in the Army continued and, in a series of subsequent military posts, Wolseley fought publicly as well as inside the Army's structure to implement them, long after the legislation had passed and Cardwell had gone.[35][36]
On 2 October 1873, Wolseley became Governor ofSierra Leone British West African Settlements, and the Governor of the Gold Coast. As Governor of both British Territories in West Africa he had charge over the Colonies ofGambia,Gold Coast and Western, Eastern, and NorthernNigeria, and in this role, commanded an expedition against theAshanti Empire. Wolseley made all his arrangements at Gold Coast before the arrival of the troops in January 1874. At theBattle of Amoaful on 31 January, Wolseley's expedition defeated the numerically superior Chief Amankwatia's army in a four-hour battle, advancing through thick bush in loose squares. After five days' fighting, ending with theBattle of Ordashu, the British entered the capitalKumasi, which they burned. Wolseley completed the campaign in two months,[29] and re-embarked his troops for home before the unhealthy season began. This campaign made him a household name in Britain. He received the thanks of both houses ofParliament and a grant of £25,000, was promoted to brevetmajor-general for distinguished service in the field on 1 April 1874,[37] received the medal and clasp, and was madeKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 31 March 1874,[38] and aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath. Thefreedom of the city ofLondon was conferred upon him with a sword of honour, and he was made honorary DCL ofOxford and LL.D ofCambridge universities.[39]
On his return home he was appointed inspector-general of Auxiliary Forces with effect from 1 April 1874.[40] In his role with the Auxiliary Forces, he directed his efforts to building up adequate volunteer reserve forces. Finding himself opposed by the senior military, he wrote a strong memorandum and spoke of resigning when they tried to persuade him to withdraw it.[35] He became a lifelong advocate of the volunteer reserves, later commenting that all military reforms since 1860 in the British Army had first been introduced by the volunteers.[36]Shortly after, in consequence of the indigenous unrest inNatal, he was sent to that colony as governor and general-commanding on 24 February 1875.[18][41]
Wolseley accepted a seat on theCouncil of India in November 1876 and was promoted to the substantive rank ofmajor-general on 1 October 1877.[42] He was promoted to brevetlieutenant-general on 25 March 1878.[43] On 12 July 1878, he was appointedthe first High Commissioner to Cyprus, a newly acquired possession.[44]
In the following year, he was sent to South Africa to supersedeLord Chelmsford in command of the forces in theZulu War,[29] and as governor ofNatal and theTransvaal and theHigh Commissioner ofSouthern Africa. Wolseley with his 'Ashanti Ring' of adherents was sent toDurban. But on arrival in July, he found that the Zulu War was practically over.[29] After effecting a temporary settlement, he went on to the Transvaal. While serving in South Africa, he was promoted to brevetgeneral on 4 June 1879.[45] Having reorganized the administration there and reduced KingSekhukhune of theBapedi to submission, he returned to London in May 1880. For his services in South Africa, he was awarded theSouth Africa Medal with clasp, and was advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 19 June 1880.[46] Finally, as if to signify a meteoric rise in Imperial esteem, he was appointedQuartermaster-General to the Forces on 1 July 1880.[18][47] He found that there was still great resistance to the short service system and used his growing public persona to fight for the Cardwell reforms, especially on building up reserves, including making a speech at a banquet in Mansion house in which he commented: '...how an Army raised under the long service system totally disappeared in a few months under the walls of Sevastopol.'[35]
On 1 April 1882, Wolseley was appointedAdjutant-General to the Forces,[48] and, in August of that year, given command of the British forces in Egypt underKhedive Tewfik to suppress theUrabi Revolt.[49] Having seized theSuez Canal, he then disembarked his troops atIsmailia and, after a very short campaign, completely defeatedUrabi Pasha at theBattle of Tel el-Kebir, thereby suppressing yet another rebellion.[49] For his services, he was promoted to the substantive rank ofgeneral on 18 November[50] and raised to thepeerage asBaron Wolseley, ofCairo and ofWolseley in the County of Stafford.[18] He also received the thanks of Parliament andthe Egypt Medal with clasp;[51] theOrder of Osmanieh, First Class, as bestowed by theKhedive;[52] and the more dubious accolade of a composition in his honour bypoetasterWilliam Topaz McGonagall.[53]
On 1 September 1884, Wolseley was again called away from his duties as adjutant-general, to command theNile Expedition for the relief ofGeneral Gordon and the besieged garrison atKhartoum. Wolseley's unusual strategy was to take an expedition by boat up the Nile and then to cross the desert to Khartoum, while the naval boats went on to Khartoum.[54] The expedition arrived too late; Khartoum had been taken, and Gordon was dead.[49] In the spring of 1885, complications withImperial Russia over thePanjdeh Incident occurred, and the withdrawal of that particular expedition followed. For his services there, he received two clasps to his Egyptian medal, the thanks of Parliament,[18] and on 28 September 1885 was createdViscount Wolseley, of Wolseley in the County of Stafford,[55][56] and aKnight of the Order of St Patrick.[9] At the invitation of theQueen, the Wolseley family moved from their former home at 6Hill Street, London to the much granderRanger's House inGreenwich in autumn 1888.[57]
Wolseley continued at the War Office asAdjutant-General to the Forces until 1890, when he becameCommander-in-Chief, Ireland.[49] He was promoted to be a field marshal on 26 May 1894,[58] and appointed by theConservativegovernment to succeed theDuke of Cambridge asCommander-in-Chief of the Forces on 1 November 1895.[59] This was the position to which his great experience in the field and his previous signal success at the War Office itself had fully entitled him, but it was increasingly irrelevant. Field Marshal Viscount Wolseley's powers in that office were, however, limited by a newOrder in Council, and after holding the appointment for over five years, he handed over the command-in-chief to his fellow field marshal,Earl Roberts, on 3 January 1901.[18][60] He had also suffered from a serious illness in 1897, from which he never fully recovered.[49]
The unexpectedly large force required for the initial phase of theSecond Boer War, was mainly furnished by means of the system of reserves Wolseley had originated. By drawing on regular reservists and volunteer reserves, Britain was able to assemble the largest army it had ever deployed abroad.[61] Nevertheless, the new conditions at the War Office were not to his liking. The fiasco now calledBlack Week culminated in his dismissal over Christmastide 1900. Upon being released from responsibilities he brought the whole subject before theHouse of Lords in a speech.[18][62]
Lord Wolseley wasGold Stick in Waiting to Queen Victoria and took part in the funeral procession following her death in February 1901.[63] He also served as Gold Stick in Waiting toKing Edward during hiscoronation in August 1902.[64]
In early 1901, Lord Wolseley was appointed by KingEdward VII to lead a special diplomatic mission to announce the King's accession to the governments ofAustria-Hungary,Romania,Serbia, theOttoman Empire andGreece.[65] During his visit toConstantinople, SultanAbdul Hamid II presented him with theOrder of Osmanieh set in brilliants.[66]
He was among the original recipients of theOrder of Merit in the1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902,[67] and received the order from King Edward VII atBuckingham Palace on 8 August 1902.[68][69] For time spent as an honorary colonel in theVolunteer Force, he was given theVolunteer Officers' Decoration on 11 August 1903.[70] He was also honorary colonel of the 23rdMiddlesex Regiment from 12 May 1883,[71] honorary colonel of the Queen's Rifle Volunteer Brigade, theRoyal Scots (Lothian Regiment) from 24 April 1889,[72] colonel of theRoyal Horse Guards from 29 March 1895[73] and colonel-in-chief of theRoyal Irish Regiment from 20 July 1898.[74]
In retirement, he was a member of the council of theUnion-Castle Steamship Company.[75]
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Wolseley was deeply opposed toSir Edward Watkin's attempt to build aChannel Tunnel. He gave evidence to a parliamentary commission that the construction might be "calamitous for England", he added that "No matter what fortifications and defences were built, there would always be the peril of some continental army seizing the tunnel exit by surprise." Various contrivances to satisfy his objections were put forward including looping the line on a viaduct from theCliffs of Dover and back into them, so that the connection could be bombarded at will by theRoyal Navy. For a combination of reasons over 100 years were to pass before a permanent link was made.[77]
Wolseley was married in 1867 to Louisa (1843–1920), the daughter of Mr. A. Erskine.[13] His only child,Frances (1872–1936) was an author and founded the College for Lady Gardeners atGlynde. She washeiress to the viscountcy under special remainder, but it became extinct after her death.[78]
In his later years, Lord and Lady Wolseley lived in agrace-and-favour apartment atHampton Court Palace. He and his wife were wintering at Villa Tourrette,Menton on theFrench Riviera, where he fell ill with influenza and returned to England, where he died on 26 March 1913.[3]
He was buried on 31 March 1913 in the crypt ofSt Paul's Cathedral, to music played by the band of the 2nd BattalionRoyal Irish Regiment, of which he was the firstColonel-in-Chief.[78][79]
There is anequestrian statue of Wolseley inHorse Guards Parade in London. This was sculpted bySir William Goscombe John R.A.[80] and erected in 1920.[81]Wolseley Barracks, atLondon, Ontario, is a Canadianmilitary base (now officially known asASU London), established in 1886. It is on the site of Wolseley Hall, the first building constructed by aCanadian Government specifically to house an element of the newly createdPermanent Force. Wolseley Barracks has been continuously occupied by theCanadian Army since its creation, and has always housed some element ofThe Royal Canadian Regiment. At present, Wolseley Hall is occupied by theRoyal Canadian Regiment Museum and the regiment's 4th Battalion, among other tenants.[82] The whitepith helmet worn as part of the full-dress uniform of the RCR and many other Canadian regiments is known as a Wolseley helmet.[83] Wolseley is also asenior boys house at theDuke of York's Royal Military School.[84]
Field Marshal Lord Wolseley is commemorated by a tablet at St Michael and All Angels Church inColwich, Staffordshire, a short distance fromShugborough Hall and Wolseley Park at Colwich, nearRugeley. The church was the burial place of theWolseley baronets of Wolseley Park, the ancestral home of the Wolseley family.[85]
W. S. Gilbert, of the musical partnershipGilbert and Sullivan, may have modelled the character of Major-General Stanley in theoperettaThe Pirates of Penzance on Wolseley, andGeorge Grossmith, the actor who first created the role in the opening theatrical run, imitated Wolseley's appearance.[86] In another of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas,Patience, Colonel Calverley praises Wolseley in the phrase: "Skill of Sir Garnet in thrashing a cannibal".[87]
The residential areas ofWolseley inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located in the west central part of the city[88] and ofWolseley, Saskatchewan, Canada, are named after him[89] The town ofWolseley, Western Cape, South Africa, is named after Sir Garnet Joseph Wolseley. It was established on the farm Goedgevonden in 1875 and attained municipal status in 1955; prior to this it was known as Ceres Road.[90]
The Sir Garnet pub in the centre ofNorwich, overlooking the historic market place and city hall, is named after Field Marshal Lord Wolseley. The pub opened in about 1861 and adopted the name Sir Garnet Wolseley in 1874, changed after a brief closing (2011–2012) to Sir Garnet.[91][92][93][94]
Wolseley's uniforms, field marshal's baton and souvenirs from his various campaigns are held in the collections of theGlenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Wolseley maintained a deep interest in notable individuals in early modern European history, and collected items related to many of them (for example, a box fromSir Francis Drake, a watch related toOliver Cromwell, a funerary badge forAdmiral Horatio Nelson and GeneralJames Wolfe's snuff box). These are also held in the collection.[95]
In recognition of his success, an expression arose: "all Sir Garnet" meaning; that everything is in good order.[96][97]
The Victorian byword for a smart operation of any kind was 'All Sir Garnet'...
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of the Gold Coast 1873–1874 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Natal 1875 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1880–1882 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Adjutant-General to the Forces 1882–1890 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Ireland 1890–1895 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Colonel of theRoyal Horse Guards 1895–1907 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1895–1900 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Wolseley 1885–1913 | Succeeded by |
