Sir Donald Stewart, 1st Baronet

Sir Donald Stewart
Sir Donald Stewart
Born	1 March 1824 Forres, Moray
Died	26 March 1900 (aged 76) Algiers, Algeria
Buried at	Brompton Cemetery
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	Indian Army
Battles/wars	Indian rebellion of 1857 Second Anglo-Afghan War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire

Field Marshal Sir Donald Martin Stewart, 1st Baronet, GCB GCSI CIE (1 March 1824 – 26 March 1900) was a British field marshal. He was for five years Commander-in-Chief, India, and afterwards a member of the Council of the Secretary of State for India.

Early life

He was the son of Robert Stewart, and born at Mount Pleasant, near Forres, Moray, Scotland. He was educated at schools at Findhorn, Dufftown and Elgin and at the University of Aberdeen.^[1]

Career

Stewart was commissioned into the Bengal Army in 1840,^[2] and served in 1854 and 1855 in the frontier expeditions against the Mohmands.^[2]

In the Indian rebellion of 1857 Stewart, after a famous ride from Agra to Delhi with dispatches, served on the staff at the siege and capture of Delhi^[2] and of Lucknow,^[2] and afterwards through the campaign in Rohilkhand (medal and two clasps, and brevetmajor and lieutenant-colonel). For nine years he was assistant and deputy-adjutant-general of the Bengal army,^[2] commanded the Bengal brigade in the Abyssinian expedition in 1867 (medal and CB),^[2] and became a major-general in 1868.^[2] He reorganized the penal settlement of the Andaman Islands, where he was commandant^[3] when Lord Mayo, British Viceroy of India, was assassinated (1872), and, after holding the Lahore command,^[3] was promoted lieutenant-general in 1877.^[3]

In 1878, Stewart commanded the Kandahar field force in the Second Anglo-Afghan War^[3] (KCB and thanks of Parliament). For this campaign, Stewart assembled the Kandahar Field Force, some 13,000 men, at Multan in the Punjab. He then advanced through the Bolan Pass to Quetta, and then on to Kandahar. Although this advance was uncontested, his men found it tough going because of the extremes of both terrain and climate. He reached Kandahar on 8 January 1879 to find the Afghan garrison there had fled.

In March 1880, he made a difficult march from Kandahar to Kabul, fighting on the way the battles of Ahmed Khel^[3] and Arzu,^[3] and held supreme military and civil command in northern Afghanistan.^[3] On hearing of the Maiwand disaster, he despatched Sir Frederick Roberts with a division on his celebrated march from Kabul to Kandahar, while he led the rest of the army back to India through the Khyber Pass (medal with clasp, GCB, CIE, baronetcy, and thanks of Parliament). Promoted general in 1881,^[3] he was for five years Commander-in-Chief, India,^[3] and afterwards a member of the Council of the Secretary of State for India until his death.^[3]

Stewart was made GCSI in 1885 and promoted to Field Marshal in 1894.^[3] He was Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from 1895^[4] to 1901.^[5]

Funerary monument, Brompton Cemetery, London

Stewart died at Algiers, Algeria in 1900, and is buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.^[6]

Family

In 1847 he married Davina Marine; they went on to have two sons and three daughters.^[2]

References

1. ^ George Robert Elsmie, ed., Field-Marshal Sir Donald Stewart: G.C.B., G.C.S.L., C.I.E.; an account of his life, mainly in his own words, London, John Murray (1903). On line, Internet Archive.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Heathcote, p. 270
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Heathcote, p. 271
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 26618. p. 2354. 23 April 1895. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
5. ^ London Gazette: no. 27319. p. 3697. 31 May 1901. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
6. ^ Elsmie, as cited, pp. 443-4.

• Heathcote, T. A., The British Field Marshals 1736 - 1997, Leo Cooper, 1999, ISBN 0 850526965
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Leigh Rayment's List of Baronets

External links

Government offices
Preceded by F. L. Playfair as Superintendent of Port Blair	Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands 1872–1875	Succeeded by Charles Arthur Barwell
Military offices
Preceded by Sir Frederick Haines	Commander-in-Chief, India 1881–1885	Succeeded by The Earl Roberts
Honorary titles
Preceded by Sir Patrick Grant	Governor, Royal Hospital Chelsea 1895–1901	Succeeded by Sir Henry Norman

Persondata
Name	Stewart, Donald Martin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 March 1824
Place of birth	Forres, Moray
Date of death	26 March 1900
Place of death	Algiers, Algeria