- George Brown (British Army officer)
:"For others of this name, see
George Brown (disambiguation page).General Sir George Brown, GCB KH (1790–1865) was a British
soldier notable for commands in thePeninsular War and theCrimean War .He was born and educated in Elgin,
Scotland . He obtained a commission in the43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) (later the 1st Battalion,Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ) in 1806, was promotedlieutenant a few months later, and saw active service for the first time in theMediterranean and atCopenhagen , 1806 and 1807. The 43rd was one of the earliest arrivals in Spain when the Peninsular War broke out, and Brown was with his regiment at Vimeiro, and in theCorunna retreat. Later in 1809 the famousLight Division was formed, and with Craufurd he was present at all the actions of 1810–1811, being severely wounded at Talavera; he was then promotedcaptain and attended theStaff College at Great Marlow until (late in 1812) he returned to the Peninsula as a captain in the 85th. With this regiment he served underMajor-General Lord Aylmer at theNivelle andNive , his conduct winning for him the rank ofmajor .The 85th was next employed under General Robert Ross in America, and Brown, who received a severe wound at the action of
Bladensburg , was promoted to alieutenant-colonel cy. At the age of twenty-five, with a brilliant war record, he received an appointment at theRoyal Horse Guards , and remained in London for over twenty-five years in various staff positions. He was made acolonel and K.H. in 1831, and by 1852 had arrived at the rank oflieutenant general and the dignity ofK.C.B. At this time he wasadjutant general , but on the appointment of Lord Hardinge to the post of commander-in-chief, Brown left the Horse Guards.In 1854, on the despatch of a British force to the East, Sir George Brown was appointed to command the Light Division. This he led in action, and administered in camp, on Peninsular principles, and, whilst preserving the strictest discipline to a degree which came in for criticism, he made himself beloved by his men. At Alma he had a horse shot under him. At Inkerman he was wounded whilst leading the French
Zouave s into action. In the following year, when an expedition againstKertch and the Russian communications was decided upon, Brown went in command of the British contingent. He was invalided home on the day of Lord Raglans death. From March 1860 to March 1865 he was appointedCommander-in-chief, Ireland . At the time of his death in 1865 he was ageneral and G.C.B..Honorary appointments
*
Colonel of the7th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot (1854–1855)
*Colonel of the32nd (The Cornwall) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) (1863–1865)
*Colonel of the77th (the East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (1851–1854)
*Colonel-in-Chief ofThe Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade (1863–1865)References
* [http://www.regiments.org Regiments.org]
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