Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
Sir Charles Felix Smith (1786 – 1858), was an officer of the
British Royal Engineers, of which he was colonel-commandant from 1856. He was acting
Governor of Trinidad in 1828, 1830, and 1831; acting Governor of
Demerara
Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
and of
Berbice
Berbice () is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...
in 1833; acting Governor of
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
in 1834; and acting Governor of
Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
in 1838. He received the Orders of
Carlos III and of
San Fernando
San Fernando may refer to:
People
*Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia
Places Argentina
*San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...
of Spain in 1814, and the Ottoman
Order of Glory
The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...
in 1841.
Early years
Charles Felix Smith, who born on 9 July 1786 at Piercefield,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...
, was the second son of George Smith of
Burn Hall, County Durham
Burn Hall is a country house in County Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
Around 1812, Bryan John Salvin of Croxdale purchased a manor house, dating back to the 13th century, called New Burnhall. Ignatius Bonomi redesigned it fro ...
, by Juliet, who was the daughter and the sole heiress of Richard Mott of Carlton, Suffolk. The orientalist
Elizabeth Smith (1776 – 1806) was his sister, and the
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, theologian George Smith (1693 – 1756) was his great-grandfather. Charles Felix joined the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...
on 15 June 1801, and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 1 October 1802, and was promoted to first lieutenant on 9 October 1802, as which he was sent to the south-eastern military district defences of the south coast of Kent.
West Indies, 1804–1810
On 16 December 1804, Felix embarked for the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, where he served under
Sir Charles Shipley, the commanding Royal Engineer. He was promoted to be second captain on 18 November 1807. In December 1807 he accompanied the expedition under General Bowyer from
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
against the
Danish West India Islands, and took part under Shipley in the operations which resulted in the capture of
St. Thomas,
St. John, and Santa Cruz. In January 1809 he accompanied the expedition under
Sir George Beckwith to attack
Martinique
Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
, and took part under Shipley in the attack on, and capture of, Pigeon Island on 4 February, and in the siege and capture of Fort Bourbon, which led to the capitulation of the whole island on 23 February. He was severely wounded on this occasion, and on his return to England on 31 March 1810 he received an annual pension of 100
''l''. for his wounds.
[Vetch 1898, p. 22.]
Spain, 1810–1813
On 25 October 1810 Smith embarked for the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
, and joined the force of
Sir Thomas Graham
Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch (19 October 174818 December 1843) was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and British Army officer. After his education at Oxford, he inherited a substantial estate in Scotland, married and settled down to a quiet ...
at
Cadiz, then blockaded by the French. In the spring of 1811 an attempt to raise the
siege of Cadiz
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...
was made by sending a force by water to
Tarifa
Tarifa () is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa lies on the Costa d ...
to march on the flank of the enemy, while at the same time a sortie was made by the garrison of Cadiz and La Isla across the river
San Pedro. Smith was left in Cadiz as senior engineer officer in charge of it, as well as of La Isla and the adjacent country, during the operations which comprised the
Battle of Barrosa
The Battle of Barrosa (Chiclana, 5 March 1811, also known as the Battle of Chiclana or Battle of Cerro del Puerco) was part of an unsuccessful manoeuvre by an Anglo-Iberian force to break the French siege of Cádiz during the Peninsular War ...
, on 5 March 1811. In spite of this victory the siege was not raised, and the British retired within the lines of La Isla.
Smith's health suffered a good deal at Cadiz, and he was sent to Tarifa, near Gibraltar, to be Commanding Royal Engineer during the
siege of Tarifa by the 8000 strong French force under General
Laval. Colonel
John Skerrett commanded the garrison of drafts from regiments at Gibraltar, with Spanish details, of 2,300 in total. The outposts were driven in on 19 December, and in ten days the French batteries opened fire. During this time Smith was busy making such preparations as he could for the defence of a very weak place. When, however, a gaping breach was made by the French after a few hours' firing, Skerrett called a
council of war
A council of warGovernor of Gibraltar
The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territories, British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of ...
, who promptly removed the transports and so compelled Skerrett to hold out. He also arranged to send assistance from Gibraltar. On 31 December 1811 the French made an unsuccessful assault. Bad weather and a continuous downpour of rain greatly damaged the French batteries and trenches, and supply became difficult owing to the state of the roads. On the night of 4 January 1812 it became known to the garrison that the French were preparing to raise the siege, and on the morning of the 5th the allies assumed the offensive, drove the French from their batteries and trenches, and compelled them to make a hurried retreat, leaving everything in the hands of the garrison. By general consent the chief merit of the defence has been given to Smith.
Napier, in his ''History of the War in the Peninsula'', points out that though Skerrett eventually yielded to Smith's energy, he did it with reluctance, and constantly during the siege impeded the works by calling off the labourers to prepare posts of retreat.
"To the British engineer," Napier writes, "belongs the praise of this splendid action".
Smith was promoted for his services at Tarifa to be brevet major, to date from 31 December 1811. He was promoted to be first captain in the Royal Engineers on 12 April 1812, and returned to Cadiz, where he was commanding Royal Engineer until the siege was raised in July 1812. In 1813 he took part in the
Battle of Osma (18 June 1813), the
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...
(21 June), and the engagements at Villa Franca and Tolosa (24 and 25 June), when he had a horse shot under him. He accompanied Sir Thomas Graham on 1 July to take part in the
siege of San Sebastian
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...
. On the visit of the
Duke of wellington
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
on 12 July, he attended him round the positions as senior officer (for the time being) of Royal Engineers, and his proposed plans of operation met with Wellington's approval. The city fell on 9 September, and, having been mentioned in Graham's despatch, Smith was promoted to be brevet lieutenant-colonel on 21 September 1813 "for conduct before the enemy at San Sebastian".
England, 1814–1815
Smith arrived in Belgium and Holland from the south of France in July 1814, after the
conclusion of peace, and reached England in August. He was knighted by
the Prince Regent
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
on 10 November, and on the same date received permission to wear the Crosses of the Orders of
Carlos III and
San Fernando
San Fernando may refer to:
People
*Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia
Places Argentina
*San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...
of Spain, with which he was invested by
Ferdinand VII of Spain
Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was Monarchy of Spain, King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (t ...
for services in the Peninsula, especially at the defence of Tarifa. On 28 April 1815 he was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer of the Sussex military district. On 4 June he was made a
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...
(military division). He received the
Gold Medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
with clasp for Vittoria and San Sebastian. The previous pension of 100''l''. for his wounds at Martinique was increased to 300''l''. a year on 18 June 1815, as he had partially lost the sight of an eye in the Peninsula.
Belgium and France, 1815–1818
On 19 June 1815 Smith joined the British army in Belgium as Commanding Royal Engineer of the Second Corps, marched with it to Paris, and took part in the entry into that city on 7 July. He was one of the officers selected by the Duke of Wellington to take over the French fortresses to be occupied by the British. He remained with the army of occupation and commanded the Engineers at
Vincennes
Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...
. He was one of the officers who introduced stage-coaches-and-four into Paris. The coaches used to meet opposite Demidoff's house, afterwards the Café de Paris. He was also a boxer and an equestrian who imported English thoroughbred horses for racing. His trainer was Tom Hurst, afterwards of Chantilly. He organised successful races at Vincennes that were superior to those of royal patronage in the
Champ de Mars
Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960
* The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards
* Champ ...
. Smith was a reputed
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...
list with either rapier, or sabre, or pistol. He killed three Frenchmen in duels during his stay in Paris. He returned to England on 8 November 1818.
[Vetch 1898, p. 23.]
West Indies, 1823–1837
Smith was employed in the south of England as Commanding Royal Engineer until 1 January 1823, when he was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer in the West Indies, with headquarters at Barbados. With eleven different island colonies occupied by troops, he had only five officers of Royal Engineers under him, and was obliged to supplement his staff by making eleven officers of the line assistant engineers. A commission sent from England in 1823 to report on requirements in the West Indies recommended the addition of fourteen engineers to the establishment to enable the work to be efficacious. Smith was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel on 29 July 1825, and to be colonel in the army on 22 July 1830. He was acting
Governor of Trinidad in 1828, and in 1830, and in 1831; and he was acting Governor of
Demerara
Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
and of
Berbice
Berbice () is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...
in 1833; and he was acting Governor of
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
in 1834; and he was acting Governor of Gibraltar in 1838. He commanded the British forces in the West Indies from June 1836 to February 1837, for which he received the commendation of
Lord Hill, the general commanding-in-chief.
Smith was promoted to be colonel on 10 January 1837.
Syria, 1840
On 8 May 1837 Smith was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer of Gibraltar, where in 1838 he was acting Governor and commanded the forces. He returned to England in the summer of 1840 to go on particular service to Syria in the
Second Egyptian–Ottoman War
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
, for which duty he had been specially selected. He embarked in the
''Pique'' frigate on 9 August 1840, arriving at
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
on 1 September. A landing was effected on 10 September, but Smith was too ill to take immediate command. He was invested, by Imperial
firman
A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...
dated 30 September 1840, with the command of Sultan
Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...
's army in Syria, and on 9 October 1841 was given by the British government the local rank of major-general in Syria in command of the allied land forces.
After the
bombardment of Beirut, the city surrendered on 11 October.
[Vetch; Falkner 2020.] On 3 November Smith was involved in the assault and capture of
St. Jean d'Acre, where he was severely wounded, despite which he was required to repair the fortifications, organise the defence, and administer the
Pashalic
Eyalets (, , ), also known as beylerbeyliks or pashaliks, were the primary administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire.
From 1453 to the beginning of the nineteenth century the Ottoman local government was loosely structured. The empire was a ...
of Acre.
Later years
Smith returned to his command at Gibraltar in March 1841. For his services in Syria he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and also of the Government, through Lord Palmerston. The Ottoman Sultan
Abdulmejid I ʻAbd al-Majīd (ALA-LC romanization of , ), also spelled as Abd ul Majid, Abd ul-Majid, Abd ol Majid, Abd ol-Majid, and Abdolmajid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Maj ...
presented him with the
Order of Glory (Nichani Ichtatha) and Diamond Medal and Sword. He was granted one year's pay for his wound at
St. Jean d'Acre. He was promoted to major-general in the army on 23 November 1841, and returned to Britain from Gibraltar on 15 May 1842, and was invested as a
Knight Commander of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...
(military division) on 27 September 1843.
On 1 June 1847 Smith received the Silver Medal, which was bestowed on surviving officers of the wars from 1806 to 1814. He had also a clasp for Martinique, and received the
Naval Medal for Syria. He was employed on special service as a major-general on the staff in Ireland during the
disturbances of 1848. He was promoted to be lieutenant-general on 11 November 1851, and Colonel-Commandant of the Corps of Royal Engineers on 6 March 1856. He died at
Worthing
Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...
, Sussex, on 11 August 1858.
There is a memorial to him at
St Mary's Church, Broadwater
St. Mary's Church, Broadwater, is a Church of England parish church in the Worthing Deanery of the Diocese of Chichester. It serves the ecclesiastical parish of Broadwater, West Sussex and is named after St. Mary. St Mary's is one of several sit ...
, Sussex.
Marriages and issue
Smith in 1821 married a daughter of Thomas Bell of Bristol (who died at their residence in
Onslow Square, London, on 18 June 1849); and in 1852 married the eldest daughter of Thomas Croft. Smith did not have issue by either marriage.
[Vetch 1898, p. 24.]
Honours
British
*
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
;
*
Small Gold Medal, with clasp for
Vitoria
Vitoria or Vitória may refer to:
People
* Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian
* Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer
* Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer
* Sofia Vitória ( ...
and
San Sebastian;
*
Silver Medal
A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...
, with clasp for Martinique;
*
Naval Medal, for
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
;
Foreign
*
Knight's Cross of the Order of Carlos III (Spain);
*
Laureate Cross of the Order of San Fernando (Spain);
*
Order of Glory
The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...
(Ottoman Empire), and diamond medal and sword.
References
Sources
*
Napier, William Francis Patrick
General Sir William Francis Patrick Napier Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, KCB (7 December 178512 February 1860) was a British soldier in the British Army and a military historian.
Early life
Napier was born at Celbridge, County Kild ...
(1834). ''History of the War in the Peninsula and the South of France from the Year 1807 to the Year 1814''
Vol. 4 London: John Murray. pp. 59, 60, 342.
*
Attribution:
*
Further reading
* Connolly, Thomas William John (1857). ''History of the Royal Sappers and Miners''. 2nd ed
London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, and Roberts. pp. 181, 244.
*
Gronow, Rees Howell (1862). ''
Reminiscences of Capt. Gronow, formerly of the Grenadier Guards, &c., related by Himself''. 2nd ed. London: Smith, Elder and Co. p. 130.
* Jones, John Thomas (1846). ''Journals of Sieges carried on by the Army under the Duke of Wellington in Spain, 1811 to 1814''. 3rd ed
Vol. 2 London: John Weale. pp. 14, 17, 19, 134, 136, 139, 348.
* Porter, Whitworth (1889). ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers''
Vol. 1 London: Longmans, Green, and Co. pp. 270, 272, 273, 332, 336.
* Porter, Whitworth (1889). ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers''
Vol. 2 London: Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 310.
* Sabine, Edward, ed. (1859).
Letters of Colonel Sir Augustus Simon Frazer during the Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns'. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts. pp. 192, 320.
* Sperling, John (1872).
Letters of an Officer of the Corps of Royal Engineers from the British Army in Holland, Belgium, and France, to his Father from 1813 to 1816'. London: James Nisbet. p. 82.
* Wrottesley, George, ed. (1873). ''Life and Correspondence of Field Marshal Sir John Burgoyne, Bart''
Vol. 1 London: Richard Bentley & Son. pp. 112, 273, 337, 342, 482.
"Obituary of Eminent Persons / Sir. C. Felix Smith, K.C.B." ''
The Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...
''. No. 933. Vol. XXXIII. 28 August 1858. p. 193.
* ''Proceedings of the Royal United Service Institution'', 1835.
* ''
The Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...
'', 1812, 1815, 1858.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Charles Felix
1786 births
1858 deaths
British Army lieutenant generals
Knights of the Bath
Royal Engineers officers
British Army personnel of the Peninsular War