Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Sir Charles Henry Brownlow, GCB (12 December 1831 – 5 April 1916) was a senior

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

officer. He served on the North West Frontier in the Hazara Campaign of 1853 and the campaign against the

Mohmand The Mohmand () or Momand is a prominent tribe of Pashtun people. Distribution They are based primarily in the Mohmand territory, which is located in Nangarhar, Afghanistan and Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. In Afghanistan, their areas of presence i ...

s in 1854. At the start of the Indian Mutiny, Brownlow was asked to raise an infantry regiment and formed the 8th Punjab Infantry which he commanded during that campaign, the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

, the Ambela Campaign and the Hazara Campaign of 1868. He commanded a column for the Lushai Expedition and then served as Assistant Military Secretary for India for ten years. After his retirement, as senior retired officer of the Indian Army, he was promoted to field marshal.

Military career

Born the son of George Arthur Brownlow and Cornelia Paulina Henrietta Brownlow (née Sandby), Brownlow was commissioned into the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

on 20 December 1847.Heathcote, p. 59 He became

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the 1st Sikh Infantry, a unit formed to defend the North West Frontier, in 1851 and, having been promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 10 September 1852, he fought in the Hazara Campaign of 1853 and was mentioned in despatches. He also fought in the campaign against the

s in 1854 when he was wounded and again mentioned in despatches. In 1857, in response to the Indian Mutiny, Brownlow was asked to raise an infantry regiment and formed the 8th Punjab Infantry. During the fighting he remained on the front line in command of his regiment.Heathcote, p. 60 After taking part in the Yusafzai expedition, like other officers at the time, he obtained a commission in the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

in August 1858. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 3 November 1858, he was present at the Battle of the Taku Forts in August 1860 and the subsequent occupation of

Peking Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city by urban area after Shanghai. It is l ...

during the

. He joined the Bengal Staff Corps in January 1861 and, following promotion to brevet

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 15 February 1861, he led his regiment at the Battle of Crag Piquet in November 1863 during the Ambela Campaign. He was appointed 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 ...

on 5 August 1864. Promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel on 5 August 1864 and substantive major on 20 December 1867, Brownlow commanded his regiment during the Hazara Campaign in 1868. Promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 11 August 1869 and appointed aide-de-camp to the Queen on 30 October 1869, he commanded the Right (or

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

) Column for the Lushai Expedition in 1871. After being given command of a brigade at

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

, he was advanced to

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 ...

on 10 September 1872. He returned to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1877 and became Assistant Military Secretary for India in 1879. He was promoted to major-general on 1 July 1881, promoted to

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 ...

on 7 September 1884 and advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order 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 ...

5 January 1888. He was promoted again to full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

on 22 January 1889 before retiring in 1890. Brownlow became colonel of the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis) in May 1904 and, as senior retired officer of the Indian Army, he was promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

on 20 June 1908. He lived at Warfield Hall at Warfield in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

; he died there on 5 April 1916 and was buried at St Michael the Archangel Churchyard in Warfield.

Family

In 1890 he married Georgiana King; they had no children.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlow, Charles Henry British field marshals 1831 births 1916 deaths British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Army personnel of the Second Opium War British Indian Army generals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People from Warfield British military personnel of the Lushai Expedition Burials in Berkshire People from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Military career

Family

See also

References

Sources