General Sir William Fenwick Williams, 1st Baronet (4 December 180026 July 1883) was a Nova Scotian military leader for the British during the Victorian era. Williams is remembered for his defence of the town of Kars during the Crimean War. He with other British officers inspired the poorly equipped Turkish soldiers to repel Russian attacks by General Murav’ev on the besieged town for three months, causing 6,000 Russian casualties. They were forced to surrender due to starvation, disease and shortage of ammunition. However, they surrendered on their own terms, with the officers being allowed to retain their swords. Williams was imprisoned at Ryazan, but he was treated very well and released at the end of the Crimean War in 1856. Before returning home he was introduced to Tsar Alexander II. Many other honours were bestowed upon Williams, and in 1865–1867, he was appointed the first

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the viceregal representative in Nova Scotia of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonwealt ...

, where he was born.

Early life

He was born in

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia Annapolis Royal, formerly known as Port Royal, is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Today's Annapolis Royal is the second French settlement known by the same name and should not be confused with the n ...

, the second son of Commissary-General Thomas Williams, barrack-master at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was, however, widely rumoured to be the natural son of

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, (Edward Augustus; 2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III. His only legitimate child became Queen Victoria. Prince Edward was created Duke of Kent an ...

; this would make him Queen Victoria's half-brother. Williams never denied this, but it is not thought to be true.

Career

Williams was educated at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich. He entered the Royal Artillery as

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 1825. His services were lent to Turkey in 1841, and he was employed as a captain in the arsenal at Constantinople. He was British commissioner in the conferences preceding the treaty of Erzurum in 1847, and again in the settlement of the Ottoman-Iranian boundary in 1848. He was appointed CB in 1852.

Crimean War

Promoted colonel, he was British commissioner with the Turkish army in Anatolia in the Crimean War (Russian War) of 1854–56, and, having been made a pasha (general/governor/lord) with the degree of ''ferik'' (major-general), he commanded the Turkish troops at the defence of the town of Kars during the Crimean War. He with other British officers inspired the poorly equipped Turkish soldiers to repel Russian attacks by General Murav’ev on the besieged town for three months causing 6,000 Russian casualties. They were forced to surrender due to starvation, disease and shortage of ammunition. However, they surrendered on their own terms, with the officers being allowed to retain their swords. Williams was imprisoned at Ryazan but he was treated very well and released at the end of the Crimean War in 1856. Before returning home he was introduced to Tsar Alexander II. Williams had put up such an honourable defence of the city that Murav’ev stated: "General Williams, you have made yourself a name in history, and posterity will stand amazed at the endurance, courage and the discipline which the siege has called forth in the remains of the army."Alex Troubetzkoy. The Crimean War - The Causes and Consequences of a Medieval Conflict Fought in a Modern Age. Constable & Robinson Ltd, London. 2006. pp. 298. A baronetcy with pension for life, the KCB, the grand cross of the Legion of Honour and of the Order of the Medjidie, the freedom of the City of London with a sword of honour, and the honorary degree of

DCL DCL or may refer to: * 650 in Roman numerals, see 650 (disambiguation) Computers * Data Center Linux, see Open Source Development Labs * Data Control Language, a subset of SQL * Dialog Control Language, a language and interpreter within AutoC ...

of Oxford University, were the distinctions conferred upon him. Promoted major-general in November 1855 on his return from captivity in Russia, he held the Woolwich command, and represented the borough of Calne in parliament from 1856 to 1859. In the lead up to the American Civil War, from 1859 to 1864, he held the position of Commander-in-Chief, North America, and was responsible for preparations for war with the United States in the case that relations broke down. The most severe strain in relations occurring during the

Trent Affair The ''Trent'' Affair was a International incident, diplomatic incident in 1861 during the American Civil War that threatened a war between the United States and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain. The United States Navy, ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

and appointed colonel-commandant Royal Artillery in 1864.

Governorships

He held the governorship of Nova Scotia from 1865 to 1867. After Canadian Confederation in 1867, Williams continued in office as the first

and the governorship of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

from September 1870 to 1876. He was advanced to GCB in 1871 and Constable of the Tower of London in 1881.

Later life

Lewis House, 62 Chapel Street, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

He died in a hotel in Pall Mall on 26 July 1883 and he was buried in Brompton Cemetery. The portrait by William Gush was painted for the Parliament House, Halifax, Nova Scotia and hangs to this day in Province House, Halifax.

Legacy

* namesake of

Karsdale, Nova Scotia Karsdale is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County. It is situated on the west bank of the Annapolis Basin. The community is named after Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet, of Kars General Sir Willi ...

*The village of Port Williams, Nova Scotia is named in his honour. *The village of Kars, Ontario *Kars Street, Port Williams, Nova Scotia *Fenwick Street, Halifax *

Fenwick Tower (Halifax) Fenwick Tower may refer to: * Fenwick Tower (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Canada * Fenwick Tower, Northumberland, Matfen, England {{disambig ...

*Plaque to honour birthplace, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, William Fenwick 1800 births 1883 deaths Williams, William Fenwick, 1st Baronet Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Canadian people of English descent Canadian baronets Canadian knights British Army generals British Army personnel of the Crimean War Governors of Gibraltar People from Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Governors of Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governors of Nova Scotia Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets Constables of the Tower of London Governors of the Colony of Nova Scotia UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 Burials at Brompton Cemetery British prisoners of war of the Crimean War