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 ...

Sir James Macdonell (1781 – 15 May 1857) was a Scottish officer of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

Life

He was the third son of Duncan MacDonell, 14th clan chief of

Clan MacDonell of Glengarry Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, also known as Clan Ranald of Knoydart & Glengarry () is a Highland Scottish clan and is a branch of the larger Clan Donald. The clan takes its name from River Garry where the river Garry runs eastwards through Loch ...

and his wife, Marjory Grant, daughter of Sir Ludovic Grant.

Alexander Ranaldson Macdonell Colonel Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry (15 September 1773 – 17 January 1828), sometimes called by the Gaelic version of his name, Alastair or Alasdair, was clan chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. As was customary for a laird (l ...

of Glengarry was his elder brother. He was educated at a Roman Catholic school in

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

in France, as was then common with some of the Catholic highland Scottish aristocracy (Catholic educational institutions being illegal in Scotland). He died in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 15 May 1857.

Military career

He began as an ensign in 1793. In 1794 (aged only 13), he was a lieutenant in the

78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot The 78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a Scottish regiment, Highland Infantry Regiment of the Line, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with 72nd Regiment, Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders to form the Seaforth Highl ...

; in 1795, he was captain in the 17th Dragoons. He joined the 19th Foot in 1796; he was major in the 78th Foot, and was awarded the

Army Gold Medal The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field officer, field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predom ...

for

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in 1806. He joined the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

in 1811 as a lieutenant colonel, and served in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. He is best known for his command of the infantry defending the

Hougoumont Château d'Hougoumont (possibly originally Goumont or Gomont) is a walled manorial compound, situated at the bottom of an escarpment near the Nivelles road in the Braine-l'Alleud municipality, near Waterloo, Belgium. The site served as one o ...

farmhouse at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

in 1815, where he fought with great distinction, including leading the vital closing of the gates, with his sergeant, James Graham. The farmhouse had around 1,000 defending it against a French force of 2,500. MacDonell was wounded slightly in the battle. The Duke of Wellington awarded him £1,000 for his part in the battle calling him "the bravest man in the British Army". MacDonell insisted on splitting this money with his sergeant, James Graham. In 1830, he was promoted to major general and posted to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, where in 1837 he had to abate the troubles in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

. He commanded the Brigade of Guards in Lower

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

under Lord Durham from 1838 to 1841. He returned to Britain in 1842 and was then successively given the colonelcy of the 79th Regiment of Foot (Cameron Highlanders) from 1842 to 1849 and the

71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot The 71st Regiment of Foot was a Highland regiment in the British Army, raised as the 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot in 1777. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot to become the 1st Battalion, Highl ...

from 1849 until his death in 1857. He was promoted 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 ...

in 1854.

Awards

He was awarded

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 ...

, Knight's Cross of Maria Theresa, and

Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Kingdom of Hanover, Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name from the House ...

for his service at Waterloo. He was appointed GCB in 1855.

References

Sources

*Julian Paget & Derek Saunders (1992); ''Hougoumont: The Key to Victory at Waterloo''; Pen and Sword Books (paperback 2001)

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonell, James 1781 births 1857 deaths British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars British Army generals Green Howards officers Coldstream Guards officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Army Gold Medal Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Recipients of the Waterloo Medal People of the Battle of Waterloo