General Sir James Maxwell Wallace, KH (21 February 1783 – 3 February 1867), of Ainderby Hall, near Northallerton, was a British Army officer.

Biography

James Maxwell was born the fifth son of John Wallace of Kelly,

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

, a Scottish landowner and owner of plantations in the West Indies. On his father's death in 1805, James succeeded to "half of his plantation of Biscany in the island of Jamaica". cites Testament of John Wallace of Kelly (Com. Deeds, vol. 305, 18 January 1805) Robert Wallace (1773–1855) was his elder brother. He entered the British Army as a cornet, and receiving a lieutenant's commission in 1806, was promoted as captain in the following year. While serving at the Cape of Good Hope as captain of the

21st Light Dragoons The 21st Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was raised on 5 April 1760, as the 21st Light Dragoons (Royal Foresters) by John Manners, Marquess of Granby, and Lord Robert Manners-Sutton. This first regiment was however ...

, he, in command of a squadron, accompanied Brigadier-General John Graham's expedition, which, after a struggle of seven months, drove the Xhosa across the

Great Fish River The Great Fish River (called ''great'' to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) () is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish River mouth is known as ...

. He served in the campaign of 1815, and was present at the

Battle of Quatre Bras The Battle of Quatre Bras was fought on 16 June 1815, as a preliminary engagement to the decisive Battle of Waterloo that occurred two days later. The battle took place near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras and was contested between el ...

, the retreat on 17 June, and 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 ...

. On 10 June 1815, he was appointed orderly officer to assist his brigade-major, and when that officer fell at Waterloo, he was promoted as his successor. In January 1817, he was advanced as Major, and in September 1823 was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the

5th Dragoon Guards The 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards was a British army cavalry regiment, officially raised in January 1686 as Shrewsbury's Regiment of Horse or the Earl of Shrewsbury's Horse. By 1687, it was known as Langsdale's Horse, from ...

(when Prince Leopold, afterwards king of the Belgians, was colonel). In 1831 he received the honour of knighthood. When commanding the troops at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

during the First Reform Bill agitation, the

Riot Act The Riot Act (1 Geo. 1. St. 2. c. 5), sometimes called the Riot Act 1714 or the Riot Act 1715, was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled ...

was read and the troops were preparing to fire, when Sir James by a good humoured speech gained the ear of the mob, who dispersed peaceably. Sir James was promoted as Colonel on 28 June 1838 and as Major-General on 11 November 1851. In January 1854 he was appointed Colonel for life of the

17th Lancers The 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1759 and notable for its participation in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The regim ...

and made full General on 8 June 1863. On 24 June 1861, he was chosen to lead the procession attendant on the ceremonial of founding the

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

in honour of the great hero of his house (

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

). He died at his residence, Ainderby Hall, Northallerton, on 3 February 1867.

Family

General Sir James Maxwell Wallace married, firstly, in 1818, Eliza Maria Hodges, daughter of Parry Hodges Esq. of Eastcourt in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, who died without children on 4 September 1834. He married, secondly, in April 1836, Grace Stein, daughter of John Stein, M.P. for

Bletchingley Bletchingley (historically "Blechingley") is a village in Surrey, England. It is on the A25 road to the east of Redhill and to the west of Godstone, has a conservation area with medieval buildings and is mostly on a wide escarpment of the Gre ...

, an Edinburgh banker and distiller. Grace was the young widow of

Sir Alexander Don, 6th Baronet Sir Alexander Don, 6th baronet (baptised 5 May 1780 – 11 April 1826), of Newton Don, Kelso, Scottish Borders, was a Scottish landowner, an officer in the British Army and a Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Roxburghshire from 1814 until 1826. E ...

of Newton Don. As a composer and literary writer, Lady Grace Wallace attained eminence. She died on 12 March 1878 without any children by her second marriage.

Notes

References

* *. ;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, James Maxwell 1780s births 1867 deaths Military personnel from Renfrewshire Light Dragoons officers British Army generals Scottish generals Scottish slave owners Scottish knights