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 John Michel (1 September 1804 – 23 May 1886) was a

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 ...

officer. He commanded the

6th Regiment of Foot Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor six ...

during the Eighth Xhosa War in 1851 and served as Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

in 1854 before transferring to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

where he commanded the Malwa Field Force which pursued

Tatya Tope Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 16 February 1814 — 18 April 1859) was a notable commander in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Early life Born as Ramachandra Panduranga Yewalkar to a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin fami ...

in the aftermath of the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

. He then commanded the 1st Division at the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during 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 ...

and took part in the burning of the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

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 ...

in October 1860 as a reprisal for the torture and murder of British prisoners before being appointed Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong in 1861. He later commanded the forces in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

playing a key role in the organization of the militia volunteers in resistance to the Fenian raids invasions in 1866. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief of Ireland in 1875. Michel was also an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er with amateur status.

Military career

Born the son of

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 ...

John Michel Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir John Michel (1 September 1804 – 23 May 1886) was a British Army officer. He commanded the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 6th Regiment of Foot during the Xhosa Wars#Eighth war (1850–1853), Eig ...

and Anne Michel (née Fane), Michel was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and commissioned into the

57th Regiment of Foot The 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Middlesex Regiment in 1881. His ...

on 3 April 1823.Heathcote, p. 207 He transferred to the

27th Regiment of Foot The 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot was an Irish infantry regiment of the English Army and then the British Army, formed in 1689. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 108th (Madras Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Inn ...

a few months later, then to the

60th Regiment of Foot 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

on 6 November 1823 and then to the

64th Regiment of Foot The 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment was created as the 2nd Battalion, 11th Regiment of Foot in 1756, redesignated as the 64th Regiment of Foot in 1758, and took a county titl ...

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 ...

on 24 November 1823. He was promoted to lieutenant on 28 April 1825, 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 ...

in an unattached company on 12 December 1826 and to captain the 64th Foot on 15 February 1827. Michel was associated with

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC) and made his first-class debut in 1831. He played for the

Gentlemen ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

in the

Gentlemen v Players Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of cricket matches that began in July 1806 and was abolished in January 1963. It was a match between a team consisting of amateurs (the Gentlemen) and a team consisting of professionals (the Players ...

match. Michel attended the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

in 1832 passing out as a staff officer the following year. He returned to the 64th Foot before transferring to the

3rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

on 20 February 1835 and becoming Aide-de-Camp to General Sir Henry Fane there later that year. Promoted to major in the

on 6 March 1840, he became

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the 6th Foot with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 15 April 1842. Michel was deployed to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 1847 where he commanded his Regiment at the Battle of Waterkloof in March 1851 and the Battle of Mount Chaco in December 1851 during the Eighth Xhosa War. Promoted to brevet

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 20 June 1854, he became an Inspecting Field Officer for the recruiting districts on 1 October 1854 and then Chief of Staff of the British Army's Turkish contingent serving in the

with the local rank of major-general on 27 March 1855. After returning to South Africa again with the local rank of major-general on 24 July 1856 to deal with attacks by the cattle-killing movement, he was transferred to

with the local rank of major-general on 7 August 1857 and commanded the Malwa Field Force which pursued

in the aftermath of the

.Heathcote, p. 208 He was promoted to the substantive rank of major-general on 26 October 1858. Michel became Commander of the 1st Division and fought at the Battle of Taku Forts in August 1860 during the

. He took part in the burning of the

in October 1860 as a reprisal for the torture and murder of British prisoners before being appointed Commander of British Troops in China and Hong Kong in 1861. Michel became

Commander of the British Troops in Canada This is a list of officers who commanded the British Regulars, Regular Troops of the British Army in Canada until 1906, when the last British garrison was withdrawn. From 1875 there was a separate commander of the Canadian Militia. This officer w ...

with the local rank of

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 25 April 1865, succeeding Lieutenant-General Sir William Williams. In this capacity, Michel played a key role in the organization of the militia volunteers in resistance to the Fenian raids invasions in 1866. He was also a strong supporter of the

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

– French River navigation route advocated by

Casimir Gzowski Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski, (born Kazimierz Stanisław Gzowski; March 5, 1813 – August 24, 1898), was a Polish-Canadian engineer who was known for his work on a wide variety of Canadian railways, as well as work on the Welland Canal. He al ...

. Promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general on 25 June 1866 and to full general on 28 March 1874, he became the

Commander-in-Chief, Ireland Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, was title of the commander of the British forces in Ireland before 1922. Until the Act of Union in 1800, the position involved command of the distinct Irish Army of the Kingdom of Ireland. History Marshal of Ireland ...

in 1875; in this capacity his social skills and ample means made him very popular. He returned from Ireland on 1 October 1880. He also became colonel of the 86th Regiment of Foot (later the 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Rifles). 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 27 March 1886, Michel retired to Dewlish House in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

where he died on 23 May 1886. Upper North Taku Fort

Honours

Michel's honours included: *

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 ...

(GCB) – 20 May 1871 (KCB – 22 March 1859; CB – 30 May 1853) * Order of the Medjidie, Second Class (

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

) – 2 March 1858

Family

In May 1838 Michel married Louise Anne Churchill and together they went on to have two sons and three daughters.

References

Sources

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, John 1804 births 1886 deaths People educated at Eton College British field marshals Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Army personnel of the Second Opium War People of the Fenian raids Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers North Staffordshire Regiment officers English cricketers English cricketers of 1826 to 1863 Military personnel from Dorset Gentlemen cricketers Non-international England cricketers A to K v L to Z cricketers