Peter Lotharius Oxholm (10 July 1753 – 27 July 1827) was a Danish army officer and

governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

of the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...

from 1815 to 1816. He also participated in the

Battle of Køge The Battle of Køge was fought on 29 August 1807 between British troops besieging Copenhagen and Danish militia raised on Sjælland as part of the Gunboat War. It ended in British victory and is also known as 'Træskoslaget' or 'the Clogs Batt ...

against the British troops in 1807. In 1814, Oxholm was appointed governor-general of the Danish West Indies.

Early life

Oxholm was born on 10 July 1753 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, the son of ''krigsråd'' Lorentz Oxholm (died 1768) and Marie Susanne Oxgilm (née Schultz; 1730–1782). His father worked as ''mønsterskriver'' at Holmen.

Military career

Oxholm enrolled as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

in 1763 and was made

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

in 1769. From 1771 Oxholm was

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

to Queen Carolina Mathilda, and he was present at her arrest in 1772. After having served in Denmark, he left for the

as a lieutenant in 1777. Oxholm returned to Denmark in 1797 and was dismissed from the army with the rank of

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 ...

. During the English Wars, Oxholm became leader of a regiment (Søndre Sjællandske Landeværnsregiment – the Regiment of Southern

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

in English) in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

created in 1801. This militia participated in the

, where Oxholm together with a handful of soldiers barricaded themselves in the cemetery at

Herfølge Herfølge is a suburb of the town of Køge, Denmark, located about 5 kilometers south of central Køge, and is a part of Køge Municipality. The suburb is connected to Køge and Næstved by the Lille Syd railway line. Herfølge Church Herføl ...

, a small town in the middle of Zealand. After a brief and intense battle, they were forced to surrender and were taken prisoner.

Plantation owner

Once Oxholm arrived on the island of

Saint Croix Saint Croix ( ; ; ; ; Danish language, Danish and ; ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent Districts and sub-districts of the United States Virgin Islands, district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an Unin ...

, he became a planter, purchasing enslaved Africans to work on

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s on the island. From 1782 onwards, Oxholm also became involved in the Danish slave trade; protesting against its abolition and attempting to "get the trade extended beyond the ban of 1803". He was the owner of the St. George Hill, Sally's Fancy, Concordia (East), and Hope plantations.

Personal life and property

Oxholm was first married to Marie Heiliger, who died in 1794, and later to Ann O'Neill (3 February 1780 – 16 August 1844), daughter of a plantation owner on St. Croix. He purchased a mansion at the corner of Sankt Annæ Gade and

Amaliegade Amaliegade () is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central pl ...

in 1808. He also owned the country house Aldershvile north of Copenhagen.

References

External links

Peter Lotharius Oxholm
at geni.com Governors of the Danish West Indies 1753 births 1827 deaths 19th-century Danish politicians Danish army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Danish planters Danish slave owners Danish sugar industry businesspeople Napoleonic Wars prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom Oxholm family Sugar plantation owners 19th-century planters {{Europe-mil-bio-stub