Thomas Napier (British Army officer)

General Sir Thomas Erskine Napier KCB (10 May 1790 – 5 July 1863) was a British Army officer who became Commander-in-Chief, Scotland.

Sir Thomas Napier
Born	10 May 1790 Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	5 July 1863 Lasswade, Midlothian, Scotland
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	General
Commands held	Commander-in-Chief, Scotland
Battles/wars	Napoleonic Wars
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Military career

Napier was commissioned into the 52nd Regiment of Foot on 3 July 1805.[1] He took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in August 1807, at the Battle of Corunna in January 1809 and at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro in May 1811 during the Napoleonic Wars.[1] He also took part in the Battle of the Nive in December 1813 where he was wounded.[1] He went on to be assistant adjutant-general in Belfast and then served as Commander-in-Chief, Scotland and also as Governor of Edinburgh Castle from 1852 to 1854.[1] From 1854 to 1857 he was Colonel of the 16th (Bedfordshire) Regiment[2] and from 1857 to his death Colonel of the 71st (Highland) Regiment of Foot.[3] He was promoted full general on 20 September 1861.

He was the brother of Admiral Sir Charles Napier.[4]

References

1. "Thomas Erskine Napier". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
2. "Colonels". The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
3. "71st (Glasgow Highland Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
4. "Napier". Electric Scotland. Retrieved 29 October 2014.