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1ST BARON ROBERT CORNELIS NAPIER NAPI...

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 178 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BARON See also:ROBERT CORNELIS See also:NAPIER NAPIER OF See also:MAGDALA (1810-189o)  , See also:British See also:field-See also:marshal, son of See also:Major See also:Charles See also:Frederick See also:Napier, who was wounded at the storming of Meester Cornelis (Aug . 26, 1810) in See also:Java and died some months later, was See also:born at See also:Colombo, See also:Ceylon, on the 6th of See also:December 181o . He entered the See also:Bengal See also:Engineers from Addiscombe See also:College in 1826, and after the usual course of instruction at See also:Chatham, arrived in See also:India in See also:November 1828 . For some years he was employed in the See also:irrigation See also:branch of the public See also:works See also:department, and in 1838 he laid out the new See also:hill station at See also:Darjeeling . Promoted See also:captain in See also:January 1841, he was appointed to See also:Sirhind, where he laid out cantonments on a new principle—known as the Napier See also:system—for the troops returning from See also:Afghanistan . In December 1845 he joined the See also:army of the See also:Sutlej, and commanded the Engineers at the See also:battle of Mudki, where he had a See also:horse shot under him . At the battle of See also:Ferozeshah on the 31st December he again had his horse shot under him, an.d, joining the 31st See also:Regiment on See also:foot, was severely wounded in storming the entrenched See also:Sikh See also:camp . He was See also:present at the battle of See also:Sobraon on loth See also:February 1846, and in the advance to See also:Lahore; was mentioned in despatches for his services in the See also:campaign, and received a See also:brevet See also:majority . He was See also:chief engineer at the reduction of Kote-See also:Kangra by Brigadier-See also:General See also:Wheeler in May 1846, and received the thanks of See also:government . He was then appointed consulting engineer to the See also:Punjab See also:resident and See also:council of regency, but was again called to the field to See also:direct the See also:siege of See also:Multan . He was wounded in the attack,on the entrenched position in See also:September 1848, but was present at the See also:action of Shujabad, the See also:capture of the suburbs, the successful See also:storm of Multan on 23rd January 1849, and the surrender of the fort of Chiniot . He then joined See also:Lord See also:Gough, took See also:part, as commanding engineer of the right wing, in the battle of See also:Gujrat in February 1849, accompanied See also:Sir W .

R . See also:

Gilbert in his pursuit of the Sikhs and Afghans, and was present at the passage of the See also:Jhelum, the surrender of the Sikh army, and the surprise of See also:Attock . For his services he was mentioned in despatches and received a brevet See also:lieutenant-colonelcy . At the See also:close of the See also:war Napier was appointed See also:civil engineer to the See also:board of See also:administration of the annexed Punjab See also:province, and carried out many important public works during his See also:tenure of See also:office . In December 1852 he commanded a See also:column in the first See also:Hazara expedition, and in the following See also:year against the Boris; and for his services in these See also:campaigns was mentioned in despatches, received the See also:special thanks of government and a brevet-colonelcy . He was appointed military secretary and See also:adjutant-general to Sir See also:James See also:Outram's force for the See also:relief of See also:Lucknow in the See also:Indian See also:Mutiny in 1857, and was engaged in the actions which culminated in the first relief of Lucknow . He directed the See also:defence of Lucknow until the second relief, when he was severely wounded in See also:crossing a very exposed space with Outram and See also:Havelock to meet Sir See also:Colin See also:Campbell . He was chief of the See also:staff to Outram in the defence of the See also:Alambagh position, and See also:drew up the See also:plan of operations for the attack of Lucknow, which was approved by Sir Colin Camp-See also:bell and carried out by Napier, as brigadier-general commanding the Engineers, in See also:March 1858 . On the fall of Lucknow Napier was most favourably mentioned in despatches, and made C.B . He joined Sir See also:Hugh See also:Rose as second-in-command in his march on See also:Gwalior, and commanded the 2nd See also:brigade at the action of See also:Morar on the 16th See also:June . On the fall of Gwalior he was entrusted with the task of pursuing the enemy . With only 700 men he came up with Tantia Topi and 12,000 men on the plains of See also:Jaora See also:Alipur, and completely defeated him, capturing all his guns (25), See also:ammunition and baggage .

On Sir Hugh Rose's departure he took command of the Gwalior See also:

division, captured Paori in See also:August, routed Ferozeshah, a See also:prince of the See also:house of See also:Delhi, at Ranode in December, and, in January 1859, succeeded in securing the surrender of See also:Man Singh and Tantia Topi, which ended the war . For his services Napier received the thanks of See also:parliament and of the Indian government, and was made K.C.B . In January 186o Napier was appointed to the command of the 2nd division of the expedition to See also:China under Sir See also:Hope See also:Grant, and took part in the action of Sinho, the storm of the Peiho forts, and the entry to See also:Peking . For his services he received the thanks of parliament, and was promoted major-general for distinguished service in the field . For the next four years Napier was military member of the council of the See also:governor-general of India and, on the sudden See also:death of Lord See also:Elgin, for a See also:short See also:time acted as governor-general, until the arrival of Sir W . T . See also:Denison from See also:Madras . In January 1865 he was given the command of the Bombay army, in March 1867 he was promoted lieutenant-general, and, later in that year, appointed to command the expedition to See also:Abyssinia, selecting his own troops and making all the preparations for the campaign . He arrived at Annesley See also:Bay in the Red See also:Sea See also:early in January 1868, reached See also:Magdala, 420 M. from the See also:coast, in See also:April; stormed the stronghold, freed the captives, razed the See also:place to the ground, returned to the coast, and on the 18th June the last man of the expedition had See also:left See also:Africa . He received for his services the thanks of parliament, a See also:pension, a See also:peerage, the G.C.B. and the G.C.S.I . The freedom of the cities of See also:London and See also:Edinburgh was conferred upon him, with presentation swords, and the See also:universities bestowed upon him honorary degrees . In 1869 he was elected a See also:fellow of the Royal Society .

He held the command-in-chief in India for six years from 1870, during which he did much to benefit the army and to encourage See also:

good See also:shooting . He was promoted general in 1874, and appointed a See also:colonel-commandant of the Royal Engineers . In 1876 he was the See also:guest of the See also:German See also:crown prince at the military manoeuvres, and from that year until 1883 held the government and command of See also:Gibraltar . In the See also:critical See also:state of affairs in 1877 he was nominated See also:commander-in-chief of the force which it was proposed to send to See also:Constantinople . In 1879 he was a member of the royal See also:commission on army organization, and in November of that year he represented See also:Queen See also:Victoria at See also:Madrid as See also:ambassador extra-See also:ordinary on the occasion of the second See also:marriage of the See also:king of See also:Spain . On the 1st of January 1883 he was promoted to be field-marshal, and in December 1886 appointed See also:Constable of the See also:Tower of London . He died in London on the 14th of January 1890 . His remains received a state funeral, and were buried in St See also:Paul's See also:Cathedral on the 21st of January . He was twice married, and left a large See also:family by each wife, his eldest son, See also:Robert See also:William (b . 1845), succeeding to his See also:barony . A statue of him on horseback by See also:Boehm was erected at See also:Calcutta when he left India, and a replica of it was afterwards set up to his memory in See also:Waterloo Place, London .

End of Article: 1ST BARON ROBERT CORNELIS NAPIER NAPIER OF MAGDALA (1810-189o)
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