William Medows

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{{short description|British Army general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name =[[General]] <big>Sir William Medows</big> [[Knight of the Order of the Bath|KB]]
| image =Pict0016WilliamMedows.jpg
| caption =General Sir William Medows
| birth_date ={{birth-date|31 December 1738}}
| death_date ={{death-date and age|14 November 1813|31 December 1738}}
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial =
| birth_place =
| death_place =[[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Somerset]], [[England]]
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname =
| allegiance ={{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
| branch ={{army|UK}}
| serviceyears =1756–1813
| rank =[[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
| unit =[[50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot|50th Regiment of Foot]] [[Royal Northumberland Fusiliers|5th Regiment of Foot]] [[12th Royal Lancers|12th Light Dragoons]] [[55th Regiment of Foot]] [[89th Regiment of Foot]]
| commands =[[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland|Commander-in-Chief of Ireland]] Commander-in-Chief of the [[Bombay Army]]
| battles ='''[[Seven Years' War]]''' '''[[American Revolutionary War]]''' [[Battle of Brandywine]] [[Battle of St. Lucia]] [[Battle of Porto Praya]] [[Battle of Monmouth]] '''[[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]''' [[Siege of Coimbatore]] [[Siege of Seringapatam (1792)|Siege of Seringapatam]]
| awards =[[Knight of the Order of the Bath|KB]]
| relations =
| laterwork =Governor of Bombay
}}
[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir William Medows''' [[Order of the Bath|KB]] (31 December 1738 – 14 November 1813) was an [[English people|Englishman]] and a [[General (United Kingdom)|general]] in the [[British Army]]. He entered the army in 1756 and saw action in North America, the Cape, and India. In 1788 he was appointed [[Governor of Bombay]], transferring to become [[Governor of Madras]] in 1790.

That year, at the head of 15,000 men, he attacked [[Tipu Sultan]] of Mysore. In a see-saw campaign he was slightly wounded, mishandled a crucial assault and attempted suicide before the war ended in Britain's favour. In 1801 he was appointed [[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]] as a full general.

==Military career==
Sir William was the son of Philip Medows, deputy ranger of [[Richmond Park]], and Lady Frances Pierrepont, granddaughter of [[Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull|the Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull]] (1655–1756).<ref name=odnb>[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18503 William Medows at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]</ref>

He entered the British Army as an ensign in the [[50th Regiment of Foot]] in 1756. In 1760 he went with his regiment to join the allied army under Prince [[Ferdinand of Brunswick]], who as [[Frederick the Great]]'s lieutenant was defending western Germany against the French. Medows remained in Germany till March 1764. In 1769 he obtained the lieutenant-colonelcy of the [[5th Regiment of Foot]], exchanging in September 1773 into the [[12th Light Dragoons]].<ref name=odnb/>

===Marriage===

In 1770, Medows enjoyed a romantic friendship with his second cousin, [[Lady Louisa Stuart]], then aged thirteen, a daughter of [[John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute]]. Medows was then thirty-two, and Lord Bute considered him unsuitable and put a stop to it. Lady Louisa was bitterly disappointed, and never married.<ref>Graham, Harry, [Jocelyn Henry C. Graham], ''A Group of Scottish Women'' (New York, Duffield & Co., 1908) Chapter XVIII online at [http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/scottish_women_chapter18.htm Lady Louisa Stuart (1757–1851)] at electricscotland.com (Retrieved 2 March 2008)</ref> Later the same year, Medows married another lady, Frances Augusta Hammerton.<ref>[http://www.thepeerage.com/p23780.htm#i237794 Rt. Hon. Sir William Medows] at thepeerage.com (Retrieved 2 March 2008)</ref>

===North America, the Cape, and India===

In September 1775 Medows exchanged into the [[55th Regiment of Foot]], which was due to be sent to the [[Thirteen Colonies]] to fight in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. On 14 May 1776, he was detached from the 55th to command the 1st Battalion of Grenadiers, a temporary formation created by combining the [[Grenadier]] companies of half the regiments in [[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|General Howe's]] army. He distinguished himself at the [[Battle of Brandywine]] in September 1777, where he was severely wounded commanding his Grenadiers. In November of 1777, following the death of Lt-Col William Walcott of wounds he received at the [[Battle of Germantown]], Medows exchanged back into the 5th Regiment in place of the deceased Walcott. He remained in command of the 1st Grenadier Battalion, however, and led them in action once again at the [[Battle of Monmouth]] in June 1778. In October of 1778, in preparation for the British invasion of the [[West Indies]], Medows relinquished command of his Grenadiers. Medows, now holding the local rank of [[Brigadier General]], commanded the Advance Corps of General [[James Grant (British Army officer, born 1720)|James Grant's]] army during the [[Battle of St. Lucia]] in December of 1778, once again highly distinguishing himself.<ref name=odnb/>

He returned to Great Britain in 1780, and was now made colonel of the [[89th Regiment of Foot (1779)|89th Regiment]]. Medows held a high command in the expedition sent out under Commodore [[George Johnstone (royal navy)|Johnstone]] against the [[Cape of Good Hope]] in 1781. A skirmish occurred with the French admiral, [[Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez|Suffren]], (also bound for the Cape) at [[Battle of Porto Praya|Porto Praya]] in the [[Cape Verde]] Islands on 16 April 1781, and on arriving at the Cape of Good Hope the British found that Suffren had anticipated them and landed such strong reinforcements that an attack would be useless. Johnstone now decided to return to Europe. Medows, however, having heard that the British in the south of India were being hard pressed by [[Hyder Ali|Haider Ali]], sultan of [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]], sailed with three of the ships and a large body of troops to [[Madras]] (now [[Chennai]]), where he arrived on 13 February 1782. He accompanied Colonel William Fullarton in an expedition from Madras against Mysore, but the sudden conclusion of peace soon put a stop to the campaign.<ref name=odnb/>

===Governor of Bombay===
[[file:Robert home, ritratto di william medows, governatore del forte di san giorgio nel 1790-92.jpg|thumb|''William Medows'' by [[Robert Home]]]]
In September 1788 Medows received the posts of Governor of Bombay and commander-in-chief of the [[Bombay Army]]. He remained there until January 1790, when he was transferred to become Governor of Madras and commander-in-chief of the [[Madras Army]]. [[Third Anglo-Mysore War|A war]] with [[Tipu Sultan]], Hyder Ali's son and successor as sultan of Mysore, had arisen, and [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]], the governor-general, now instructed Medows to open the campaign. Starting from [[Trichinopoli]] at the head of 15,000 men on 15 June 1790, Medows crossed the frontier into Mysore, and advanced in a westerly direction. On 22 July the army arrived at [[Coimbatore]], which was found evacuated by the enemy. While he was able to secure the district, he spread his forces too thinly, and Tipu counterattacked against the smaller detachments, and Medows was forced to withdraw his forces to a few strong points in late 1790.<ref name=odnb/>

Lord Cornwallis then announced his intention of undertaking sole command of the British army. Medows served under Cornwallis through the campaigns of 1791 to 1792, and commanded the right column in [[Siege of Seringapatam (1792)|the night attack on the Seringapatam redoubts]] on 6 February 1792.<ref name=odnb/> His attack was misplaced; in the dark of night he ended up capturing a different fortification than the one intended; in doing so, he dangerously exposed the British flank. Tipu attacked the weak point, and very nearly recovered his position, slightly wounding Cornwallis in the process.<ref>Wickwire, Franklin & Mary (1980). ''Cornwallis: The Imperial Years''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 167</ref> Tipu eventually sued for peace, and the fighting ended on 25 February while terms were negotiated. The next day, Medows attempted suicide, inflicting three bullet wounds on himself. While the reason for this is unknown, Cornwallis never blamed Medows for his actions on 26 February.<ref name=W173>Wickwire, p. 173</ref>

Peace was eventually agreed, with Tipu agreeing to the [[Treaty of Seringapatam]] on 18 March.<ref name=W173/> Medows resigned the prize-money (nearly £5,000) which fell to his share and distributed it among the troops. He left for Great Britain in August 1792.<ref name=odnb/>

===Later career===

On 14 December of that year he was made a [[Order of the Bath|Knight of the Bath]], on 12 October 1793 he was made a lieutenant-general, and in November 1796 he was appointed to the command of the [[7th Dragoon Guards]]. At the brevet promotion of 1 January 1798 he was made a general and received the post of [[Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Wight]]. In 1801 he succeeded Cornwallis for a short space as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15373|page=636|date=6 June 1801}}</ref>

He died at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] on 14 November 1813, aged 74.<ref name=odnb/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Andrew Ramsay (governor)|Andrew Ramsay]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Bombay]] | years=1788–1790}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Robert Abercromby of Airthrey|Robert Abercromby]]}}
|-
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lawrence Nilson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Bombay Army|C-in-C, Bombay Army]] (While serving as Governor)|years=1788–1790}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Robert Abercromby of Airthrey|Robert Abercromby]]}}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Archibald Campbell (British Army officer)|Archibald Campbell]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Madras]] | years=1790–1792}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Robert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire|Baron Hobart]]}}
|-
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=Mathew Horne and John Floyd}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Madras Army|C-in-C, Madras Army]] (While serving as Governor)|years=1790–1792}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Sir John Braithwaite, 1st Baronet|John Braithwaite]]}}
|-
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]] | before=[[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|The Marquess Cornwallis]] | after=[[Henry Edward Fox|Henry Fox]] | years=1801–1803}}
{{s-bef | before=[[John de Burgh, 13th Earl of Clanricarde|The Earl of Clanricarde]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull]] | years=1808–1813}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond|The Duke of Richmond]]}}
|-
{{s-bef | before=[[Lucius Cary (British Army officer)|Hon. Lucius Cary]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel of the [[89th Regiment of Foot]] | years=1780–1783}}
{{s-non | reason=Regiment disbanded}}
|-
{{s-bef | before=[[Sir George Osborn, 4th Baronet|Sir George Osborn, Bt]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel of the [[73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot|73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot]] | years=1786–1796}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake|Gerard Lake]]}}
|-
{{s-bef | before=[[Ralph Abercromby|Sir Ralph Abercromby]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel of the [[7th Dragoon Guards|7th (The Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards]] | years=1796–1813}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Richard Wilford]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medows, William}}
[[Category:1738 births]]
[[Category:1813 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:Governors of Bombay]]
[[Category:Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland]]
[[Category:Commanders-in-chief of Bombay]]
[[Category:Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:12th Royal Lancers officers]]
[[Category:55th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:Royal Irish Fusiliers officers]]
[[Category:7th Dragoon Guards officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:73rd Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of Ireland]]

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William Medows