Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

2022-09-17T16:58:16Z

robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.

New page

{{Short description|British army officer (1765–1836)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2016}}
'''Charles Best''' (also ''Carl Conrad Best''; February 1765 in [[Hannover]] – 5 December 1836 in [[Verden an der Aller|Verden]]) was a British army officer of Hanoverian descent who served in the armies of the East India Company, Britain and Hanover from 1781 until the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]].{{sfn|Philippart|1820|pp=386–390}}

==Biography==
Best commenced his military career in 1781, as a cadet in the 2nd, or Duke of York's (Prince Frederick's) Hanoverian Regiment of Infantry Two Hanoverian regiments of foot being raised for the service of the [[East India Company]], styled the 14th and 15th regiments, this officer was appointed, June, 1781, ensign in the former.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=386}}

On his arrival at [[Madras]], Charles Best took the field with a detachment of the two above-mentioned corps, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel [[Christian August von Wangenheim|Wangenheim]], and joined the British army under Major-General [[James Stuart (East India Company officer)|Stuart]], then before Cuddalore, in the beginning of June, 1783. He was present at the [[Siege of Cuddalore|battle of Cuddalore]], 13 June, and severely wounded: he returned to Madras in July of that year, with the sick and wounded, and was promoted to a 2nd lieutenant 24 July 1784. Lieutenant Best continued in India during the peace, in different garrisons, and until the period when the service of his corps expired.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=387}}

The 15th Regiment was sent home in 1791, and disbanded; the 14th was sent home in 1792, and remained on the strength of the Hanoverian army. In 1793, it was appointed a light infantry regiment and Lieutenant Best nominated 1st lieutenant to one of the rifle companies. He joined the British and Hanoverian army, under the command of [[Frederick, Duke of York]], in April, 1794, in Flanders; he was present at the [[battle of Mouscron]] (25 April 1794), when the French army under General [[Jean-Charles Pichegru|Pichegru]], invaded Flanders. The allies retreated, fighting, to [[Courtray]], which place being soon after taken by the French, Lieutenant Best had a narrow escape of being made prisoner. He was engaged at the battles of 18 and 22 May 1794; and also at the [[battle of Rouselaer]] and [[battle of Hooglede|Hooglede]] (13 June). He was promoted to a company 24 July 1794. Captain Best was present at most of the out-post affairs on the rivers Dommel and Aa, as well as other skirmishes, retreating upon the Meuse, and passing through Grave to the [[Waal (river)|Waal]]: he was engaged in some skirmishes with the enemy near fort St. Andree. In October 1794, he was engaged in an out-post fight with the enemy before [[Nijmegen]], by which the troops of the allies were thrown into that place in the following month. The French made their approaches to Nijmegen, which they besieged; several sallies were made, and several skirmishes took place, at which Captain Best was present. The allies having evacuated Nijmegen, took up a position behind the Waal. Captain Best was present at an affair in December, near [[Raudwyk]], when a party of the enemy had passed the Waal, and surprised a detachment guarding a strong battery in the night; but which was retaken by the allies. He was next present at a battle near Donawert (10 June 1795), when the French succeeded in crossing the Waal, on the ice: the allies retreated to the [[Rhine]], and a severe skirmish took place at [[Velp, Gelderland|Velp]], near [[Arnhem]], in the same month. They afterwards retreated towards [[Zutphen]], and thence to [[Münster]], in Germany. Captain Best was engaged in two severe actions, post affairs, in February 1705, at Gronde: at first the allies drove the enemy back to [[Enschede]], in the Netherlands; at the second they were obliged to retreat, and take up a position behind the [[Ems (river)|Ems]], where several skirmishes took place; the British Army retreating towards [[Bremen]], where they were embarked for England.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|pp=387–388}}

The Prussians having made a separate peace with France in April, 1795, the Hanoverians also retreated, but remained in Münster and [[Osnabrück]] to the end of the year, and returned to Hanover in December 1795. In 1796, the Prussians and Hanoverians drew up a line of observation, or neutrality, and the regiment to which Captain Best belonged was among the troops employed on this service.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=388}}

In 1803, when the Electorate of Hanover was taken possession of by the French, and most of the military re-assembled under the British banners, this officer was gazetted brigadier-major to the [[Kings German Legion]] (KGL), 15 September 1804; and in February following, appointed to a majority in the 2nd Light Infantry Battalion He embarked in September 1805, for Germany, under the orders of Major-General [[George Don (British Army officer)|George Don]], and afterwards under [[William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart|Lord Cathcart]]; he disembarked in the Elbe river in November, and re-embarked in February 1806, at [[Cuxhaven]], after the [[battle of Austerlitz]], and was sent to Ireland, where he remained until May, 1807, when he embarked with the 2nd Light Battalion at Monkstown, and sailed for England.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=388}}

Major Best took the command of the 2nd Light Battalion and sailed with a large fleet from the Downs, in the beginning of July, 1807, for the Baltic; he disembarked at the [[Isle of liugen]], then belonging to the Swedes, and re-embarked the beginning of August on account of the peace. He next sailed with the expedition for [[Zealand]], and landed in [[Kioge Bay]]: he commanded a detachment of the troops that marched for [[Copenhagen]], and on 26 August drove in the out-post, and took possession of part of the suburbs of that city, which afterwards greatly facilitated the operations of the besieging army. For this service Major Best received a flattering encomium, as well as Major [[Hugh Halkett|Halkett]], who was under his command, in the division orders of Lieutenant-General [[Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet|Sir David Baird]]. Major Best was present and assisted in the whole of the [[siege of Copenhagen]], and afterwards received the thanks of Parliament, along with the army, as commanding officer of the 2nd light Battalion.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|pp=388–389}}

Major Best returned in November 1807, to England, and embarked at [[Ramsgate]] at the end of April, 1808, under the orders of Lieutenant-General Sir [[John Moore (British Army officer)|John Moore]], and sailed for the Baltic in May; and thence accompanied Sir John to the [[Iberian Peninsula]]: he was with the army in the advance into, and retreat through Spain.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=389}}

In July, 1809, he embarked with the British troops, under the command of [[John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham|Lord Chatham]], and sailed at the end of that month for the Scheldt (on the [[Walcheren Campaign]]); he assisted at the siege of Flushing, which surrendered 1 August; he then went to the opposite island, Sud Beveland, and returned to Walcheren the beginning of September.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=389}}

Best received the rank of lieutenant-colonel, by brevet, 1 January 1812, and was appointed, 19 May 1812 lieutenant-colonel of the 8th Line Battalion KGL, then in Sicily. In March, 1814, he was sent with a detachment to Hanover, and appointed colonel in the Hanoverian service (16 March). He received the command of a brigade, consisting of four battalions of Hanoverian Landwehr (militia) and marched: for [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]] and Flanders in August 1814, and was stationed at [[Bruges]] in Flanders until [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] landed in France in 1815.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=389}}

Best was then ordered with his brigade to [[Ypres]], and took the command of the troops in that place, as well as that of the fortress, until the beginning of May, when a governor was appointed, to whom he delivered the command, and marched with his brigade, (the 4th Hanoverians) to Brussels; being brigaded to the 5th Division of the army under the [[Duke of Wellington]]. Having received, on the night of 15 June, an order to march with the Scotch brigade, Colonel Best left Brussels at day-break on 16 June, and at about 15:00 of that day was engaged with the enemy under [[Marshal Ney]] in the [[Battle of Quatre Bras]]. One of the battalions of Colonel Best's brigade was engaged the whole day, and had an opportunity of distinguishing itself: and another battalion,{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=389–390}} the Landwehr Battalion Lüneburg under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ludwig Heinrich Philipp von Ramdohr,{{sfn|Hülsemann|1863|p=99}} by its well-directed fire and steadiness, destroyed a charge of the French [[Cuirassiers]].{{sfn|Hülsemann|1863|p=105}}{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=389–390}}

On 18 June at the [[Battle of Waterloo]], the brigade under Colonel Best's command was warmly engaged, and received Major-General Sir [[James Kempt|Kempt's]] approbation, to whom the command of the 5th Division was given, after its general, Sir [[Thomas Picton]], was killed. Colonel Best returned to Hanover with the brigade in December 1815, and was nominated a Knight Commander of the [[Royal Guelphic Order|Hanoverian Guelphic Order]]. On 14 September 1816, he was appointed colonel and proprietor of the Hanoverian Infantry Regiment Celte, and 14 September 1816, major-general in that service.{{sfn|Philippart|1820|p=390}}

==Family==
In 1823, Charles Best married Louisa, only daughter of Captain Roberson (by then deceased), formally of the Hanoverian 2nd Light Battalion.{{sfn|Scott|Taylor|1823|p=368}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{citation |last=Hülsemann |first=Bernhard |year=1863 |title=Geschichte des Königlich-hannoverschen Vierten Infanterie-Regiments und seiner Stammkörper, von der ersten Errichtung der Letzteren bis zum Jahre 1848, unter vorzüglicher Berücksichtigung der Feldzüge von 1813, 1814, 1815 und des Schleswig-holsteinischen Feldzuges von 1848 |language=de |publisher=Helwing'sche Hofbuchhandlung |page=99 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BsRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA106&dq=Die+Generale+der+K%C3%B6niglich+Hannoverschen+ramdohr}}
*{{citation |editor-last=Philippart |editor-first=John |year=1820 |title=The Royal Military Calendar, Or Army Service and Commission Book: Containing the Services and Progress of Promotion of the Generals, Lieutenant-generals, Major-generals, Colonels, Lieutenant-colonels, and Majors of the Army, According to Seniority:... |edition=3 |publisher=A.J. Valpy |pages=386–390 |url=https://archive.org/details/royalmilitaryca01goog}}
*{{citation |last1=Scott |first1=John |last2=Taylor |first2=John |year=1823 |chapter=Ecclesiastical Preferments–Births–Marriages |title=The London Magazine |volume=7 |publisher=Taylor and Hessey |page=367 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aewRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA370-IA7}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Charles}}
[[Category:British Army officers]]
[[Category:British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:German commanders of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:King's German Legion]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]

Charles Best (British Army officer) - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.