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{{Short description|British Army Royal Artillery officer (1714–1763)}}
{{other people|Richard Maitland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = Major
|name = Richard Maitland
|birth_date = {{circa|1714}}
|death_date = {{death date|1763|2|21}}
|birth_place =
|death_place = [[Bombay]], India
|placeofburial = Bombay, India
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|allegiance = {{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}<br />
[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg|23px]] [[East India Company]]
|branch = [[British Army]]
|serviceyears = 1732–1763
|rank = [[Major (United Kingdom)|Major]]
|commands =
|unit = [[Royal Artillery]]
|battles =
|awards =
}}
Major '''Richard Maitland''' ({{circa|1714}} – 21 February 1763) was a [[British Army]] officer who served in the [[Royal Artillery]], and the captor of [[Surat]] while in the service of the [[East India Company]].

== Early career ==
Maitland was born in around 1714.<ref name="DNB"/> He enlisted in the Royal Artillery as a [[matross]] on 1 November 1732, at about 18. He rose by merit through the enlisted and [[non-commissioned officer]] grades, and received a [[commissioned officer|commission]] as [[lieutenant-fireworker]] in 1742. The dates of his subsequent commissions show that his promotion was at first uncommonly rapid: he was a [[second lieutenant]] on 1 May 1743, a [[first lieutenant]] on 1 April 1744, a [[captain-lieutenant]] on 1 August 1747, and a [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 1 March 1755. Maitland fought at the [[battle of Fontenoy]] in 1745, and likely in some of the less successful battles of the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] during the following two years.<ref name="DNB">{{DNB|inline=1|wstitle=Maitland, Richard (1714?-1763)|first=E.|last=O'Callaghan|volume=35|pages=370–371}}</ref>

== Indian service ==
In 1755, four companies of the Royal Artillery, one of which Maitland commanded, were specially formed for Indian service under the East India Company. They embarked for India in that year; one was totally lost on the voyage out, but the other three arrived safely at [[Bombay]], where they joined the garrison.<ref name="DNB"/><ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB|id=17833|title=Maitland, Richard (c.1714–1763)|first=J.|last=Spain|ref=|year=2004}}</ref> Maitland participated in the capture of [[Vijaydurg Fort|Gheriah]], a stronghold of [[Maratha Empire]] pirates, in February 1756, on which occasion the land forces were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel [[Robert Clive]].<ref name="DNB"/>

On 20 February 1759, Maitland's company, sailed from Bombay with the objective of capturing the town and castle of [[Surat]], then held by Sidi Masud. As the seniormost officer in the expeditionary force, Maitland was entrusted with its command by the authorities at Bombay (making him the first Royal Artillery officer to command a mixed expeditionary force). The land force comprised Maitland's and [[John Northall]]'s artillery companies, and a large detachment of the [[1st Bombay European Regiment|Bombay European Regiment]], altogether 850 European soldiers and 1,500 Sepoys. The naval part of the expedition, under Commodore Watson, consisted of five of the East India Company's warships and a large number of vessels to carry the troops and stores.<ref name="DNB"/> The soldiers were paid by the merchants of Surat, in exchange for not looting the city.<ref name="ODNB"/> After a slow passage along the coast, the troops landed on 26 February at Dumas, {{convert|9|mile|spell=in}} from Surat.<ref name="DNB"/> On 20 February, a new camp was established at Umra, a village on a river bank near the city, and Maitland began besieging the castle.<ref name="ODNB"/> On 28 February, the enemy were driven from a position at the French Gardens after a smart action that lasted four hours, in which Maitland lost about twenty killed and as many wounded. On 1 March some of the troops were landed at the Bunder (customs wharf), covered by the fire of the shipping, and after some fighting the town surrendered. A battery for two guns and a mortar had been completed, and after three days' firing from this and the wharfs, a "general attack" was made, and on 4 March the castle capitulated. The details of the loss of the besiegers have been variously stated, but probably amounted to 130, including four officers, killed, and near a hundred wounded on the part of the land forces, while "the marine" lost about 150. Maitland evinced throughout the excellent command abilities, and expert use of artillery.<ref name="DNB"/><ref name="ODNB"/>

Maitland remained at Surat to repair the defences until April, when he landed at Bombay to a [[gun salute|salute]] of thirteen guns. He received the thanks of the East India Company, to whom the acquisition of Surat brought an increase of revenue of about 50,000 pounds per annum. He was promoted to the rank of [[major (United Kingdom)|major]] on 10 March 1762, and he died at Bombay on 21 February 1763. He was buried the same day.<ref name="DNB"/>

Maitland's company is now [[5 (Gibraltar 1779–1783) Battery]] of [[19th Regiment Royal Artillery|The Scottish Gunners]].

== References ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maitland, Richard}}
[[Category:1710s births]]
[[Category:1763 deaths]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]

Richard Maitland (British Army officer) - Revision history

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