Thomas Adams (British Army officer) - Revision history

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	\|death_date = January 1764		\|death_date = January 1764
	\|birth_place =		\|birth_place =
	\|death_place = Calcutta		\|death_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency\|Bengal]]
	\|placeofburial =		\|placeofburial =
	\|placeofburial_label =		\|placeofburial_label =
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	\|branch = British Army		\|branch = British Army
	\|serviceyears = 1747–1764		\|serviceyears = 1747–1764
	\|rank = [[Major]]		\|rank = [[Major (rank)\|Major]]
	\|unit = [[37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot\|37th Regiment of Foot]]<br/>[[84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot\|84th Regiment of Foot]]		\|unit = [[37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot\|37th Regiment of Foot]]<br/>[[84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot\|84th Regiment of Foot]]
	\|commands =		\|commands =
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	}}		}}
	'''Thomas Adams''' (1730? – January 1764), [[British Army]] [[Major (United Kingdom)\|major]], posthumously promoted to [[Brigadier General\|~~brigadier~~-general]] based on ~~accounts~~ of his defence of the British position in [[Bengal]] in 1763.		'''Thomas Adams''' (1730 – January 1764), was a [[British Army]] [[Major (United Kingdom)\|major]], posthumously promoted to [[Brigadier General\|Brigadier-general]] based on account of his defence of the British position in [[Bengal Presidency\|Bengal]] in 1763.

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Adams ~~commenced his~~ military service in 1747 as a volunteer ~~with the army~~ under the command of the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland\|Duke of Cumberland]] in the [[Netherlands]]. On 25 June ~~of the same~~ year he obtained a commission as [[Ensign (rank)#United Kingdom\|ensign]] in the [[37th Foot]], ~~in which regiment he~~ rose to the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)\|captain]] nine years later. ~~He was subsequently transferred~~ to the [[84th Foot]], and ~~was~~ serving as a major ~~in that regiment~~ in [[India]]~~, when~~, in 1762~~, five years after the [[battle of Plassey]]~~, he was appointed to the command of the united forces of the crown and of the [[East India Company]] in Bengal.<ref name="dnb">{{cite web \| last = Arbuthnot \| first =A. J. \| title =Adams, Thomas (1730?–1764), brigadier-general\| work = [[Dictionary of National Biography]] Vol. I \| publisher =Smith, Elder & Co. \| year =1885 \| url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/olddnb.jsp?articleid=134 \| accessdate =27 October 2009}} {{DNBfirst\|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}}</ref>		Adams began military service in 1747 as a volunteer under the command of the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland\|Duke of Cumberland]] in the [[Netherlands]]. On 25 June that year he obtained a commission as [[Ensign (rank)#United Kingdom\|ensign]] in the [[37th Foot]], and rose to the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)\|captain]] nine years later. Transferred to the [[84th Foot]], and serving as a major in [[Company rule in India\|India]], in 1762, he was appointed to the command of the united forces of the crown and of the [[East India Company]] in Bengal.<ref name="dnb">{{cite web \| last = Arbuthnot \| first =A. J. \| title =Adams, Thomas (1730?–1764), brigadier-general\| work = [[Dictionary of National Biography]] Vol. I \| publisher =Smith, Elder & Co. \| year =1885 \| url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/olddnb.jsp?articleid=134 \| accessdate =27 October 2009}} {{DNBfirst\|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}}</ref>

	~~It was a very critical period in British Indian history. Notwithstanding~~ the ~~victory at~~ Plassey, ~~the~~ British power was by no means ~~so completely established as to be free from the risk of overthrow. [[Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive\|Clive]] was in England~~. [[Mir Qasim~~\|Mir Kásim~~]], the ~~astute~~ minister and son-in-law of ~~that~~ [[Mir Jafar~~\|Mir Jaffier]] whom Clive had placed upon the throne of Bengal in place of [[Siraj ud-Daulah\|Suráj-ud-dowlah~~]], had ~~in turn~~ displaced his master and had been ~~formally~~ invested as [[Nawab of Bengal~~\|nawáb~~]] at [[Patna]] ~~in the previous year~~. The ~~vices of venality and corruption which Clive, himself by no means over-scrupulous, had described as the chief dangers to British rule in India, were rampant in the~~ Calcutta council ~~chamber. By the~~ unscrupulous ~~action of the council and by the rapacity of the subordinate servants of the company trade was disorganised~~, the ~~nawáb~~ was deprived of ~~his revenues~~, and the British ~~name was rapidly becoming synonymous with oppression and fraud~~.<ref name="dnb"/>		After the [[Battle of Plassey]], British power was by no means complete. [[Mir Qasim]], the minister and son-in-law of [[Mir Jafar]], had displaced his master and had been invested as [[Nawabs of Bengal\|Nawab of Bengal]] at [[Patna]]. The Calcutta council was unscrupulous, the Nawab was deprived of revenue, and the reputation of the British had suffered.<ref name="dnb"/>

	Disputes on the subject of transit duties and an unjustifiable attack made by Mr. Ellis, one of the members of the council, upon the city of Patna, followed by the death of Mr. Amyatt, who had been sent as an envoy to the nawáb, and who was killed by the troops of the latter when resisting an attempt to make him prisoner, brought on war between the company and the nawáb.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUfRAAAAMAAJ~~&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306~~&dq=%22%22Major+Thomas+Adams%22+India&~~source~~=~~bl&ots=OGkZtSQ2-q&sig=qO2CEOPCCS-CSVdSG9EdKcu-UPQ&hl=en&ei=dZF0S9aNMYvv4gbx6Pm0Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false~~ The East India military calendar: containing the services of Generals & Field Officers, Volume 2 By John Philippart, Page 80]</ref> The forces of the latter numbered 40,000 men, including 25,000 infantry trained and disciplined on the European system, and a regiment of excellent artillerymen well supplied with guns. To oppose this force, Major Adams had under his command a small body of troops, variously estimated at from 2,300 to 3,000, of whom only 850 were Europeans. His artillery also was inferior to that of the enemy. The campaign commenced on 2 July 1763, and lasted for four months, in the course of which Adams fought four actions, took two considerable forts and nearly 500 pieces of cannon, and ~~totally~~ defeated the most powerful Bengali army that up to that time had confronted the British in India.<ref name="dnb"/>		Disputes on the subject of transit duties and an unjustifiable attack made by Mr. Ellis, one of the members of the council, upon the city of Patna, followed by the death of Mr. Amyatt, who had been sent as an envoy to the nawáb, and who was killed by the troops of the latter when resisting an attempt to make him prisoner, brought on war between the company and the nawáb.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUfRAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22%22Major+Thomas+Adams%22+India&pg=PA306 The East India military calendar: containing the services of Generals & Field Officers, Volume 2 By John Philippart, Page 80]</ref> The forces of the latter numbered 40,000 men, including 25,000 infantry trained and disciplined on the European system, and a regiment of excellent artillerymen well supplied with guns. To oppose this force, Major Adams had under his command a small body of troops, variously estimated from 2,300 to 3,000, of whom only 850 were Europeans. His artillery also was inferior to that of the enemy. The campaign commenced on 2 July 1763, and lasted for four months, in the course of which Adams fought four actions, took two considerable forts and nearly 500 pieces of cannon, and defeated the most powerful Bengali army that up to that time had confronted the British in India.<ref name="dnb"/>
			[[File:The bridge at Udhua Nullah, with an encampment beyond and the foothills of the Rajmahal Hills in the distance - British Library Add.Or.4893.jpg\|thumb\|The bridge at Udhua Nullah, with an encampment beyond and the foothills of the Rajmahal Hills in the distance, Udhua Nullah, located in Bihar, was the site of the defeat of Nawab Mir Kasim of Bengal by Major Adams in 1763]]
			Key engagements included the Battle of [[Giria, India\|Gheriah]] in August 1763. This lasted for four hours; the issue was at one time doubtful, the nawab's troops breaking through a portion of the English line and capturing two guns, but the superior discipline of the company's sepoys compelled the enemy to retreat with the loss of all their guns and stores. Another engagement was the Battle of Udhanala in September 1763: Adams pursued Qasim's troops to the gates of [[Munger\|Monghyr]] and then besieged [[Patna]] where he was victorious but not before Qasim had killed some 60 British prisoners.<ref>Philippart, page 81</ref> Adams followed Qasim's remaining [[sepoy]]s for a few more days and then returned to [[Kolkata\|Calcutta]] having conquered the whole of [[Bengal]] in just a few months.<ref name=phil>Philippart, page 82</ref>

	Key engagements included the Battle of [[Vijaydurg (city)\|Gheriah]] in August 1763. This lasted for four hours; the issue was at one time doubtful, the nawáb's troops breaking through a portion of the English line and capturing two guns, but the gallantry of the Europeans and steadiness of the [[sepoy]]s under Adams's generalship saved the day, and the enemy were compelled to retreat with the loss of all their guns and stores. Another engagement was the Battle of Udhanala in September 1763: Adams pursued Qasim's troops to the gates of [[Munger\|Monghyr]] and then besieged [[Patna]] where he was victorious but not before Qasim had killed some 60 British prisoners.<ref>Philippart, page 81</ref> Adams followed Qasim's remaining [[sepoy]]s for a few more days and then returned to [[Kolkata\|Calcutta]] having conquered the whole of [[Bengal]] in just a few months.<ref name=phil>Philippart, page 82</ref>		At the close of the campaign, Major Adams was compelled by ill-health to resign his command and died at [[Calcutta]] in January 1764.<ref name=phil/> As soon as the intelligence of the campaign reached England, Adams was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general, but he had already been dead for some months when his commission was issued.<ref name="dnb"/>

	At the close of the campaign Major Adams was compelled by ill-health to resign his command, and died at [[Calcutta]] in January 1764. As soon as the intelligence of the campaign reached England, Adams was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general, but he had already been dead some months when his commission was issued.<ref name="dnb"~~/> Adams died in Calcutta in January 1764.<ref name=phil~~/>

	==Notes==		==Notes==
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	==References==		==References==
	*{{DNB\|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}}		*{{DNB\|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)\|volume=1}}

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{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox military person
|name = Thomas Adams
|image =
|image_size =
|alt =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{circa}} 1730
|death_date = January 1764
|birth_place =
|death_place = Calcutta
|placeofburial =
|placeofburial_label =
|placeofburial_coordinates = 
|allegiance =[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|branch = British Army
|serviceyears = 1747–1764
|rank = [[Major]]
|unit = [[37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot|37th Regiment of Foot]]<br/>[[84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot|84th Regiment of Foot]]
|commands =
|battles = [[War of the Austrian Succession]]<br/>[[Third Carnatic War]]
|awards =
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}}
'''Thomas Adams''' (1730? – January 1764), [[British Army]] [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]], posthumously promoted to [[Brigadier General|brigadier-general]] based on accounts of his defence of the British position in [[Bengal]] in 1763.

==Biography==
Adams commenced his military service in 1747 as a volunteer with the army under the command of the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland|Duke of Cumberland]] in the [[Netherlands]]. On 25 June of the same year he obtained a commission as [[Ensign (rank)#United Kingdom|ensign]] in the [[37th Foot]], in which regiment he rose to the rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] nine years later. He was subsequently transferred to the [[84th Foot]], and was serving as a major in that regiment in [[India]], when, in 1762, five years after the [[battle of Plassey]], he was appointed to the command of the united forces of the crown and of the [[East India Company]] in Bengal.<ref name="dnb">{{cite web | last = Arbuthnot | first =A. J. | title =Adams, Thomas (1730?–1764), brigadier-general| work = [[Dictionary of National Biography]] Vol. I | publisher =Smith, Elder & Co. | year =1885 | url =http://www.oxforddnb.com/templates/olddnb.jsp?articleid=134 | accessdate =27 October 2009}} {{DNBfirst|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}}</ref>

It was a very critical period in British Indian history. Notwithstanding the victory at Plassey, the British power was by no means so completely established as to be free from the risk of overthrow. [[Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive|Clive]] was in England. [[Mir Qasim|Mir Kásim]], the astute minister and son-in-law of that [[Mir Jafar|Mir Jaffier]] whom Clive had placed upon the throne of Bengal in place of [[Siraj ud-Daulah|Suráj-ud-dowlah]], had in turn displaced his master and had been formally invested as [[Nawab of Bengal|nawáb]] at [[Patna]] in the previous year. The vices of venality and corruption which Clive, himself by no means over-scrupulous, had described as the chief dangers to British rule in India, were rampant in the Calcutta council chamber. By the unscrupulous action of the council and by the rapacity of the subordinate servants of the company trade was disorganised, the nawáb was deprived of his revenues, and the British name was rapidly becoming synonymous with oppression and fraud.<ref name="dnb"/>

Disputes on the subject of transit duties and an unjustifiable attack made by Mr. Ellis, one of the members of the council, upon the city of Patna, followed by the death of Mr. Amyatt, who had been sent as an envoy to the nawáb, and who was killed by the troops of the latter when resisting an attempt to make him prisoner, brought on war between the company and the nawáb.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fUfRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=%22%22Major+Thomas+Adams%22+India&source=bl&ots=OGkZtSQ2-q&sig=qO2CEOPCCS-CSVdSG9EdKcu-UPQ&hl=en&ei=dZF0S9aNMYvv4gbx6Pm0Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false The East India military calendar: containing the services of Generals & Field Officers, Volume 2 By John Philippart, Page 80]</ref> The forces of the latter numbered 40,000 men, including 25,000 infantry trained and disciplined on the European system, and a regiment of excellent artillerymen well supplied with guns. To oppose this force, Major Adams had under his command a small body of troops, variously estimated at from 2,300 to 3,000, of whom only 850 were Europeans. His artillery also was inferior to that of the enemy. The campaign commenced on 2 July 1763, and lasted for four months, in the course of which Adams fought four actions, took two considerable forts and nearly 500 pieces of cannon, and totally defeated the most powerful Bengali army that up to that time had confronted the British in India.<ref name="dnb"/>

Key engagements included the Battle of [[Vijaydurg (city)|Gheriah]] in August 1763. This lasted for four hours; the issue was at one time doubtful, the nawáb's troops breaking through a portion of the English line and capturing two guns, but the gallantry of the Europeans and steadiness of the [[sepoy]]s under Adams's generalship saved the day, and the enemy were compelled to retreat with the loss of all their guns and stores. Another engagement was the Battle of Udhanala in September 1763: Adams pursued Qasim's troops to the gates of [[Munger|Monghyr]] and then besieged [[Patna]] where he was victorious but not before Qasim had killed some 60 British prisoners.<ref>Philippart, page 81</ref> Adams followed Qasim's remaining [[sepoy]]s for a few more days and then returned to [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] having conquered the whole of [[Bengal]] in just a few months.<ref name=phil>Philippart, page 82</ref>

At the close of the campaign Major Adams was compelled by ill-health to resign his command, and died at [[Calcutta]] in January 1764. As soon as the intelligence of the campaign reached England, Adams was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general, but he had already been dead some months when his commission was issued.<ref name="dnb"/> Adams died in Calcutta in January 1764.<ref name=phil/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{DNB|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, India]] | before=[[Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)|Eyre Coote]] | after=[[John Carnac]] | years=1763–1764}}
{{s-end}}

{{Commander-in-Chief, India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Thomas}}
[[Category:1730s births]]
[[Category:1764 deaths]]
[[Category:37th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:84th Regiment of Foot officers]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession]]
[[Category:People of British India]]
[[Category:British Commanders-in-Chief of India]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]