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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]] | ||
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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 | '''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 | 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> | ||
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 | 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> | |||
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 | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
*{{DNB|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)}} | *{{DNB|wstitle=Adams, Thomas (1730?-1764)|volume=1}} | ||
{{s-start}} | {{s-start}} | ||
Latest revision as of 10:10, 5 January 2026
Thomas Adams | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1730 |
| Died | January 1764 Calcutta, Bengal |
| Allegiance | Great Britain |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Years of service | 1747–1764 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 37th Regiment of Foot 84th Regiment of Foot |
| Battles/wars | War of the Austrian Succession Third Carnatic War |
Thomas Adams (1730 – January 1764), was a British Army major, posthumously promoted to Brigadier-general based on account of his defence of the British position in Bengal in 1763.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Adams began military service in 1747 as a volunteer under the command of the Duke of Cumberland in the Netherlands. On 25 June that year he obtained a commission as ensign in the 37th Foot, and rose to the rank of captain nine years later. Transferred to the 84th Foot, and serving as a major in India, in 1762, he was appointed to the command of the united forces of the crown and of the East India Company in Bengal.[1]
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 Nawab of Bengal at Patna. The Calcutta council was unscrupulous, the Nawab was deprived of revenue, and the reputation of the British had suffered.[1]
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.[2] 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.[1]
Key engagements included the Battle of 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 Monghyr and then besieged Patna where he was victorious but not before Qasim had killed some 60 British prisoners.[3] Adams followed Qasim's remaining sepoys for a few more days and then returned to Calcutta having conquered the whole of Bengal in just a few months.[4]
At the close of the campaign, Major Adams was compelled by ill-health to resign his command and died at Calcutta in January 1764.[4] 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.[1]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arbuthnot, A. J. (1885). "Adams, Thomas (1730?–1764), brigadier-general". Dictionary of National Biography Vol. I. Smith, Elder & Co. Retrieved 27 October 2009. Template:DNBfirst
- ↑ The East India military calendar: containing the services of Generals & Field Officers, Volume 2 By John Philippart, Page 80
- ↑ Philippart, page 81
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Philippart, page 82
References[edit | edit source]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eyre Coote |
Commander-in-Chief, India 1763–1764 |
Succeeded by John Carnac |
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