George Thomas Napier

Lieutenant-General Sir George Thomas Napier KCB (30 June 1784 – 16 September, 1855), entered the army in 1800, and served with distinction under Sir John Moore and the Duke Wellington in the Peninsula--and lost his right arm at the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo, where, as a Major in the 52nd Foot, he led the Light Division's storming party. [Glover, Michael; (1974) "The Peninsular War 1807–1814: A Concise Military History", UK: David & Charles, ISBN 0715363875, pp. 180-1]

He became major-general in 1837, K.C.B. in 1838 and lieutenant-general in 1846. He was governor and Commander-In-Chief of the army in the Cape Colony from 1839 to 1843, during which time the abolition of slavery and the expulsion of the Boers from Natal were the chief events. He was offered, but declined, the chief command in India after Chillianwalla, and also that of the Sardinian army in 1849.

He became full general in 1854. He died at Geneva, Switzerland on 16 September 1855. His autobiography, "Passages in the Early Military Life of General Sir GT Napier", was published by his surviving son, General WCE Napier (the author of an important work on outpost duty) in 1885.

See also

* Father - Colonel George Napier (1751-1804)
* Mother - Lady Sarah Lennox (1745-1826), daughter of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond.
* Brother - Sir Charles James Napier (1782-1853), Commander-in-Chief in India. The city of Napier, New Zealand is named after him.
* Brother - Sir William Francis Patrick Napier (1785-1860), soldier and military historian.
* Brother - Henry Edward Napier (1789-1853), naval officer and historian

References

succession box
before=Benjamin d'Urban
title=Governor of the Cape Colony | years=1838–1844
after=Sir Peregrine Maitland

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