John Eardley Inglis

Major General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis KCB (15 November 1814 – 27 September 1862) was a British Army officer, best known for his role in protecting the British compound for 87 days in the siege of Lucknow.

Military career

In 1833 he joined the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot, in which all his regimental service was passed. In 1837 he saw active service in Canada in the Lower Canada Rebellion, including the actions at St. Denis and St. Eustache.

During the Second Anglo-Sikh War, in 1848 to 1849 in the Punjab, He was in command at the Siege of Multan and at the Battle of Gujrat.

In 1857, on the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny, he was in command of his regiment at Lucknow. Sir Henry Lawrence being mortally wounded during the siege of the residency, Inglis took command of the garrison, and maintained a successful defence for 87 days against an overwhelming force. He was promoted to major-general and made K.C.B.

After further active service in India, he was, in 1860, given command of the British troops in the Ionian Islands. In 1860 he was given the colonelcy of his regiment, now the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry), a position he held until his death.

He died at Homburg on 27 September 1862, aged 47 and was buried in the crypt of Saint Paul's Cathedral, London.^[2]

Family

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Military history of Nova Scotia
Citadel Hill in Halifax
Notable events Battle of Port Royal 1690 Siege of Port Royal 1710 Battle of Winnepang 1722 Northeast Coast Campaign 1745 Battle of Grand Pré 1747 Dartmouth Massacre 1751 Bay of Fundy Campaign 1755 Siege of Louisbourg 1758 Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax 1758 Halifax Treaties 1760–1761 Battle of Fort Cumberland 1776 Raid on Lunenburg 1782 Establishment of New Ireland 1812 Capture of USS Chesapeake 1813 ‪Battle of the Great Redan 1855 ‪Siege of Lucknow 1857 CSS Tallahassee escape 1861 ‪Halifax Provisional Battalion 1885 ‪Battle of Witpoort 1899 ‪Battle of Paardeberg 1899 Imprisonment of Leon Trotsky 1917 Jewish Legion formed 1917 Sinking of Llandovery Castle 1918 Battle of the St. Lawrence 1942–1944 Sinking of Point Pleasant Park 1945 Halifax VE-Day riot 1945
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He was born in Nova Scotia, the son of John Inglis, the third bishop of that colony and grandson of Charles Inglis (bishop).

He was married to Julia Selina Thesiger, daughter of Frederic Thesiger, who wrote of her experiences during the siege of Lucknow including extracts from her diary.^[3]

Their children included Rupert Edward Inglis who was an England rugby international, who was killed at the Battle of the Somme in 1916. His letters home to his wife from the front were published by his widow after the war.^[4]

Legacy

Inglis is the namesake of Inglis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, which connects with Lucknow Street

Gallery

See also

• Military history of Nova Scotia

References

External links

• Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Inglis, John Eardley Wilmot" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 29. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• India and its mutiny: a lecture delivered before the Halifax Young Men's Christian Association, on Tuesday evening, March 16, 1858