Frederick Stovin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Frederick Stovin
Sir Frederick Stovin, around 1860
Born	1783 Whitgift, Yorkshire
Died	16 August 1865 London, England
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1800–1865
Rank	General
Commands held	92nd Foot (1820–1821) 90th Light Infantry (1821–1829) 83rd Foot (1848–1865)
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Gold Cross (two clasps)
Relations	Lieutenant-General Richard Stovin (brother)

General Sir Frederick Stovin was a brave British Army officer. He served during important times in history. These included the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

After these wars, he led army groups in different countries. He also worked in important government jobs in Ireland. Later, he became a special helper to Queen Victoria. Even after he retired, he kept getting promoted. He eventually reached the highest rank of General.

Frederick Stovin joined the army in 1800 as an ensign. This is a very junior officer rank. He quickly saw action in Spain. He later became a captain in 1803. He fought in Germany and at the Battle of Copenhagen. He also worked closely with famous generals like Sir John Moore and General Thomas Picton. He was even wounded in the War of 1812 at the Battle of New Orleans. He was supposed to fight at the Battle of Waterloo, but he was busy with a military court case.

After the wars, he commanded the 92nd Gordon Highlanders in Jamaica. He caused a bit of a stir there by asking them to wear trousers instead of their traditional kilts! He then led the 90th Light Infantry in the Ionian Islands. He retired from active duty in 1829. He then took on several important jobs in Ireland. These included being a police commissioner. When Queen Victoria became queen in 1837, he joined her royal staff. His last military role was leading the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment. He held this job from 1848 until he passed away.

Early Life and Joining the Army

Frederick Stovin was born in Whitgift, England, in 1783. He was the youngest of many children. His older half-brother, James, became a church leader. Another half-brother, Richard, also joined the army and became a high-ranking officer.

Frederick joined the army when he was seventeen years old. This was on March 22, 1800. He started as an ensign in the 52nd Foot. He quickly saw action in Spain. He bought his next promotion to lieutenant in 1801. He then bought a captaincy in the 62nd Foot in 1802. This gave him command of a group of soldiers. After a short break from duty, he became a captain in the 28th Foot in 1803.

First Battles and Staff Roles

Stovin served with the 28th Foot in Ireland. He also went on a short trip to Germany in 1805. He then fought in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807. He served under famous general Sir John Moore in Sweden and Spain. This was before the Battle of Corunna.

In 1809, he became an aide-de-camp. This means he was a personal assistant to General Alexander Mackenzie-Fraser. He then served in Gibraltar and southern Spain. He returned to England in 1810.

He went back to Spain in 1811. He was an aide to General Thomas Picton. Later, he became an assistant adjutant-general for Picton's division. He was promoted to major in 1812 and lieutenant-colonel in 1813. He stayed in this role until the Peninsular War ended in 1814. He received a special medal, the Gold Cross, for his excellent service.

War of 1812 and Marriage

In 1814, Stovin was sent to North America during the War of 1812. He was a senior staff officer. He was wounded during the Battle of New Orleans. When he returned to the United Kingdom, he had to deal with a military court case. Because of this, he missed the chance to fight in the famous Waterloo Campaign.

On January 2, 1815, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. This was a very important award. He received the award from the Prince Regent (who later became King George IV).

He married Anne Sitwell on October 4, 1815. They were married for forty years until Anne passed away in 1856. They did not have any children.

Leading Regiments

On September 2, 1819, Frederick Stovin took command of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders. This regiment was stationed in Jamaica. His time there was short and caused some disagreements. He arrived in October 1820. He upset his officers and soldiers by trying to change their traditions. He wore a different hat than usual. He also tried to make the regiment wear trousers instead of their traditional kilts.

The Duke of York, a high-ranking royal, quickly moved him to a different role. On August 9, 1821, he was transferred to command the 90th Light Infantry. This regiment wore trousers, so there were no kilt issues! The 90th was in the Ionian Islands. Stovin had served there before. This second time was much quieter. He did not see any more active fighting. He retired from the 90th in 1829. He received another award, the Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, for his service there.

Working in Ireland

After retiring from active duty, Stovin took on important administrative jobs in Ireland. He became the military secretary to the Commander-in-Chief in Ireland. In July 1831, he became the State Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was promoted to colonel on July 22, 1830.

In 1834, he became the Inspector-General of Police in Ulster. He was considered for a higher police role in 1836 but did not get it. He was also rumored to be a candidate for governor of Dominica, a Caribbean island. In 1838, he was sent to Canada. He worked as an adjutant-general for the army there after some rebellions.

Serving the Queen

When Queen Victoria came to the throne, Stovin joined the Royal Household. He became a groom-in-waiting on July 27, 1837. This meant he was a personal attendant to the Queen. He took part in her coronation procession the next year.

He kept his army rank and continued to be promoted even in retirement. He became a major-general in 1841. Then he became a lieutenant-general in 1851. Finally, he became a full general in 1859. On September 1, 1848, he took command of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot.

In 1855, he went with the young Prince Alfred to Geneva to help supervise his studies. In 1858, he joined a special group called a Royal Commission. This group looked into how the army's reserve forces were working. He resigned from his role as groom-in-waiting in 1859 due to poor health. However, he was appointed an extra groom-in-waiting in 1860. He also received his highest award, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, in 1860.

Sir Frederick Stovin passed away on August 16, 1865, in London.