John Horsford facts for kids
Sir John Horsford (born 13 May 1751 – died 20 April 1817) was a British soldier. He started his career as a regular soldier and worked his way up. He eventually became a general in the East India Company's Bengal Army.
His Life Story
Early Years
John Horsford was born in a place called St George in the East, which is in Middlesex, England. His father was also named John Horsford. He went to school at the Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood. Later, he went to St. John's College, Oxford in 1768. He was a fellow there until 1771, but he never finished his degree.
Serving in India
In 1772, John Horsford decided to join the East India Company's army. He did this without his father knowing, because he didn't want to become a church minister. He used a different name, John Rover, and sailed to India on a ship called the Duke of Grafton.
For his first six years in India, he was a regular soldier in the Bengal Artillery. This was a special group that used cannons. One day, he was copying some papers for his commander, Colonel Pearse. Horsford noticed a mistake in a Greek quote and pointed it out. Colonel Pearse was very impressed! He then called Horsford by his real name. Soon after, in March 1778, John Horsford was officially made an artillery cadet under his true name.
He quickly moved up the ranks. He became a lieutenant-fireworker in March 1778 and a first lieutenant in October of the same year. By 1786, he was promoted to captain.
Horsford fought in the Third Anglo-Mysore War. He led an artillery company in important battles. These included the Siege of Bangalore, the Battle of Arakere, and the Siege of Seringapatam.
In 1801, he wrote a report to Lord Lake. In this report, he explained how the artillery could be better organized. That same year, he became a major.
He commanded the artillery for Lord Lake during the Second Anglo-Maratha War from 1803 to 1805. He was involved in many important battles and sieges. These included the siege of Aligarh, the Battle of Delhi, and the sieges of Agra, Deeg, and Bhurtpore. In 1804, he became a lieutenant-colonel.
From August to November 1807, he led a brigade and directed the artillery at the siege of Komanur. In 1808, he took charge of the entire Bengal artillery. He remained its leader until he passed away.
Horsford became a full colonel in July 1810 and a major-general in June 1811. He helped plan the artillery for the Anglo-Nepalese War. He also made sure the artillery was ready for the main army during the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
On 7 April 1815, he was honored as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. In June 1816, he became an extra major-general for the main army. He wrote another important paper to the Marquis of Hastings in June 1816. This paper showed his ideas for improving the army based on big wars in Europe. His good reputation meant his ideas were taken seriously. Even though he didn't live to see it, the Bengal artillery was reorganized in 1817–18. This made the famous artillery group much stronger. His last military action was leading the artillery at the siege of Hathras in March 1817.
His Death
Sir John Horsford died in Cawnpore on 20 April 1817. He passed away from heart disease, just ten days after returning from Hathras. He was 66 years old. He had served in the military for 45 years and it is said he never took a single day off! He was buried in the Christian cemetery in Cawnpore.
Family Life
While living in India, John Horsford had a family with an Indian woman named Sahib Juan. They had several children together. Horsford was very concerned about his daughters. He spoke out against unfair treatment of "Eurasians," which was a term for people of mixed European and Indian heritage at the time.
He even wrote poems that supported families with mixed backgrounds. He also helped the Bengal Orphan Institute, which was started by James Achilles Kirkpatrick. In one of his poems, called "The Art of Living in India," he praised the "auburn beauties" (girls with reddish-brown hair) at the Howrah orphanage. He encouraged young British men in India to marry these girls.
His Impact
A historian who studied the Bengal artillery wrote about Sir John Horsford: "He was very healthy and lived a simple life. This helped him handle challenges that would be too much for many people today. He was known for his scientific knowledge and his organized way of working. Everyone agreed he was the best at these things."
Sir John Horsford, along with Litellus Burrell, was a rare example of someone who started as a regular soldier and rose to a very high position in the East India Company's army.
