| Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| 1735–1820 | |
 General Sir David Dundas |
|
| Place of birth | Edinburgh, Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Place of death | Royal Chelsea Hospital, London, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  British Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | French Revolutionary Wars |
| Awards | GCB |
General Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet, GCB (1735 – 18 February 1820) was a British general who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces from 1809 to 1811.
Contents |
Military service
Dundas was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1755.[1] He served during the Seven Years War and took part in the Battle of Saint Cast in 1758 and the Battle of Warburg in 1760.[1] In 1778 he was appointed Quartermaster-General in Ireland, a post which he was to retain until 1789.[1]
Army improvements
In the 1780's Dundas became an advocate of officer training in the British Army and wrote many manuals on the subject.[2]
But Dundas was a conservative military thinker. He chose to ignore the light infantry tactics that generals such as Earl Cornwallis or Howe used in the American Revolutionary War. Instead Dundas, after witnessing Prussian army manouvres in Silesia in 1784, favoured the army model that Frederick the Great had created. Its use of drilled battalions of line infantry marching in formation was a stark contrast to the light brigades that fought in small independent groups and with cover.
Dundas, like many at Horse Guards, failed to learn anything from the fighting in the Americas. Battle-hardened regiments returning from America returned to outmoded training manuals and anachronistic drills. It was not until the formation of an "Experimental Corps of Riflemen", in 1800 that 'the wheel was reinvented'. This change led to light infantry successes in the Peninsular Campaign under the Duke of Wellington.
Later career
He served in the French Revolutionary Wars: in 1794 British troops under his command captured the Port of San Fiorenzo and Bastia, an important first step ultimately leading to the capture of the island of Corsica by forces under Admiral Lord Nelson.[3]
He served as Quartermaster-General to the Forces from 1796[4] to 1803 and then went on to become Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1809.[1] He was created a baronet on 22 May 1815.
He died at the Royal Chelsea Hospital on 18 February 1820.[1]
Bibliography
- The Principles of Military Movements chiefly applicable to Infantry, 1788. Commonly known as "Dundas's drill-book"
- Rule and Regulations for the Movement of His Majesty's Infantry, 1792. An amended version of the 1788 drill-book order by the Adjutant General, William Fawcett.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e David Dundas at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Military organisation
- ^ The Battle of the Nile
- ^ London Gazette: no. 13950, p. 1090, 12 November 1796. Retrieved on 2009-12-27.
- ^ Philip J. Haythornthwaite. British Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815, Osprey Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1846032229, 9781846032226. p. 4
- Mark Urban:Fusiliers: Eight Years with the Redcoats in America (2007)
External links
- Archival material relating to Sir David Dundas, 1st Baronet listed at the UK National Register of Archives
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Morrison |
Quartermaster-General to the Forces 1796–1803 |
Succeeded by Sir Robert Brownrigg |
| Preceded by The Duke of York |
Commander-in-Chief of the Forces 1809–1811 |
Succeeded by HRH The Duke of York |
| Preceded by Charles O'Hara |
Colonel of the 22nd (the Cheshire) Regiment of Foot 1791–1795 |
Succeeded by William Crosbie |
| Preceded by Sir Henry Clinton |
Colonel of the 7th (or Queen's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons 1795–1801 |
Succeeded by Lord Paget |
| Preceded by Sir Ralph Abercromby |
Colonel of the 2nd (Royal North British) Regiment of Dragoons 1801–1813 |
Succeeded by The Marquess of Lothian |
| Preceded by Coote Manningham |
Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifle Brigade 1809–1820 |
Succeeded by The Duke of Wellington |
| Preceded by The Lord Heathfield |
Colonel of the 1st (The King's) Dragoon Guards 1813–1820 |
Succeeded by Francis Edward Gwyn |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Richmond) 1815–1820 |
Succeeded by William Dundas |
|
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