George Johnstone (British Army officer)
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Edinburgh, Scotland
George Johnstone | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | George Johnston |
| Died | 19 December 1825 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1780–1825 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | 29th Regiment of Foot |
| Commands | New Brunswick Fencibles 93rd Regiment of Foot Highland Brigade 6th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Waterloo Medal |
Major-General George Johnstone (died 19 December 1825) was a British Army officer. He was commissioned into the infantry 1780, serving in Grenada during Fédon's rebellion in 1795–96. He was afterwards transferred to command a regiment of fencibles in New Brunswick, where he served for a year as acting Lieutenant Governor. In 1810, he was given command of a Highland regiment which served on garrison duty in Cape Colony. Johnstone was promoted to major general in 1814 and given command of the 6th Brigade in the 1815 Waterloo campaign. His brigade was not engaged in the 18 June Battle of Waterloo as they were posted to the extreme right flank, protecting the approaches to Brussels and Ostend. His men fought in the subsequent advance to Paris and helped to storm the fortress of Cambrai on 24 June.
George Johnstone was appointed ensign in the 29th Regiment of Foot on 1 November 1780. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1787, captain lieutenant in 1792, adjutant in 1793 and captain in 1794.[1] During this time, the regiment was based at various locations in England, but in early 1793, they were posted to Hilsea Barracks near Portsmouth, where they were to provide detachments of soldiers to act as marines aboard Royal Navy warships during the War of the First Coalition.[2] At the end of December 1794, Johnstone joined a battalion of 21 officers and 640 men, formed from those in the 29th who were not detached to warships; they embarked on the troopship Maria for the Caribbean island of Grenada, where discontent would lead to an insurrection, known as Fédon's Rebellion or the Brigand's War, in the coming months.[3] On their return to England in July 1796, the battalion had been reduced by battle casualties and disease to 5 officers and 87 men.[4] Johnstone was promoted to major in 1799.[1]
On 9 July 1803, Johnstone was promoted to lieutenant colonel and posted to operational command of the New Brunswick Fencibles, a new local defence regiment later redesignated the 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot. Johnstone was in Scotland at the time of his appointment and recruited Scottish and Irish men for his new regiment before embarking for British North America.[5] The British province of New Brunswick was regarded as strategically important because of its border with the United States; however, the appointed lieutenant governor, Thomas Carleton, had returned to the United Kingdom early in 1803 and refused to return in a dispute about seniority. Therefore, the duties of the office fell upon the senior British officer in the province, a role undertaken by Johnstone between December 1808 and April 1809. Johnstone wrote to the Governor General, Sir James Henry Craig, requesting a temporary promotion to brigadier general so that he could wield more influence with the Legislative Assembly and asking for compensation for his loss of pay caused by relinquishing command of his regiment while in office; however, neither request was accepted before the end of his tenure.[6]
After resuming command of the New Brunswick Fencibles, Johnstone returned to the United Kingdom on leave in December 1809.[7] While at home, he was posted to command the 93rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot,[8] which had been on garrison duty in the Cape Colony (in present-day South Africa) since their participation in the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806.[9] He remained with the regiment there for four years until he was summoned home and promoted in 1814.[8]