He said his widow Lady Frances Anne was now trying to educate seven children on very limited means and would not be able to purchase a commission for James and, therefore, was it possible to place him on the list of candidates for a commission ‘Without Purchase’. He was fourteen at the time and was studying various subjects such as French and Mathematics.
This application for him to be added to the list was successful but when nothing further had developed both Garnet and his mother wrote to the Duke in unusually forthright terms effectively taking him to task over the matter. Garnet wrote in September 1850 and again in January 1851. When these were unsuccessful, his mother wrote to the Duke in September 1851 suggesting to the Duke that, if he met his promise of three years earlier his reward would be in heaven. However, if he was unable to meet his promise would he please advise her as Garnet would then have to enlist as a Private soldier and take his chances to make officer. Garnet was duly awarded a commission as an Ensign ‘Without Purchase’ in March 1852.
His career from this point encapsulated in the following edited extracts from: The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, 1910-1911:
Garnet Joseph Wolseley, Viscount British Field Marshal, was born at Golden Bridge, Co. Dublin, on the 4th of June 1833. Educated at Dublin, he obtained a commission as Ensign in the 12th Foot in March 1852, and was transferred to the 80th Foot with which he served in the second Burmese War. He was severely wounded on the 19th of March 1853 in the attack of Donabyu, was mentioned in despatches, and received the war medal. Promoted to Lieutenant and invalided home, he exchanged into the 90th Light Infantry, then in Dublin.
In the Crimea he landed at Balaklava in December 1854 and was selected to be an Assistant Engineer, and did duty with the Royal Engineers in the trenches before Sevastopol. He was promoted to be Captain in January 1855 after less than three years' service, and served throughout the siege, was wounded at the Quarries on the 7th of June and was on Sick leave on Board Ship 5 to 13 August. He was then wounded a second time in the trenches on the 30th of August. His injuries included loss of the sight in his right eye from a shell burst.
After the fall of Sevastopol Wolseley was employed on the Quartermaster-General's Staff in Constantinople, assisted in the embarkation of the troops and stores, and was one of the last to leave the Crimea in July 1856. For his services he was twice mentioned in despatches, was noted for a Brevet Majority, received the Crimean War Medal with clasp, the 5th class of the French Legion of Honour, the 5th Class of the Turkish Mejidie and the Turkish Medal.
After this event, Wolseley was recommended for the Victoria Cross but it does not appear to have been awarded. Wolesley VC Citation was not found, only the letter from J N Gordon of the Engineers to Deputy Adjutant General of Engineers at the War Department, Pall Mall, as follows:
Sir,
I have the honour to forward to you the accompanying Report from Sir Harry Jones of an Assistant Engineer Captn. G J Wolesley 90th Regiment recommended for the Victoria Cross.
This letter was stamped as received November 25, 1856 and is therefore likely to be related to the rescue of Private Andrews by Captain Garnet J. Wolseley, an event which was the subject of the first military print, produced in 1881, by the prolific illustrator and artist ‘William Barnes Wollen’
Further edited extracts from: The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, 1910-1911:
In March 1857, he joined the expedition to China. He embarked in command of three companies in the transport "Transit," which was wrecked in the Strait of Banka. The troops were all saved, and were taken to Singapore; whence, on account of the Indian Mutiny, they were despatched with all haste to Calcutta. He distinguished himself at the relief of Lucknow under Sir Colin Campbell in November, and in the defence of the Alambagh position under Outram. For his services he was frequently mentioned in despatches, and having received his Crimean Majority in March 1858, was promoted to be Lieutenant-Colonel in April 1859, and received the Indian Mutiny Medal and clasp.
He continued to serve on Sir Hope Grant's staff in Oudh, and when Grant was nominated to the command of the British troops in the Anglo-French expedition to China in 1860, accompanied him as deputy-assistant quartermaster-general. He was present at the action at Sin-ho, the capture of Tang-ku, the storming of the Taku Forts, the Occupation of Tientsin, the battle of Pa-to-cheau and the entry into Peking.
In November 1861 he was one of the special service officers sent to in case of war with the United States in connection with the, mail steamer "Trent" incident. He remained on the headquarters staff in Canada as assistant-quartermaster-general. In 1865 he became a Brevet Colonel, was actively employed the following year in connection with the Fenian raids from the United States. In 1867 he was appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General in Canada. In 1870 he commanded the Red River expedition to put down a rising under Louis Riel at Fort Garry, now the city of Winnipeg. On his return home was made KCMG. and CB.
He was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General at the War Office in 1871 and worked hard in furthering the Cardwell schemes of army reform. However, in 1873 he commanded the expedition to Ashanti, and was able to complete the campaign in two months in early 1874. He received the thanks of both houses of Parliament and a grant of £25,000 was promoted to be Major General for distinguished service in the field, received the medal and clasp and was made GCMG. and KCB. The freedom of the City of London was conferred upon him with a sword of honour, and awarded honorary degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge universities.
In November 1876 he accepted a seat on the council of India, from which in 1878, having been promoted Lieutenant-General, he went as high-commissioner to the newly acquired possession of Cyprus. He to superseded Lord Chelmsford in command of the forces in the Zulu War, and as governor of Natal and the Transvaal and high commissioner of South-East Africa. For his services he received the Zulu Medal with clasp, and was made GCB. He returned home in May 1880 and was appointed Quartermaster-General to the forces.
In 1882 he was appointed Adjutant-General to the forces, in command of the British forces in Egypt to suppress the rebellion of Arabi Pasha who he completely defeated at Tel-el-Kebir after a very short and brilliant campaign. He received the thanks of parliament, the medal with clasp, the bronze star, was promoted General for distinguished service in the field, raised to the peerage as Baron Wolseley of Cairo and Wolseley, and received from the Khedive the 1st Class of the Order of the Osmanieh.
In 1884 he was again called away from his duties as Adjutant-General to command the eventually unsuccessful Nile expedition to relieve General Gordon and the besieged garrison of Khartum. For his services be received two clasps to his Egyptian medal, the thanks of parliament, and was created a Viscount and a Knight of St Patrick. He continued at the War Office as Adjutant-General to the forces until 1890, when he was given the command in Ireland. He was promoted to be Field Marshal in 1894, and was nominated Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards in 1895 and in the same year he was appointed by the Unionist government to succeed the Duke of Cambridge as Commander-in-Chief of the forces. After five years, he handed over the Command-in-Chief to Earl Roberts at the commencement of 1901.
Field-Marshal Viscount Garnet Joseph Wolseley died at Menton in France on the 25 March 1913 and was buried at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. He had married Louisa Erskine, daughter to Mr A Erskine during the June quarter of 1867 at St James in Westminster. Their only child, Frances, being heiress to the Viscountcy under special remainder.
South Lanarkshire Council Museums have in their collection several of Wolseley's diaries which are currently being transcribed by Museum staff.
This biography was researched by Patricia Martin and the original design and layout was by Katie Barclay, with photographic scanning by Joanne McPhie. The research was funded by the Trustees of the Cameronians.
