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Lieutenant-General Henry de Hinuber KCB GCH (25 January 1767 – 2 December 1833), known in Hanover as Eduard Christoph Heinrich von Hinüber, was a Hanoverian infantry officer who commanded units of the King's German Legion (KGL) while serving in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Hinuber joined the army of the Electorate of Hanover in 1781, and in 1782 travelled to fight in the Second Anglo-Mysore War in India. He was present at the Siege of Cuddalore and continued on in India until 1792. Promoted to major in 1798, Hinuber served until France invaded Hanover and disbanded the army in 1803.
Henry de Hinuber | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Eduard Christoph Heinrich von Hinüber |
| Other name(s) | Heinrich von Hinüber |
| Nickname(s) | Harry |
| Born | 25 January 1767 London, England |
| Died | 2 December 1833 (aged 66) Frankfurt, German Confederation |
| Allegiance | |
| Service | |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Unit | King's German Legion |
| Commands |
|
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Army Gold Medal |
| Spouse(s) |
Sophie Marie Lucie Eleonore Fahle
(m. 1815) |
Hinuber was one of the first Hanoverian officers to offer his services to the British Army, being given command of the 3rd Line Battalion of the KGL. He fought in the Hanover and Copenhagen Expeditions before in 1808 his battalion moved to form part of the British garrison in Sicily. Hinuber commanded a KGL brigade in a diversionary attack in the Bay of Naples in June and July 1809, before being promoted to major-general in 1811. He was given command of a KGL brigade in Lord Wellington's Peninsular War army in 1813.
Hinuber commanded his brigade at the Battle of Nivelle on 10 November 1813 and then at the Siege of Bayonne between February and April 1814. When the French launched an attack out of Bayonne on 14 April Hinuber's brigade was key in counter-attacking and pushing back the French. At the start of the Hundred Days Hinuber was in command of the 4th Division but, replaced by a more senior officer, he refused another command and missed the Battle of Waterloo. Hinuber, on British half pay, joined the army of the new Kingdom of Hanover in 1816. He commanded several infantry brigades, and was promoted to lieutenant-general in both British and Hanoverian service. In 1831 Hinuber received his last command, the 2nd Division of a corps of the German Federal Army based in Frankfurt. He died there of mastitis two years later.
Eduard Christoph Heinrich von Hinüber was born on 25 January 1767 in London.[1][2] Known to family and friends as Harry, he was the son of Hanoverians Carl Heinrich von Hinüber (1723–1792) and Margarethe Ludovica von Reiche (1736–1815). His older brother was Georg Charlotte von Hinüber, and he had four other siblings. His father was the German tutor to George II's children. Hinüber, who was fluent in English, lived with his parents in London until he reached the age of 10 or 12, at which point he was sent to live with his uncle in Hanover so that he could receive a German education.[1][3] There his family was part of the bureaucratic elite, with relatives such as Jobst Anton von Hinüber playing an important part in the moulding of the country's culture.[4]
Home service
Hinüber joined the Hanoverian Army as a cadet in the Hanoverian Foot Guards in April 1781. He was subsequently commissioned as an ensign in the 15th Infantry Regiment on 1 July. With George III ruling both Hanover and Britain, the regiment had been formed in May to go to India as reinforcements for the British Army fighting the American Revolutionary War and Second Anglo-Mysore War. They had contracts to serve for seven years. The regiment underwent a seven-month period of training in Hanover and then from October in England. Hinüber was promoted to lieutenant on 27 November. They left for Madras in March 1782, arriving in September.[1][5][6]
India
Hinüber was part of a mixed group of 800 Hanoverians that joined with an Anglo-Indian army which on 13 July 1783 attacked the French-held city of Cuddalore. In a bloody engagement the British failed to break through the French defences. A quarter of the Hanoverians became casualties, including Hinüber who was wounded in action. They occupied the abandoned French outposts around the city and instead began to besiege Cuddalore.[7][8][9] Disease was rife in the camps of both the defenders and attackers, and the siege was still ongoing in July when news of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War reached it. The Hanoverians were kept on in India afterwards, some moving into Mysore to continue the Second Anglo-Mysore War, reinforcing Mangalore and attacking Cannanore. By August 1785 the Hanoverians were serving as the garrison at Arcot, where they stayed until being transferred to Madras in 1787.[7][10][11]
With his regiment having been renumbered as the 14th Infantry Regiment, Hinüber was promoted to captain on 6 April 1788.[7][2] In 1789 the seven year contracts of the Hanoverians began to end, but with the Third Anglo-Mysore War beginning it was requested that some stay on in India. The troops were given the choice of returning to Europe or staying on for another year. Hinüber was one of the latter group, finally departing in July 1792. The Hanoverians had taken high losses through battle and disease, with only half surviving. Hinüber was one of the last Hanoverians to leave the sub-continent.[7][12][13]
Army disbanded
The French Revolutionary Wars began in February 1793, and for the first two years of the conflict Hinüber and his regiment were stationed in the Netherlands.[7] The 14th was sent back to Hanover in 1795, and on 26 October 1798 Hinüber was promoted to major, joining the 6th Infantry Regiment, which by 1803 was stationed around Celle.[7][2][14] With the start of the Napoleonic Wars, in June France successfully invaded Hanover and the army was disbanded in the following month, ending Hinüber's service.[7]
Forming the KGL
Hinüber was one of the first Hanoverian officers to travel to Britain and offer their military services there, arriving at Harwich on about 31 July.[7][15] George III formed the King's German Legion (KGL) as a unit for displaced Hanoverians, and the officers were given temporary ranks in the British Army.[7] In British service Hinüber chose to go by Henry de Hinuber, but was also recorded as Heinrich von Hinüber.[1][16] In early August he was stationed at Plymouth organising German arrivals, as well as recruiting Portuguese, Danish, Austrian, and Norwegian prisoners of war from the prison hulks there.[15]
The initial patent for the KGL required it to reach 400 men within three months.[17] Working closely with fellow Hanoverian Friedrich von der Decken, Hinuber initially expressed doubts to him that they would be able to meet the 400-man requirement, and as such he championed the recruitment from prison hulks to bolster their numbers.[18] The KGL expanded quickly as the month went on, and an officer of Hinuber's seniority was no longer needed to chivvy recruitment at Plymouth. On 13 October he was transferred to command the new regimental depot, situated on the Isle of Wight.[17][18] Initial expectation had been to form one light infantry battalion with the men at the depot, but with more recruits than expected the KGL expanded with artillery and cavalry as well. Soldiers who had previously served in either of these branches were taken away from Hinuber's main cadre, with the men remaining forming the 1st and 2nd Line Battalions.[18]
Hinuber joined the newly-formed 1st Battalion on 9 November, and was given the British rank of major on 17 November.[19][2] The KGL continued recruitment on the European mainland through this period, with a headquarters at Husum from where Germans could travel to Heligoland before reaching Britain.[20] In April 1804 Hinuber was given command of this system, travelling to Husum to help raise the 3rd Line Battalion. He was promoted to command the new battalion on 16 June, advancing to lieutenant-colonel, and relinquished his recruiting duties on 21 September.[7][20][21]
Initial service
Hinuber was promoted to colonel on 9 July 1805 and in November led his battalion in the Hanover Expedition, an unsuccessful attempt to liberate the Electorate which ended in February the following year.[7][22] In August 1807 the 3rd participated in another expedition, this time to Copenhagen. Towards the start of the following year the battalion was moved again, transferring to the Mediterranean to serve as part of the British garrison of Sicily.[7]
In mid-1809 Hinuber was given command of a KGL Brigade as part of a diversionary attack on islands in the Bay of Naples, intended to take pressure off their Austrian allies.[23] This brigade contained his own battalion and the KGL's 4th Line Battalion.[24] The force, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart, sailed on 11 June and reached Ischia on 24 June. The island was captured on 30 June after a siege of the French-garrisoned castle there, with the neighbouring Procida capitulating on 26 June. Offensive operations at Scylla went on from 13 June but by 28 June the town remained un-captured and with the Royal Navy unable to guarantee the lines of supply for the army, Stuart chose to evacuate the two captured islands. The whole force had returned to Sicily by 26 July.[23]
With his brigade command over, Hinuber continued on in the Mediterranean and on 4 June 1811 was promoted to major-general and given a position on the military staff in Sicily.[7][25] Until now still holding only temporary rank, Hinuber was granted permanent rank as a British major-general on 18 August of the following year. He continued as colonel of the regiment, or colonel commandant, of the 3rd Line Battalion for the rest of its existence.[1]
Peninsular War
Hinuber served in Sicily until 30 October 1813 when he was instead appointed to join the army of Field Marshal Lord Wellington in the Peninsular War.[7] Hinuber was given command of the KGL Brigade serving as part of the 1st Division, replacing the temporary command of Colonel Colin Halkett. Hinuber's new command was the largest brigade in Wellington's army, totalling five KGL battalions with 3,000 men between them. He subsequently led his brigade at the Battle of Nivelle on 10 November.[7] The 1st and 2nd Light Battalions in Hinuber's brigade were at some point removed to form their own brigade, leaving Hinuber in command of the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Line Battalions.[26]
Investment of Bayonne
While respected as a competent commander, Hinuber's relationship with Wellington was difficult. As part of the Battle of Bayonne, attacking and besieging Bayonne, in the following year, on 27 February the suburb of St. Etienne was stormed by a force including Hinuber's brigade. It was one of three brigades that made the attack on the French defences, but the KGL on the right of the line received the brunt of the French response when the timings of the attack went awry.[25] The KGL stormed the St. Etienne village and fortified church with Hinuber leading them from the front.[25][27]
In the mid-afternoon Hinuber's force had stopped just short of the main French defences of Bayonne, they being too strong for his force to attack. The French sent a column of troops out to retake the position now held by Hinuber, who repulsed them twice with bayonet charges. The French had stopped attempting to re-take St. Etienne by the time night fell.[28] His brigade took over 300 casualties in the fighting and Hinuber was himself wounded. Despite the part played by the brigade, Hinuber's commanding officer Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope downplayed its role, refusing to name any of the units involved. Wellington's dispatch on the battle was similarly muted on the KGL's performance.[29]
Annoyed by Hope's conduct, Hinuber wrote to the colonel-in-chief of the KGL Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, to complain. Adolphus replied to Hinuber that he expressed "to all the officers and men, my public approbation of their conduct, and the satisfaction which I feel in being at the head of such a corps". Nonetheless, Hinuber did not leave his complaint there, but also wrote to Major-General Edward Pakenham, Wellington's adjutant general:
"...the silence of [Wellington] in this instance cannot be attributed to casual omission, but must be founded on some particular reason, and the only one which we can at all guess at – however painful to our feelings – is that from some circumstance unknown to us, we have incurred his lordship's displeasure, and that laboring under such, we must necessarily be precluded from the honours which a public notice of our services, would otherwise have bestowed upon us."[30]
Wellington sent a terse reply to Hinuber through Pakenham on the matter, with the latter reporting to Hinuber that:
"...am desired to observe that [Wellington] has ever had the pleasure in being satisfied with the conduct of the legion...I am in no way authorized to enter into further explanation on the subject to which your communication relates, but I should recommend you to subdue any anxiety that may have risen..."[31]
Battle of Bayonne
Early in the morning on 14 April a French deserter from Bayonne came to Major-General Andrew Hay, commanding the piquets, to warn him of the French plan to make an attack on the Anglo-Spanish besieging force.[32] Hay did not speak French well and so sent the deserter to Hinuber who interrogated him and reported the news to Hay.[33] Despite this when the attack came two hours later the British piquets were unprepared, and the French pushed them out of St. Etienne. Hinuber's brigade was at the time stationed away from the front line on the other side of the Adour River. He had prepared his battalions for the attack and led the three of them back to St. Etienne.[34]
Hinuber sent two of his battalions to attack the St. Etienne church alongside the remainders of the piquets from the 38th Regiment of Foot and through another bayonet charge the village was re-taken. To the right of the village portions of another of Hinuber's battalions worked with another brigade to push back the French, and an hour after the initial French attack all the ground lost had been re-captured. Over the ensuing two hours the French sent out tirailleurs and groups of men to continue the fight but they were all pushed back with the assistance of a cannon that had been brought up.[35]
Casualties were high for the brevity of the engagement; the KGL had 180 casualties including Hinuber, who received a severe contusion, and his brigade major who was killed. Hay was killed in the attack and Hope was captured along with his staff.[7][36] The military historian Sir William Napier noted that "...the readiness and gallantry with which General Hinuber and his Germans retook St. Etienne saved the allies from a very terrible disaster".[37]
Peacetime occupation
The same month as the battle Napoleon abdicated, ending the Napoleonic Wars, and Bayonne surrendered on 27 April upon hearing the news.[7][36] A Subsidiary Army was afterwards formed to continue on in mainland Europe, and Hinuber was given command of the KGL Division within it, stationed mostly at Tournai and Mons.[7] This made him the commander of all KGL infantry in the Netherlands; six line battalions and two light battalions organised into three brigades.[31][38][39][40] The KGL was kept separate to the other British Army units serving in the Low Countries, in expectation that it would soon be disbanded and incorporated into a new Hanoverian Army.[38]
Hinuber was rewarded for his services during the war, being appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 2 January 1815, and in the same year becoming a Knight Commander of the Royal Guelphic Order.[1][25] He was also awarded the Army Gold Medal with a clasp for his service at the Battle of Nivelle.[1]
Hundred Days
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Napoleon escaped from his confinement on Elba in March 1815, restarting the conflict, and Wellington returned to the continent to form a new Anglo-Allied Army. Hinuber's KGL Division was re-formed into two brigades and split between the 2nd and 3rd Divisions to ensure that the newly arrived British units received a backbone of experienced soldiers.[7][39] Hinuber himself was given command of the 4th Division on 11 April. He was, however, only a relatively junior major-general and on 28 April was replaced in command by Major-General Sir Charles Colville, who held local rank as a lieutenant-general.[7]
Frustrated by the loss of his division, Hinuber continued his tense relationship with Wellington by arguing that as he had originally been given command of all the KGL infantry in the country by Adolphus he should be able to continue in that specific appointment. Wellington wrote to the Military Secretary, Major-General Sir Henry Torrens, on 2 May requesting clarification as to whether he was required to give Hinuber command of a new division made up of all the KGL in the army. Torrens wrote back on 5 May that:
"...though [Adolphus] puts a very high value on [Hinuber's] services, he could not consider himself justified in authorising that the Legion should be kept together in order that he should command them...[Wellington] will be pleased to accept the resignation of his Staff appointment."[31]
Hinuber did as suggested, refusing a subsequent offer to instead take command of a KGL brigade, and resigned his position in Wellington's army on 9 May.[7][41] He travelled initially into Hanover before returning to England. Hinuber thus missed the Hundred Days campaign which culminated in the Battle of Waterloo, but was still listed as one of the recipients of the thanks of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the victory.[7] The military historians Ron McGuigan and Robert Burnham note that if Hinuber had stayed with the army through the campaign, the high level of casualties amongst the generals would have made him a divisional commander anyway.[31]
"May a time approach in which our nation, happily great and independently safe, will be able to develop every now restricted disposition and force, being an intimate State connection with the great German family, ruled by such Regents as those under whose century of government the British realm has been exalted to the most glorious and the happiest on earth."
Excerpt from Hinuber's response to a letter of admiration from Hanoverian politicians, 15 January 1815.[42]
With Napoleon defeated for a final time the KGL was disbanded on 24 February 1816 and Hinuber placed on British Army half pay.[43] He chose to join the newly re-created Hanoverian Army of the Kingdom of Hanover, which recognised the British Army ranks of any ex-KGL officers who joined. As such Hinuber began his service as a major-general on 1 March, but with seniority backdated to 4 June 1811, when he was promoted in British service.[19][2]
Hinuber was also appointed colonel of the regiment to the 5th Hanoverian Infantry Regiment, based at Lüneburg, a position he would hold until his death.[1][44] His first command in the new Hanoverian Army was the 3rd Hanoverian Infantry Brigade. While in this position, serving in France, he was promoted to lieutenant-general on 17 April 1818.[19][44]
Hanover was part of the German Confederation, centrally organised by the Federal Convention. In the same month as his promotion Hinuber was appointed to serve on the new Militärcomité, or Military Committee, set up by the Convention. The committee comprised twelve military attachés from different German states, all general officers with considerable military experience.[45] It was expected to assist the Federal Convention on technical military matters relating to the creation of the German Federal Army, but had no direct power itself.[45][46] The historian Hellmut Seier describes Hinuber as one of the committee's most influential generals.[47] The Militärcomité was tasked with creating the Federal War Constitution to codify the new army; this it completed on 12 October, after which the committee was dissolved.[45]
The Federal Convention took some of the members of the committee to form a permanent Bundesmilitärkommission, or Military Commission, on 15 March 1819. Hinuber was one of six kept on in the new entity.[Note 1] The commission was tasked with providing military advice to the Federal Convention, and also supervised the functioning, upkeep, and equipping of federal military fortifications.[45] The representatives mostly used their positions to instead champion their own nation's military interests within the Confederation.[48] Hinuber continued in command of the 3rd alongside this until 1 April 1820 when he was transferred to the command of the 2nd Hanoverian Infantry Brigade.[7][2]
While on British half pay Hinuber was also promoted to lieutenant-general on 12 August 1819. He continued to be listed in the Army List, but was withheld any pay or further promotion by seniority.[49][2] In 1824 he was advanced to become a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order, [50] before retiring from British Army service in 1827, continuing on in Hanover.[49][2] On 18 February 1831 Hinuber was given command of the 2nd Division of the German Federal Army's X Army Corps, based in Frankfurt.[49][2] Simultaneously he represented his Corps as military attache to the Federal Convention, which was also held in Frankfurt. He died from mastitis, still serving in Frankfurt, on 2 December 1833.[49][8][51]
Hinuber married Sophie Marie Lucie Eleonore Fahle (1787–1868) in St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 7 August 1815. Fahle was the daughter of Johann Heinrich Georg Wilhelm Fahle, a corporal in the KGL, and the sister of Wilhelm Fahle, a KGL sergeant. Together the couple had five children, the first of which was pre-marital.[7][3] Their children included:
- Harriet von Hinüber (13 April 1813 – 9 October 1875), married Major Friedrich von Oeynhausen in 1839.[3]
- Major Heinrich William Hinüber (30 May 1816 – 5 April 1849), Imperial Austrian Army hussar officer.[7][3]
- Lieutenant Eduard Hinüber (24 December 1817 – 28 December 1880), Hanoverian Army officer, married Sophie Elizabeth Stieger in 1821.[3]
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