Field Marshal Lord NAPIER of Magdala
(1810-1890)

He remained there until the outbreak of the first Sikh war in 1845. In the first action at Mudki his horse was killed under him and three days later, at Firozshah, the same thing happened again but this time Napier himself was severely wounded. In both of these he was acting as Chief Engineer, and he took part in several more actions before the end of that war in 1846, when he was mentioned in despatches and promoted to Major.

Further actions followed and in 1849 he was present at the battle of Goojerat, after which he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

On the annexation of the Punjab, he was appointed Civil Engineer to the Board of Administration, a post which he held for seven years. During this time he initiated and carried out a substantial programme of public works throughout the province. Lord Dalhousie, on relinquishing his post of Chief Commissioner of the Punjab in 1854 wrote generously about Napier's role in these developments.

Despite his commitments to the civil government of the Punjab, he participated in a number of minor operations during this phase of his career. In 1856, he went home on leave but was already on his way back to India when news of the Mutiny met him at Aden. He was immediately appointed Chief Engineer of Bengal but shortly after was gazetted as Military Secretary and Chief of the Adjutant Generals Department to Sir James Outram.

Napier was almost continuously involved in actions throughout the Mutiny and his military skills led him more and more into the overall command of units in the field. By 1858 he had been promoted to Brigadier General and in 1859 he was knighted. At this point he believed that his military career was nearing its end, but that was not to be.

In January 1860 he was appointed to command the 2nd Division in a force about to proceed to China, arriving there in July after a two month delay in Hong Kong. This division carried out many operations, including the assault on the Taku forts, after which it moved forward to Tientsin. By November, their task was complete and the 2nd Division returned to India where, from 1860 to 1865, Napier served as the Military Member in Council to the Governor General.

In 1866, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay army. This gave him every opportunity to develop schemes for the benefit and welfare of his soldiers, both British and Indian, one of his prime interests which was rewarded by a fierce loyalty.

As a result of this when, in the autumn of 1867, it was decided to send troops to Abyssinia, the command of this force was entrusted to Lieutenant General Napier. This was the first time that a Royal Engineer officer was placed in command of an entire expeditionary force and although this was regarded with suspicion by the regiments of the line, the decision was fully justified by the swift and efficient way in which the objective was achieved

Although a short, sharp campaign, it was essentially an engineer's war. Troops and supplies had to be landed on the coast of what is now Eritrea ; piers and a railway had to be constructed ; access roads were made, water wells were sunk, stores buildings were erected and an aqueduct was constructed to carry sweet water from an offshore distillation facility to on-shore storage.

The operation itself involved an advance of some 400 miles through atrocious terrain to the stronghold of King Theodore in Magdala where a number of European diplomats and missionaries had been taken prisoner.

A track had to be improved to take supplies and animals and the road constructed climbed 7400 ft in 63 miles. By April 1868, troops reached the vicinity of Magdala and an assault took place on 13th of that month. Victory was swift, King Theodore committed suicide and the prisoners were released unharmed.

Lieutenant General Napier (seated) and his staff Abyssinia 1868		10 Field Company Royal Engineers at camp
Photgraphs taken by RE photographers during the Abyssinian campaign

The army retraced its steps as quickly as possible and by 19 June the last vessel had left the port of Zula. General Napier was granted a peerage and took the title Lord Napier of Magdala.

In 1870, he was appointed Commander-in Chief in India, a post which he held until 1876. On returning home he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar, an office which he held until 1882, when he was raised to the rank of Field Marshal and in 1886 was appointed to the office of Constable of the Tower of London.

Throughout his military career, and after his retirement, he was a constant and active supporter of organisations and charities active in the welfare of deprived and under-privileged people. He died in London on 14 January 1890, aged 79, and was interred in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Web links

British Empire: Abyssinian Expedition

Sources:

Memoir - Royal Engineers Journal - 1890 - pp. 27 & 61.

Mini biography - Royal Engineers Corps History - Vol II - p.471.

Dictionary of National Biography - Vol 40 - p.75.

Links to further reading:

Corps History Part 7 - Engineers and the Early Victorian Wars