Everything about Edward Pakenham totally explained
» Edward Pakenham was also the name of the sixth earl of Longford
Sir Edward Michael Pakenham (
pro. pake-en-ham) (
March 19,
1778 –
January 8,
1815) was a
British general who was killed at the
Battle of New Orleans.
Pakenham was born at
Pakenham Hall (now known as Tullynally Castle),
County Westmeath,
Ireland to
Edward Michael Pakenham, 2nd Baron Longford and the former Catherine Rowley. He was educated at
The Royal School, Armagh. His family purchased his commission as a lieutenant in the 92nd Foot Regiment when he was only sixteen. He served with the 23rd Light Dragoons against the French in Ireland and later served in
Nova Scotia,
Barbados, and
Saint Croix. He led his men in an attack on
Saint Lucia in
1803, where he was wounded. He also fought in
Denmark and
Martinique, where he was wounded again.
In
1806, his sister Catherine married
Arthur Wellesley, the future
Duke of Wellington.
Pakenham, as adjutant-general, joined his famous relative in the
Peninsula War. In
1811, he fought in the
battle of Fuentes de Onoro to defend the besieged fortress of
Almeida and helped to secure a British victory. Later in
1812, he was praised for his performance at
Salamanca in which he commanded the Third Division.
In
1814, Pakenham, having been promoted to the rank of major-general, accepted an offer to replace General
Robert Ross as commander of the British North American army, after Ross was killed by a sniper. The next year during the battle of New Orleans, he was soundly defeated by Major General
Andrew Jackson. While rallying his troops near the enemy line, his horse was shot out from under him. As he mounted another horse, two bullets ripped through him, killing him almost immediately at the age of 36. His last words were reputed to be "Lost for the lack of courage". The battle was actually fought in
Chalmette in
St. Bernard Parish, but it has long been named for the larger city in the area.
There is a statue in his memory at the South Transept of
St Paul's Cathedral in
London. His body was returned in a casket of rum and buried in the Pakenham family vault in Killucan in Westmeath, Ireland. General Pakenham was known for a surly temper and a relative was recorded as remarking "The General has returned home in better spirits than he left."
There is a small village in
Ontario, Canada named in honor of the general after a short visit there.
Further Information
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