John Oswald (British Army officer)

Sir

John Oswald
Born2 October 1771
Dunnikier, Fife, Scotland
Died8 June 1840 (aged 68)
Dunnikier, Fife, Scotland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service / branchUnited Kingdom British Army
Years of service1788 to 1840
RankGeneral
Battles / wars
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George

General Sir John Oswald GCB GCMG (2 October 1771 – 8 June 1840) was a prominent British Army officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars whose service was conducted in seven different theatres of war. Oswald was born in Fife and educated in France, which gave him both excellent command of the French language and close connections with the French aristocracy. The excesses of the French Revolution gave him a hatred of the French Republic and later Empire, and his exemplary service in the West Indies, the Netherlands, Malta, Italy, Egypt, the Adriatic and finally the Peninsular War demonstrated both his keen tactical and strategic understanding his and personal courage.

Highly commended for his war service, Oswald later took an interest in politics, unsuccessfully attempting to enter parliament but using his influence in the army to support the Conservatives. He married twice and had several children, and was invested in two knightly orders following his retirement from the army in recognition of his service. He died in 1840 at his family estate in Fife.