Thomas Picton, Welsh-English general and politician (b. 1758)
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 1758 – 18 June 1815) was a Welsh officer of the British Army who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible temperament". The Duke of Wellington called him "a rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived", but found him capable.
Picton came to public attention initially for his alleged cruelty during his governorship (1797–1803) of Trinidad, as a result of which he was put on trial in England for approving the illegal torture of a 14-year-old girl, Luisa Calderón. Though initially convicted, Picton later had the conviction overturned arguing that Trinidad was subject to Spanish law, which permitted the use of torture. Controversy over the torture and Picton's role in the colonial slave trade continued. In 2020, Cardiff council voted to remove Picton's statue in the "Heroes of Wales" gallery in Cardiff City Hall.He is chiefly remembered for his exploits under Wellington in the Iberian Peninsular War of 1807–1814, during which he fought in many engagements, displaying great bravery and persistence. He was killed in 1815 fighting at the Battle of Waterloo, during a crucial bayonet charge in which his division stopped d'Erlon's corps' attack against the allied centre left. He was the most senior officer to die at Waterloo. He was a sitting Member of Parliament at the time of his death.
1815Jun, 18
Thomas Picton
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Events on 1815
- 8Jan
Battle of New Orleans
War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British. - 1Mar
Hundred Days
Napoleon returns to France from his banishment on Elba, start of the Hundred Days. - 20Mar
Hundred Days
After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule. - 18Jun
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time. - 15Jul
HMS Bellerophon (1786)
Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon.