Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Peninsula War medal awarded to General Sir Thomas Napier, K.C.B., 52nd Foot and Chasseurs Britannique, he lost his left arm at Nive and was later Colonel of the 71st Highland Light Infantry
Military General Service 1793-1814, 7 clasps, Corunna, Fuentes D’Onor, Vittoria, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive (T. E. Napier, C.B. A.D.C. & Chasrs. Brit.) clasps mounted on wide-spaced carriage in order listed, fitted with silver ribbon buckle, good very fine and rare £5000-6000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Napoleonic War Medals formed by the late R.W. Gould, M.B.E..

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Thomas Erskine Napier was born near Falkirk on 10 May 1790, and raised in Edinburgh. He was the second son by his second wife of Captain Charles Napier, of Merchiston, Stirlingshire, brother to Admiral Sir Charles Napier, and first cousin to the famous‘Peninsular’ Napiers. He was appointed Ensign in the 52nd Foot on 3 July 1805, aged 15, and promoted to Lieutenant in May 1806. He served with the 52nd at the siege of Copenhagen and the battle of Kioge in 1807. As Aide de Camp to Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope, a relative of his mother, he took part in the expedition to Sweden in 1808 and afterwards in the Peninsula, including the retreat to Corunna in 1809. Having been promoted Captain in the Chasseurs Britannique in October 1808, he now joined his new regiment, a corps of foreigners in British pay, and served with them in Sicily and Spain, including Fuentes d’Onor, the defence of Cadiz, second siege of Badajoz, and the battles of Salamanca and Vittoria. It is interesting to note that ‘Colonel Custis and Captain Napier are the only British in the regiment’. When Sir John Hope returned to Spain in 1813, Napier resumed his post as Aide de Camp.

In his final engagement at Nive, during the various contests near the Mayor’s house, Napier was slightly wounded on 10 December 1813, and severely wounded the following day, whereby he lost his left arm. William Napier wrote to his wife shortly afterwards, ‘Poor Tom Napier has lost his arm, his left, above the elbow, but is doing as well as possible and is to get the brevet’, and again a few days later, ‘Send me, or buy at least, and keep till further orders, a knife and fork like George’s. I want to buy one for Tom Napier; it is a silver fork with a cutting edge on the side for one-armed people.’ He subsequently received a pension of £300 per annum for the loss of his arm. Napier was duly promoted Major by brevet on 26 December 1813, whilst still recovering from his wounds. The Chasseurs Britannique were disbanded in 1814 and Napier was placed on half pay. He received further promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in June 1817, to Colonel in January 1837, and was made a Companion of the Bath in July 1838. Advanced to Major-General in November 1846, he was for some years Assistant Adjutant-General at Belfast, and then general officer commanding troops in Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle until his promotion to Lieutenant-General in June 1854. He was appointed Colonel of the 16th Foot in 1854 and transferred to the 71st Foot in May 1857, and was advanced to Knight Commander of the Bath in May 1860. He received his final promotion to full General in September 1861 and died at Polten House, Lasswade, near Edinburgh, on 5 July 1863, aged 73.