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Major General James Patrick 2 MURRAY (1782-1834)
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| Name: | James Patrick 2 MURRAY |
| Sex: | Male |
| Name Prefix: | Major General |
| Father: | James Patrick 1 MURRAY (1721-1794) |
| Mother: | Ann WHITHAM (1761?-1824) |
Individual Events and Attributes
| Occupation | Major-General in the Army | |
| Birth | 21 Jan 1782 | Leghorn |
| Death | 5 Dec 1834 | Killenure House, near Athlone |
Marriage
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Additional Information
| Marriage | They were married by the Revd. Benjamin Holmes, Rector of Freshwater Church |
Individual Note 1
James Patrick Murray was the eldest son of the Hon. General James Murray. He was born in Leghorn Italy while his father was Lt. Governor of Minorca. The British Garrison on Minorca was under siege from French and Spanish forces and his mother, the former Ann Witham, was evacuated from the island to safety as she was expecting his imminent birth. Italy was the nearest friendly country.
Cordelia, General James' first wife, had died on 16th June 1779. Quite soon afterwards,1st June 1780, he married Ann Witham, a girl of only 19, who had just lost her father, (Abraham Witham, H.M.Consul to the Island of Majorca). General James Murray was 51 years old at the time. Their first child Cordelia, (JPM's elder sister) was born in Majorca on 16th March 1781.
French and Spanish forces began the siege of Majorca on 17 August 1781 and 2 days afterwards it was decided that Mrs Murray, her baby daughter and two other officers' wives would be evacuated. The account of her escape, as told by her granddaughter in 1877, is as follows: -
"My grandmother and the wives of the officers of his staff made their escape in an open boat in the midst of the night. Through the presence of mind of my grandmother, the boat was enabled to pass through the French and Spanish fleets, she repeating the parole in the Spanish language with calmness and being, like the other ladies, wrapped in a large military cloaks".
Although we know that General Murray did manage to maintain some sort of communication with Leghorn, Ann must have been a pretty cool young lady if, with the baby girl in her arms and another child on the way, she managed all this and a 500 miles sea journey from Minorca to Leghorn in an open sailing boat.
According to Lady O'Donnel's account "soon after they landed at Leghorn, she was taken ill and when the little boy was born he was apparently dead, but his mother entreated that he should immediately be put into a warm bath. She had dreamt that he was born dead and that thus, through the mercy of God, he was restored to life".
It seems that after they arrived in Leghorn they moved in fairly high class circles. JPM's godfather was the Grand Duke of Tuscany who was the son of the Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, and the brother of Marie Antoinette. The Grand Duke himself became Holy Roman Emperor as Leopold II in 1790.
JPM was probably brought up at Beauport, his father's estate in Sussex, but there is no record of his schooling. His father died when he was only 12 years old in 1794. On Gen. James's death, part of the Beauport Estate reverted to the Collier family and part sold to provide for his widow and daughters. Like his father JPM was destined for an army career and at the age of 14, in 1796, he was commissioned Ensign in the 44th Regiment .
In 1797 he was promoted lieutenant and was employed on regimental duty until 17th May 1780. He was then appointed ADC (Aide de Camp) to General George Don (Maria Murray's husband) with whom he served until June 1799. He then joined his relation Lieutenant General Sir James Pulteney Murray and served as his ADC during the campaign in North Holland.
The French had invaded and overrun Holland, renaming it the Republic of Batavia. It was in this war that the Dutch fleet, lying frozen in the Zuider See, was captured by French cavalry. In 1799, Pitt decided that unless Britain made some gesture and opened up a second front, the Austrians would make a separate peace with France. He therefore made a pact with Russia that a joint expedition should be launched against the low countries, Britain to supply 30,000 troops and Russia 16,000. To ensure success the Grand Old Duke of York was made commander in chief and his three divisional commanders were Abercrombie, Pulteney and Dundas. In spite of an unfavourable report by Abercrombie, it was decided that the expedition should land in the Helder area and drive south to Amsterdam. Landing in the Helder was not very difficult, but the Russian contingent soon proved unreliable and the British got bogged down amongst the dykes and canals. So an armistice was arranged whereby both sides agreed to exchange prisoners and Britain evacuated her army.
Although, as a lieutenant, JPM cannot have played in important part in this campaign he certainly took part in several actions and according to reports, General Pulteney enhanced his reputation by the resource and skill which he displayed. JPM saw active service on the 27th August, the 10th & 19th of September, and the 2nd & 6th October 1799. Clearly he did quite well as he was appointed Commanding Officer of a company in the 9th Regiment on the 26th December 1799.
The following year Pitt decided to send an expedition to Ferrol in northern Spain. Raids such as these had earlier been described as ' breaking windows with guineas. General Pulteney was put in command and landed on the 25th August 1800. On the next day General Pulteney, having surveyed the fortress, held a staff conference and advised that it was far too strong to be assaulted with any chance of success, so he re-embarked his men. For his conduct he was the subject of a motion of censure in the House of Commons, in which Pitt spoke against him, but to which he replied vigorously and was finally exonerated. Murray had again accompanied him on this abortive expedition as his ADC.
At the Peace of Amiens in 1802 JPM was placed on half pay .
It was about this time that he went to the Isle of Wight . Why he gave up his military career at this point is a little bit of a mystery. When the Peace of Amiens was signed in 1802 he was aged 20, had already had some six years military service and must have decided to abandon a military career and take up politics. He may have become disenchanted with the idea of a military career , having seen unsuccessful commanders arraigned before Parliament or courts martial for lack of success. Austria had made peace with France, Napoleon had won the battles of Marengo and Hohenlinden, the war had reached a stalemate and people had begun to get war weary . Perhaps there was a vacant parliamentary seat going cheap at Yarmouth. Perhaps Edward Rushworth fixed him up, encouraged marriage to his daughter Elizabeth and even gave her some land at Farringford Hill for the couple to build themselves a home. In any case he married Elizabeth Rushworth, the daughter of Edward Rushworth and granddaughter of Lord Holmes, and entered Parliament as MP for Yarmouth on the 8th July 1882 at a general election. His parliamentary career was extremely brief, however, for on the 25th February 1803 someone else was returned in his place. He had resigned his seat accepting the motion to assume the office of Steward of the manor of East Hendred. Between his election and his resignation the House only sat in the period 16th November to 29th December 1802 and from the 3rd February 1803. He was thus effectively a member for little more than seven weeks.
However war broke out almost immediately and JPM went off to the newly founded Royal Military College at High Wycombe (later moved to Sandhurst) and on 18th May 1803 was gazetted to a company in the 66th Foot (the Royal Berkshire Regiment). During the next six years the regiment were on garrison duty in Ireland and their various moves may be followed in the history of the Berkshire Regiment. In spite of the fact that the Act of Union had just been passed and that St Patrick's cross had been added to the Union Jack, that country was still unsettled. A few years earlier there had been two French landings and the National rising had been defeated at the battles of the New Ross and Vinegar Hill. Pitt tried to include Catholic emancipation as part of the terms of the Union, but George III had refused to sanction such a clause (which might later have saved much unrest and bloodshed) because he considered it contrary to his coronation oath.
While stationed in Ireland the Murrays had three children who survived, a daughter and two sons. They were privately baptised in Ireland and each later publicly christened at Freshwater Church in the Isle of Wight - so they moved fairly often between Ireland and England.
Whilst in Ireland the regiment had been alerted that they might be sent abroad and there was speculation as to whether it would be to the East Indies, to South America or Ceuta (see the letters sent by JPM to his wife during this period - they are rather sad in that Elizabeth was unable to see her husband despite being in (a different part of) Ireland herself at the time, very heavily pregnant and with no idea where JPM would be sent next or when she would next be able to see him; the situation was even more poignant in hindsight as he would shortly sustain the injury which altered the course of his whole career). Actually they landed in Portugal in April, about the same time as Arthur Wellesley and on the 12th May 1809 they played an important part in the passage of the river Douro (see separate account of this).
Marshall Sault had entrenched himself on the north bank of a broad river in the town of Oporto and had kept a strong reinforcements on his right wing for fear Wellesley might attempt a landing by sea in his rear. Wellesley found some unguarded wine barges and a scuttled ferry boat upstream and, round a bend of the river, out of sight of the French, pushed over 30 men of the Buffs, who immediately occupied a convent. The Berkshire Regiment under Murray were then sent over to reinforce them. During this diversion the townsfolk in Oporto started to riot at and the Worcesters and the Guards crossed the river. The French retreated in confusion leaving behind their artillery and stores.
It was during the fierce fighting to retake the convent that JPM received the severe wound which ever after impaired his health and deprived him of the use of his right arm. According to his daughter, "his right elbow was shattered in the battle, the arm was on the point of being amputated, when Sir Arthur Wellesley came into the hospital and stopped the operation. However the arm was always useless". According to the official records of the Berkshire Regiment in the glorious fight at the seminary the 66th lost Major Murray and Captain Benning, both seriously wounded. The brigade was thanked on the spot by the Commander in Chief himself. In 1814 the Regiment received the battle honour 'Douro' for this action.
On the 25th May 1809 JPM was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and subsequently employed in the Quarter Master General's Department in Ireland. On the 2nd November 1809 he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 5th garrison Battalion. From 1811 to 1819 he was assistant Adjutant General in Ireland and stationed at Athlone and on the 12th August 1819 he received the brevity of Colonel .On the 22 July 1830, he was promoted to Major-General, and was created a Companion of the Bath on the first creation of that class of order.
He died in Ireland at his home Killenure House, near Athlone after a few days' illness, in his 53rd year "greatly lamented by his family, and sincerely regretted by his relatives and friends " . An Irish newspaper describes the accident leading to his death as follows: "....the circumstances attendant upon the death of General Murray are rather of a tragic nature and afford a convincing proof of the finest feelings of human nature and the most humane and sympathetic dispositions are merely allied to or associated with courage and native bravery. He caught cold from his exertions in endeavouring to recover the bodies of two fellow officers who met with a watery grave on their way back to their barracks from his house".
JPM and Elizabeth had six sons and six daughters.
Elizabeth Murray, nee Rushworth, survived until 15th November 1865, when she died at Rossanna House, and was buried in Benowen churchyard. She was descended from two important families in the Isle of Wight. Records of the members of Parliament for Yarmouth, which was a pocket borough, show that you had either to be a Holmes, a Rushworth or a Jervoise! Elizabeth's mother Catherine, born in 1725, was the daughter of the 2nd Lord Holmes, whose family name was Troughear. The story starts with a gentleman who began life under the name of the Reverend Leonard Troughear. By 1763 this fellow was thoroughly involved in local politics and borough-mongering as Sir Leonard Troughear Worsley Holmes (having taken his mother's maiden name). In 1797 he became Lord Kilmalloch in the county of Limerick and he died in 1804. When his daughter Catherine (1765 - 1829) married Edward Rushworth at the tender age of 15 he gave her some land in the neighbourhood of Freshwater. Thereafter Edward Rushworth seems to have been described as ''of Freshwater House'' (this was possibly on the site of what is now described as Manor Farm). In 1790 Edward Rushworth added to his property by purchasing various fields from a Mr William Bowman of Brook, a neighbouring hamlet not far from Farringford .
It seems that when Elizabeth Rushworth married JPM they were given land on which to build a house by her father Edward Rushworth. This house was called Farringford Hill. When JPM went to Ireland with his regiment they clearly left some bills behind, possibly for completing the house. Edward Rushworth wrote to Thomas Sewell of Newport, Isle of Wight, as follows: "I am greatly hurt by receipt of your letter respecting the taxation of costs. I have repeatedly written to Murray on the subject and his answers were not at all satisfactory. I shall again write to Col. Murray and press the subject very warmly, adding that if he does not think proper to pay the costs, I shall make the satisfaction from my own purse, which has already undergone privations". The story is confirmed by Lizzie Harvey ( JPM's granddaughter) who stated in a letter that her grandfather began building Farringford "which was considered very foolish of him owing to his financial circumstances". She maintained that Elizabeth's father took the building off his hands and finished it. She also believed they had a lawsuit. Farringford Hill was sold on Edward Rushworth's death to a family called Middleton, who probably later sold it to Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Lord Tennyson later extended the house and renamed it Farringford House .
Individual Note 3
An extract from the History of the 66th Regiment, on the subject of why the British Army was in Portugal; on the role of the 66th, commanded by James Patrick Murray, in Arthur Wellesley's (the Duke of Wellington's) army; and on the outcome of their attempt to capture the city of Oporto, through which the river Douro flows:
During the early spring of 1804, the 2nd Battalion of the 66th Regiment, under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter, embarked for Ireland, and landing at Cork in the month of March, went into quarters at the Geneva Barracks.
During the years 1805-6-7, the battalion was stationed in the South of Ireland. In June 1808, it was encamped on the Curragh of Kildare; and when the Camp at the Curragh broke up, it marched to Dublin, and there remained until the spring of the following year.
About this time, the enthusiasm for the liberation of the Peninsula, then prevalent throughout Great Britain, was increased by the disasters that had befallen our forces in Spain, and the death of the gallant Sit John Moore at Corunna. There appeared to be a general desire that immediate steps should be taken to drive the French out of Spain, and avenge the losses that Moore's army had sustained during the terrible retreat from Sahagun. This feeling was particularly strong amongst all ranks in the Service, and it was therefore with genuine satisfaction that the 66th received notice that it had been specially selected to form part of the Division, destined to embark for Lisbon, under Major-General Rowland Hill.
Though but lately raised, the 2nd Battalion was in a most efficient condition; the officers were young, active, high-spirited men; the non-commissioned-officers and privates, able-bodied, well disciplined, and fit for nay service.
Under command of Major Murray, the 66th, mustering 720 bayonets, with a full complement of officers, left the Irish Metropolis and proceeded to Cork, from whence they were to sail for Portugal. During the march, a gloom was cast over the whole battalion, by the untimely death of Major Richard Lloyd, a very popular and able officer, who was accidentally drowned whilst bathing. On arrival at Cork, the battalion at once went on board ship, but the transports did not weigh anchor for some days.
The late Colonel Clark of the 66th, in his (manuscript) "Reminiscences of the Peninsula" describes the embarkation and subsequent march to Coimbra:
"In June, 1808, I got my ensigncy, and after spending seven months in Dublin garrison, the Regiment, with several others, got orders to march for Cork. We embarked at the Cove of Cork on the 10th of March, 1809, under command of Rowland Hill, our entire force being about 5000 men. On the 4th April, we entered the Tagus, disembarked at Belem on the 6th, and marched on the 8th, taking the northern route towards Oporto. Most of the officers carried a small oil-skin knapsack, containing a couple of shirts, stockings, and a change of boots; as to dressing cases, but few of us required a razor! Our route lay over part of the ground on which the battle of Vimiera had been fought, and we passed through the old towns of Leira and Alcobasca. Our force was concentrated at Coimbra, where we remained until Sir Arthur Wellesley took command of the army".
By the end of the first week in May, Sir Arthur Wellesley had collected his forces upon the Mondego, near to Pombal and Coimbra, and found himself at the head of 13,000 British, 9000 Portuguese, and 3000 Hanoverians. On the 7th May he gave orders for the army to march on Oporto, which was held by the French, under Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia.
General Hill's division (General Hill was nominally Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division; but as a matter of fact he commanded the whole Division) - to which the 66th was attached - advanced upon Aveiro, while Sir Arthur, with the rest of the army, marched by the direct road on Vouga. On the 10th May, Hill embarked his division at Aveiro in boats, to cross lake Ovarre, and at a place called Erigo, his advance guard encountered a body of the enemy's cavalry under Franceschi. A slight skirmish - in which the Light Company of the 66th took part - ensued, and the French retired, but were briskly pursued. Next day, after a long and fatiguing march over a sandy country, Hill's division reached the left bank of the Douro, and, having taken up a position opposite to, and about 9 miles from Oporto, bivouacked for the night.
"During the night," writes Colonel Clark, "our bivouac was disturbed by a tremendous noise accompanied by what some deemed a shock of earthquake. We marched soon after, and arrived early in the day (12th) at Villa Nuova, a suburb of Oporto, on the left bank of the Douro; it is a large place, and contains the chief stores of the Oporto Wine Company. We soon learnt the cause of the noise during the night; the French had blown up the bridge, and used a great quantity of powder in the operation".
Early next morning, the 66th entered Villa Nuova, and halted in the streets to await orders.
The opposing armies were now face to face, but having destroyed the bridge, Soult considered himself secure from any attack on his front and right. A deep, swift river, more than 300 yards wide, and guarded by a Corps d'Armee of Veterans, would have proved an impassable obstacle to most men, but Sir Arthur Wellesley determined to make the attempt, and set about to find means of crossing the Douro. By a fortunate chance Colonel Waters, of the Staff, discovered that a barber of Oporto had eluded the vigilance of the French, and come over in a skiff the previous night, and that his boat was concealed among the rushes. The little craft was dragged from its hiding place, and Waters, accompanied by the Prior of Amarathne, rowed across to the opposite bank, and there found three barges, which he succeeded in bringing away without attracting attention.
At 10 a.m., (12th May, 1809) Colonel Waters reported that one boat was ready. "Well, let the men cross," was Sir Arthur's laconic order; and an officer and twenty-five men of the 3rd Buffs (which Regiment, together with the 48th, was brigaded with the 66th) silently entered the barge, were rowed across unperceived by the enemy, and immediately possessed themselves of a large detached building on the Vallonga road, called the "Seminary". This building was easily approached from the river, but on the land side, it was surrounded by a high wall, pierced with one gateway; the "Seminary" commanded all the country on the north bank of the Douro, but was itself commanded by the Sierra Rock on the Villa Nuova, or south side; and here, Sir Arthur had eighteen guns placed in battery.
The banks of the Douro being steep and precipitous, and the point of crossing concealed from the city by a bend of the river, the enemy remained in ignorance of the daring manoeuvre for some little time; and the light companies of the 3rd, 48th and 66th regiments had crossed and occupied the Seminary before the alarm was given. But as the fourth boat - in which was Lieutenant General Paget - was making the passage, the alarm was given, and presently General Foy, with the 17th Voltigeurs, rushed from out the city to drive the British back. Foy was soon reinforced by Mermet's brigade, and the Seminary was furiously attacked.
General Paget fell badly wounded, and Rowland Hill assumed the command. More troops were ferried across to the assistance of their comrades, who were contending against terrible odds, and in a short time Hill had the whole of the three battalions of his brigade within the walls of the Seminary.
The ground to the west of the building was completely swept by the battery on the Sierra Rock, so the French were forced to confine their attack to the face farthest removed from its fire, which Hill defended with obstinacy.
The arrival of fresh troops enabled a portion of the brigade to assume the offensive, and advance against a 7-gun battery, which they carried in the face of a withering fire of grape and musketry. Here the Light Company of the 66th captured and brought off a beautiful brass field-piece. Shortly after noon, the French evacuated the lower town of Oporto, and the inhabitants rushing down to the now unguarded quays, jumped into boats and rowed across to the south bank.
Sherbrooke's Brigade of Guards at once went over in these boats; and almost at the same time General Murray [not James Patrick]- who had crossed the river at the ferry at Avintas, three miles up stream - was seen advancing down the right bank with the German Brigade and the 14th Light Dragoons.
All was now over; the French broke and retired in confusion along the Vallonga road, and that afternoon the British troops entered Oporto, and were received with every manifestation of joy by the delighted citizens.
In this action, the French lost 500 men and 5 guns (one of which was taken by the 66th) in the field, besides leaving 50 guns, a quantity of military stores, and all their sick at Oporto. The British casualties numbered 115 killed and wounded; the 66th alone lost 35 men, or nearly one-third of the total. Three officers of the Regiment
- Major Murray, Captain Benning and Lieutenant Farr - were amongst the wounded.
The above account of the passage of the Douro is taken from the MS records of the 66th, and Clarke's "Reminiscences"; Colonel Clarke was then a Subaltern in the Light Company.
Sir Arthur Wellesley thanked the Brigade on the spot for its conduct on this occasion, and that same evening issued the following order:
"G.O., Oporto, 12th May, 1809. The Commander of the Forces congratulates the troops upon the success that has attended the operations of the last four days; during which they have traversed above 80 miles of most difficult country, have carried some formidable positions, have beaten the enemy repeatedly, and have ended by forcing the passage of the Douro and defending the position so boldly taken, with a number far inferior to that by which they were attacked. In the course of this short expedition the Commander of the Forces has had repeated opportunities of witnessing and applauding the gallantry of the officers and men".
Colonel Clarke, in his Reminiscences, relates a ludicrous incident that occurred during the march to Oporto. He says:
"From the time we left Lisbon we had experienced the greatest kindness from the Portuguese. In passing through the towns we were not allowed to halt, but the ladies would run out and fill our hands with cakes and sweetmeats. The day before entering Oporto, I carried the "King's Colour", my brother ensign being a young and very handsome lad. A number of good-looking girls were standing in the road-way with pitchers of water, ready to give a drink to our thirsty soldiers; as the colour-party passed, a fine, handsome woman suddenly pressed forward, and seizing my astonished comrade in her arms, kissed him on both cheeks. Her act seemed infectious, for in an instant the young ensign was surrounded by a score of Portuguese lasses who embraced him again and again. The roars of laughter that greeted this extraordinary display of good feeling for the British troops, attracted the attention of our Commanding Officer, and he came galloping up to enquire the cause of the disturbance; a glance showed him the state of the case, and he too joined, good-humouredly, in the laugh against the embarrassed subaltern."
Daniel Nicol goes on to write that in late May, the Battalion had begun to move again ". . . over the bridge of boats across the broad and rapid Douro and bade adieu to Oporto forever, with its churches, convents, and port wine. To the last the British troops paid more devotion than to the first." On 4 June they celebrated the King's birthday with each man receiving a pint of wine and a chance to bathe in the Mondego River.
It is unlikely that James Patrick Murray took part in these festivities. His arm had been completely shattered. In fact, it was on the point of being amputated when the Duke of Wellington interceded and demanded the arm be saved. However, it was thenceforth completely useless, and Murray always had to carry it in a sling, as the portraits of him by Sir George Don show.
Some of Murray's letters to his wife Elizabeth, who was from a well-known family in the Isle of Wight, survive. They date from just before and just after the passage of the Douro, and acquire a particular poignancy given the injuries that were inflicted on Murray in that battle: immediately before the regiment was sent to Portugal, Murray had no idea where or when they would next be sent. Elizabeth ("Betsy") was then staying fifty or so miles away in Limerick, and is most anxious to see her husband. He replies with great affection, but rejects the possibility as impractical, since she might arrive, after a substantial journey, only to find that the regiment has just left or is about to leave; then, they would be in a worse situation than now, he says. The letters give a lot of detail about the speculation which was rife in the regiment about where they will next be posted, and give an insight into how insecure the world of a military officer was, especially in those days of colonial expansion, where the army was deployed all over the world - for example: "...your surmise respecting the battalion on a draft going to the West Indies is not correct, as you will see in the letter which I wrote to you yesterday, that we do not pack our heavy baggage, we are to go in the lightest possible order and camp equipage is to be delivered to us today; I am convinced we are going either to Cadiz or Cueta - General Sherbrooke's expedition is driven into Cork entirely and an officer of the 88th, Mr McCarthy, who belongs to it, came on shore this morning to see his brother, who is in this regiment. He says that the orders were yesterday that we are to join that expedition...", and so it goes on. Then, a few days later: "I have nothing new since last night, we are all in the same uncertainty, the report is now that we are not to join Shellbrooke's expedition, but that they are to sail immediately and that we are to go as was first mentioned under Beresford, one report is to Cueta, and the other is to South America, the former destination I believe to be the true one, as if we were destined for South America we should receive more than two months pay in advance...."
Clearly, though, the couple are very much in love and missing each other. It is particularly touching that they are so close, relatively, and yet unable to be together, considering that he is to get a posting abroad in the near future. Murray's letters finish with real outpourings of feeling: "I must now, my ever dearest Betsy, conclude. God Almighty bless, preserve and protect you, my dear Catherine, James and little Pulteney, and kiss them all a thousand thousand times for me and believe me to be ever your most sincerely and truly affectionate husband". Sometimes he refers to his second son as "pretty Pulteney": it is interesting to note that, unlike his father and grandfather, and unlike his son and grandson, "pretty Pulteney" did not have a successful career in the army: maybe he was a little too pampered.
On the subject of James Patrick's 12 children, it is extraordinary that he got the time and opportunity to be so fecund, given the amount of time he spent away from home!
James Patrick's last surviving letter is after Douro, when he was still suffering badly from his shattered arm. The letter in full goes: "Thank God I am safely arrived in the Island - I landed at Ryde this morning and have suffered so much both in the boat and the hack chaise, that I find it impossible to come on to Farringford this afternoon- so much as I wish it. I beg therefore you will request Mr Rushworth to let you have the carriage to come over and we will return with you tomorrow. Do pray come - Sir H. and Lady Holmes are both extremely kind and request you will come - I cannot write more; God bless you all, remember me most affectionately to Mr and Mrs Rushworth and all, and believe me..."
Individual Note 5
Obituary in the Gentleman's Magazine June 1835
MAJOR-GEN.. J. P. MURRAY, C.B.
Dec. 5. At Killeneure, near Athlone,
In his 53d year, Major-General James
Patrick Murray, C.B.
This gallant officer was the only son of General time Hon. James Murray, (fifth Son of Alexander fourth Lord Elibank,) distinguished by his persevering defence of Minorca in the years 1781.82. It was at that period that the subject of this notice was born, on the 21st Jan. 1782, at Leghorn, to which city his mother had retired from the siege. She was Anne daughter of Abraham Whitham, esq. the British Consul-general at Majorca. He was educated at Westminster School; and, having determined to follow his father's profession, obtained an Ensigncy in the 44th regiment in 1796, and in the following year was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the same corps. In May 1798 he was appointed Aid-de-camp to General Don, with whom he continued in the Isle of Wight until June 1799; when he joined his relation and guardian Lt.Gen. Sir James Pulteney, and served as Aid-de-camp to that officer during the campaign in North Holland. He was present in the actions of 27 August, 10 and 18th Sept. 2nd and 6th Oct. and was in one of them slightly wounded. On Dec. 26, 1799, he was gazetted to a company, by purchase, In the 9th foot. He next accompanied Sir James Pulteney to the Ferrol, and was intrusted, by both the General and the Admiral in that expedition, with some important and confidential transactions. At the general election of 1802 he was returned to Parliament as one of the Members for Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight; but vacated his seat in the following March. At the peace of Amiens he was placed on half pay; and after studying for some time at the Royal Military Academy, was re-appointed to half pay in the 66th foot. In 1803 he espoused the amiable object of a long attachment, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward Rushworth, esq. of Freshwater House, Isle of Wight, and granddaughter of the late Lord Holmes, by whom he has left twelve children. In Feb. 1804, he obtained by purchase, a Majority in the 66th, with which he was stationed in several parts of Ireland; and subsequently was appointed to the staff of that country as Assistant Quartermaster-genera1 at Limerick, which situation he relinquished in order to accompany his regiment on foreign service. With the same regiment he also served in Portugal; where, at the passage of the Douro, he received a severe musket wound, which not only completely shattered and deprived him of the use of his right arm, but ever after impaired his general health. His gallant conduct, on this occasion, is honourably recorded in the public despatch of Sir Arthur Wellesley, who, shortly after he had received the shot, came up to him on the field, and, taking him by the hand, said, -" Murray, you and your men have behaved like lions; I shall never forget you". On the 25th May 1809, Major Murray was promoted to the rank of Lieut. - Colonel; and on his return home, he was employed in the Quartermaster-general's department in Ireland. From 1811 to 1819 he was Assistant Adjutant-general, stationed at Athlone. In 1819 he received the brevet of Colonel, and in 1830 that of Major General.
His death was occasioned by a cold caught in his humane exertions to save the lives of two young officers, who were drowned in the lake in front of his residence (see p. 220). He possessed an accomplished and a benevolent heart; and was characterized by the highest honour, integrity, and worth.
P220 - Drowned by the upsetting of a boat on the Upper Shannon, near Athione, Ensigns James R. Byers and Win. J. Kerr, (see p. 110), both of 1st regt.