Frederick Adam
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General Sir Frederick Adam, GCB, GCMG (1781-1853) was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo, in command of the 3rd (Light) Brigade.
At the Age of fourteen, in 1795 Frederick Adam entered the British Army. He trained on the artillery school at the Woolwich Arsenal. In the same year he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and in 1796 he was promoted to second lieutenant.
He took part in the campaigns in the Netherlands and Egypt under Sir Ralph Abercromby, he was promoted to the rank of major in 1803 and a lieutenant colonel in 1804. From 1806 to 1811 he was stationed on Sicily. Between 1812 and 1813 he was in Spain fighting in the Peninsular War, where he was severely wounded at Alicante and Ordal.
On June 18, 1815, towards the end of the Battle of Waterloo, after the French Imperial Guard's unsuccessful attack on the British centre, the Guard rallied to their reserves of three (some sources say four) regiments, just south of La Haye Sainte for a last stand against the British. But a charge from General Adam's Brigade threw them into a state of confusion and those which were left retreated towards La Belle Alliance. It was during this stand that Colonel Hugh Halkett took the surrender of General Cambronne.
The French Imperial Guard made a last stand in squares on either side of the La Belle Alliance. General Adam's Brigade charged the square which was formed on rising ground to the (British) right of La Belle Alliance and again threw them into a state of confusion. The other square was attacked by the Prussians. They retreated away from the battle field towards France. The French artillery, and everything else belonging to them, fell into the hands of the British and Prussians.
From 1817 to 1824 he continued his career in the army. Between 1824 and 1832 he was a popular Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands. His commissioning of the construction of public buildings on Corfu were much appreciated by the local population. From October 25, 1832 to March 4, 1837 he was Governor of Madras and in 1846 he was promoted to general.
Incomplete list of military commands:
- 1815 commanded 3rd (Light) Brigade at Waterloo
- 1829 – 1835 Colonel of 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot.
- 1835 Colonel of 75th Foot who were stationed in India.
- 1843 Colonel 21st Fusiliers.
| Unit | Commander | Number of Men |
| 3rd (Light) Brigade Waterloo | Major General Frederick Adam | 2,937 men |
| 1/52nd Regiment of Foot (Oxfordshire Light Infantry) | Lt-Colonel. Sir John Colborne | 1,130 (the biggest battalion at Waterloo) |
| 71st Regiment of Foot (Highland Light Infantry) | Lt-Colonel. Reyner | 936 |
| 2/95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles) | Major Norcott | 666 |
| 3/95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles) | 205 |
