Jasper Nicolls

Sir Jasper Nicolls
Born	15 July 1778 East Farleigh, Kent
Died	4 May 1849 Reading, Berkshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Madras Army Indian Army
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Maratha War Peninsular War War of the Fifth Coalition Gurkha War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Lieutenant General Sir Jasper Nicolls KCB (15 July 1778 – 4 May 1849) was Commander-in-Chief, India.

Military career

Born at East Farleigh in Kent and educated at a private school in Ballygall and at Trinity College, Dublin, Nicolls was commissioned into the 45th Regiment of Foot in 1793.^[1]

He was present at the Battle of Argaon and Siege of Gawilghur in 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War and then at the disastrous attack on Buenos Aires by Lieutenant General John Whitelocke in 1807.^[1] In 1807 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Regiment of Foot and he went on to fight at the Battle of Corunna and to take part in the Walcheren Campaign in 1809.^[1]

In 1811 he became Assistant Adjutant-General at Horseguards and in 1812 he was made Deputy Adjutant-General in Ireland.^[1] Later that year he went to India as Quartermaster-General.^[1] In 1815, during the Gurkha War he captured Almora and reduced Kumaon.^[1]

In 1825 he was made General Officer Commanding a Division of the Madras Presidency and in 1829 he transferred to become GOC 7th (Meerut) Division; in 1838 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army.^[1] In 1839 he was promoted to Commander-in-Chief, India; he returned to England in 1843.^[1]

Family

In 1809 he married Anne Badcock and together they went on to have one son and eight daughters.^[2]

References