Baker Russell

General Sir Baker Creed Russell GCB, KCMG
Born	(1837-01-11)11 January 1837 Maitland, NSW, Australia
Died	25 November 1911(1911-11-25) (aged 74) Folkestone, Kent, UK
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1854–1911
Rank	General
Unit	13th Hussars
Commands held	Aldershot Cavalry Brigade North Western District Bengal Command Southern District
Battles/wars	Indian Mutiny Anglo-Ashanti War Anglo-Zulu War Egyptian War
Awards	GCB, KCMG

General Sir Baker Creed Russell GCB KCMG (1837–25 November 1911) was an Australian-born British Army officer who served with distinction in the Indian Mutiny, Anglo-Ashanti War, Anglo-Zulu War and Egyptian War.

Early life

Baker Creed Russell was born in 1837 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia, the son of the Hon. William Russell, formerly a major in the 73rd Regiment.

Military career

He entered the British Army in 1855 as a cornet of the Carabiniers. He was present at Meerut on the Sunday when the Indian Mutiny began. He served right through the Mutiny with great distinction and took part in numerous actions. He participated the pursuit of the Tantya Tope one of the leaders of the rebellion. Russell emerged in 1858 with an excellent record so that on the earliest opportunity he was given a brevet majority. In 1862 he was transferred to the 13th Hussars, which he subsequently commanded. Under his leadership it became one of the smartest and best light cavalry regiments in the world.

In 1873, with the rank of major, he accompanied Sir Garnet Wolseley to the Gold Coast to participate in the first Ashanti Expedition. He raised, organised and led a native corps in all the principal actions with great distinction.

In 1879, he again served under Wolseley, this time in the Zulu campaign. For his successful leadership of the operations against Sekukuni, he was made a KCMG and aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria. He was a member of the Wolseley ring.

In 1882, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Brigade during the Egyptian War. He led the midnight charge at Kassassin, was present at the battle of Tel el-Kebir and participated in the march to and occupation of Cairo, which was carried out by the Cavalry Division under Drury-Lowe.

In 1886, he was, for a short time, Inspecting Officer of Auxiliary Cavalry.

From 1890 to 1894, was General Officer Commanding the Aldershot Cavalry Brigade. In 1895 he commanded the North Western District which had its headquarters in Chester. From 1896 to 1898 he was Commander-in-Chief Bengal Command. Upon his return to England in 1898 he was posted to Portsmouth as GOC of the Southern District. In this capacity he was very conspicuous at Southampton Docks whenever troops were embarking for South Africa in the early stages of the Anglo-Boer War.^[1]

Military career timeline

Death

He died on 25 November 1911 in Folkestone, Kent.

References

Further reading

• Hew Strachan, The Politics of the British Army (1997)]
• Byron Farwell, Queen Victoria's Little Wars (1973)
• Leigh Maxwell, The Ashanti Ring: Sir Garnet Wolseley's Campaigns 1870–1882 (London 1985)
• Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War (1979) (indexed under Roberts and Wolseley Rings).
• CRB Barrett, History of The XIII Hussars, William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London, 1911
• Ian Castle & Raffaele Ruggeri,Zulu Wars — Volunteers, Irregulars and Auxiliaries, Osprey Publishing
• Ian Knight, The Zulu War 1879, Osprey Publishing

Additional information

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Journals of Brigadier General Clarke's column and Colonel Baker-Russell's column, 26 July-17 Aug

External links

• Baden Powell's First Commanding Officer
• Woodcut engraving entitled With Russell's Column: Wounded Soldiers of the Native Contingent