William Nott

Sir William Nott GCB (* January 20, 1782 in Neath, Glamorganshire, † January 1, 1845 in Carmarthen ) was a general of the British East India Company.

Life

The son of an innkeeper appeared in 1798 in a volunteer unit in his home town of Carmarthen one. In 1800 he embarked for India, where he became an officer in the Bengal European Regiment. In 1826 he resigned the rank of major service, returned to Wales and bought an estate there, but he had to sell them again because of financial difficulties. In 1837 he returned to India, where he was given command of the 38th regiment of natives. 1838 promoted to Brigadier, he assumed command of the second division of the Indus Army.

After the invasion of the British army in Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842) he had the command over the entire area of Sindh and southern Afghanistan. He had his headquarters in January 1841 in Kandahar. In the critical winter 1841/42 Nott held the besieged garrison of the Afghan Kandahar and struck with two failures, in January and in March, the besiegers to flight. When he received in July 1842 the command to move away from Kandahar and retire with his 5000 -strong force from Afghanistan, he marched in a free interpretation of unclear formulated command before about Khelat -i Gilzie towards Ghazni, where he was on 30 August 1842 in number than two times superior Afghans under the command of Schamsedin Khan devastating hit more. After the beginning of September, the city and the Citadel Ghazni conquered and destroyed, he continued his march to Kabul, where his troops on 17 September with those of General George Pollock united.

Major - General William Nott was one of the most successful commanders of the entire campaign. While developed the withdrawal of Elphinstone's Division from Kabul to one of the biggest disasters of the British army history, Notts troops achieved an unbroken chain of victories. As a reward for his services Nott was awarded the lucrative post of British Resident at Lucknow ( November 30, 1842 ), the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and in January 1843 - skipping the lower rank levels - the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB ).

1843 had to return because of his poor health to the UK Nott. From the East India Company with an annual pension of £ 1,000, he could be Good Job 's Well bought back, but died a few months later. His statue stands in 1851 built on the present Nott Square, Carmarthen. His Grand Cross and the Afghanistan Medal are issued in the Carmarthenshire County Museum in Carmarthen.