NAPOLEON PENINSULAR WAR GENERAL COMMANDER PORTUGAL GUERILLAS LETTER SIGNED 1848
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| Reference Number: Avaluer:76696 | Modified Item: No |
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GEN. ROBERT JOHN HARVEY General Harvey and his Coat of Arms Bookplate(1785 - 1860)PENINSULAR WAR MAJOR GENERAL HERO AGAINST NAPOLEON andSPAIN DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS 1807-1814&COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ALLIEDFORCES and CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ALLIED PORTUGUESE ARMYHarvey also served as Captainof the 53rd Foot Regiment n the expedition sent to Portugal in March 1809. During the first years of the Peninsular Warhis services were particularly relevant in organizing nine P...ortuguese GuerrillaCorps, the Ordinançes and in intelligence services owing to his superiorlinguist abilities and perfect domain of the French and German languages.General Harvey was present namely, at the battles of Oporto, Buçaco, Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nive, Nivelle, Orthez, Toulouse and in the sieges of CiudadRodrigo, Burgos, Badajoz and San Sebastian. After the capture of Badajoz (April1812) Harvey was made a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Portuguese Army. AfterSalamanca and Vitória, Harvey was promoted a Lieutenant-Colonel in the BritishArmy, on the recommendation of Lord Wellington.For his distinguishedservices in the Peninsular War he was made by the King of Portugal a knight ofthe Order of the Tower and Sword (British Royal Warrant of May 1816). ThePrince Regent awarded him a knighthood, in February, 6th, 1817HERE’S A RARE AUTOGRAPH LETTERSIGNED BY GEN. HARVEY, 1p., DATED AT MOUSEHOLD HOUSE, NEAR NORFOLK, MAY 18, 1848, TO THOMAS HARTNELL, ESQ., (1787-1872) REGARDING ANAPPLICATION FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN. HEWRITES, IN FULL:“Dear Sir, Be so good as to inform me who the lady is whoaddresses me in the letter I enclose to you. It seems a most extraordinary application from a stranger to me. I am Dear Sir, Very truly yours, R. J.Harvey” A RARE ADDITIONTO YOUR NAPOLEONIC WARS HISTORICAL AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERACOLLECTION! Thedocument measures 7” x 9” and is in VERY GOOD CONDITION, with mounting traceson verso.BIOGRAPHY OF GENERAL HARVEYRobert John Harveywas born on February 21, 1785 in Thorpe, and was Christened on April19th inNorwich. He was the son of John Harvey (1755-1842) and Francis Kerrison (1765-1809), one of 15 children.Harvey had a very distinguished military career. In the expedition sent toPortugal in March 1809, under the command of Major-General Lord Hill, he servedas a Captain of the 53rd Foot Regiment. In 1810, he was made a Major andappointed Assistant-Quarter-Master-General of the Portuguese Army attached tothe Headquarters of the Portuguese Army’s Commander-in-Chief - Marshall WilliamCarr Beresford. In 1811, Beresford appointed him to General-Headquarters ofMarshall Lord Wellington – Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, as aliaison Officer with the Portuguese troops in the field and as Chief of theStaff of the Portuguese Army, in his absence. He remained in this position tillthe end of the war in 1814.During the first years of the War his services were particularly relevantin organizing nine Portuguese Guerrilla Corps, the Ordenanças and inintelligence services owing to his superior linguist abilities and perfectdomain of the French and German languages.He was present namely, at the battles of Oporto, Buçaco, Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nive, Nivelle, Orthez, Toulouse and in the sieges of CiudadRodrigo, Burgos, Badajoz and San Sebastian. After the capture of Badajoz (April1812) Robert was made a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Portuguese Army. AfterSalamanca and Vitória, Harvey was promoted a Lieutenant-Colonel in the BritishArmy, on the recommendation of Lord Wellington.For his distinguished services in the Peninsular War he was made by theKing of Portugal a knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword (British RoyalWarrant of May 1816). The Prince Regent awarded him a knighthood, in February, 6th, 1817, and in 1831 he was made aCompanion of the Order of the Bath.He married his cousin, Charlotte Mary Harvey (1793-1869), the daughter andheir of Robert Harvey (1753-1820) of Watton. Robert inherited his Uncle RobertHarvey’s estate and so between them Robert and Charlotte were very wealthy.Robert and Charlotte had the following children:1. Julia Sutton nee Harvey (1816-1893) who married 1st Capt Samuel IvesSutton (1807-1850) son of Adm Sutton of Ditchingham. Julia married 2nd PeterWells (see Norfok Portraits, Vol 2, page 171).
2. Sir Robert John Harvey (1817-1870).
3. Emma Harvey (18??-1895) who married Rev Henry Churchman Long, Rector ofNewton and Swainsthorpe, son of Rev C Long of Dunston Hall (see NorfokPortraits, Vol 2, page 171).
4. Maria Frances Harvey (1821-1845).
5. John Harvey (1822-1874).
6. Charles Onley Harvey (18??-1824).
7. Edward Kerrison Harvey (1826-1906) who married 1st: Emma Susanna C. Hevallier(1828-1886), 2nd: Sophia Elizabeth Beevor (1843-1924).
8. Archibald Harvey (18??-1827).General Harvey died on June 18, 1860, at Norwich, aged 75.<<>> THEPENINSULAR WARThe Peninsular War (1807–1814) was a military conflictbetween Napoleon's empireand Bourbon Spain (assisted by the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland and its ally Kingdom of Portugal), for control of the IberianPeninsula during the NapoleonicWars. The war began when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugalin 1807, and escalated in 1808 when Franceturned on Spain, previously its ally. The war on the peninsula lasted until theSixth Coalitiondefeated Napoleon in 1814, and is regarded as one of the first wars of national liberation, significant for the emergence of large-scale guerrillawarfare. The Peninsular War overlaps with what the Spanish-speakingworld calls the Guerra de la Independencia Española(Spanish War of Independence), which began with the Dos de Mayo Uprisingon 2 May 1808 and ended on 17 April 1814. The French occupation destroyed the Spanish administration, which fragmented into quarrelling provincial juntas.The episode remains as the bloodiest event in Spain's modern history, doublingin relative terms the SpanishCivil War. A reconstituted national government, the Cortes of Cádiz—in effect a government-in-exile—fortifieditself in Cádiz in 1810, but could not raiseeffective armies because it was besiegedby 70, 000 French troops. British and Portuguese forces eventually securedPortugal, using it as a safe position from which to launch campaigns againstthe French army and provide whatever supplies they could get to the Spanish, while the Spanish armies and guerrillas tied down vast numbers of Napoleon'stroops. These combined regular and irregular allied forces, by restrictingFrench control of territory, prevented Napoleon's marshalsfrom subduing the rebellious Spanish provinces, and the war continued throughyears of stalemate. The British Army, under then Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington, guarded Portugal and campaigned against theFrench in Spain alongside the reformed Portuguese army. The demoralisedPortuguese army was reorganised and refitted under the command of Gen. William Beresford, who had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Portuguese forces by theexiled Portuguese royal family, and fought as part of the combined Anglo-Portuguese Armyunder Wellesley. In 1812, when Napoleon set out with a massive army on what proved to be adisastrous French invasion of Russia, a combined allied army under Wellesley pushed into Spain, defeating the Frenchat Salamancaand taking Madrid.In the following year Wellington scored a decisive victory over King JosephBonaparte's army in the Battleof Vitoria. Pursued by the armies of Britain, Spain andPortugal, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, no longer able to get sufficient support from a depleted France, led theexhausted and demoralized French forces in a fighting withdrawal across the Pyreneesduring the winter of 1813–1814. The years of fighting in Spain were a heavy burden on France's GrandeArmée. While the French were victorious in battle, theircommunications and supplies were severely tested and their units werefrequently isolated, harassed or overwhelmed by partisans fighting an intenseguerrilla war of raids and ambushes. The Spanish armies were repeatedly beatenand driven to the peripheries, but they would regroup and relentlessly houndthe French. This drain on French resources led Napoleon, who had unwittinglyprovoked a total war, to call the conflictthe "Spanish Ulcer." War and revolution against Napoleon's occupation led to the Spanish Constitution of 1812, later a cornerstone of European liberalism. The burden of war destroyed the social andeconomic fabric of Portugal and Spain, and ushered in an era of socialturbulence, political instability and economic stagnation. Devastating civilwars between liberal and absolutistfactions, led by officers trained in the Peninsular War, persisted in Iberiauntil 1850. The cumulative crises and disruptions of invasion, revolution andrestoration led to the independence of most ofSpain's American colonies and the independence of Brazilfrom Portugal. I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club(UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society & theAmerican Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). Isubscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed.~Providing quality service & historical memorabilia online for over twentyyears.~
WE ONLY SELL GENUINE ITEMS, i.e., NO REPRODUCTIONS, FAKES OR COPIES!
2. Sir Robert John Harvey (1817-1870).
3. Emma Harvey (18??-1895) who married Rev Henry Churchman Long, Rector ofNewton and Swainsthorpe, son of Rev C Long of Dunston Hall (see NorfokPortraits, Vol 2, page 171).
4. Maria Frances Harvey (1821-1845).
5. John Harvey (1822-1874).
6. Charles Onley Harvey (18??-1824).
7. Edward Kerrison Harvey (1826-1906) who married 1st: Emma Susanna C. Hevallier(1828-1886), 2nd: Sophia Elizabeth Beevor (1843-1924).
8. Archibald Harvey (18??-1827).General Harvey died on June 18, 1860, at Norwich, aged 75.<<>> THEPENINSULAR WARThe Peninsular War (1807–1814) was a military conflictbetween Napoleon's empireand Bourbon Spain (assisted by the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland and its ally Kingdom of Portugal), for control of the IberianPeninsula during the NapoleonicWars. The war began when the French and Spanish armies invaded and occupied Portugalin 1807, and escalated in 1808 when Franceturned on Spain, previously its ally. The war on the peninsula lasted until theSixth Coalitiondefeated Napoleon in 1814, and is regarded as one of the first wars of national liberation, significant for the emergence of large-scale guerrillawarfare. The Peninsular War overlaps with what the Spanish-speakingworld calls the Guerra de la Independencia Española(Spanish War of Independence), which began with the Dos de Mayo Uprisingon 2 May 1808 and ended on 17 April 1814. The French occupation destroyed the Spanish administration, which fragmented into quarrelling provincial juntas.The episode remains as the bloodiest event in Spain's modern history, doublingin relative terms the SpanishCivil War. A reconstituted national government, the Cortes of Cádiz—in effect a government-in-exile—fortifieditself in Cádiz in 1810, but could not raiseeffective armies because it was besiegedby 70, 000 French troops. British and Portuguese forces eventually securedPortugal, using it as a safe position from which to launch campaigns againstthe French army and provide whatever supplies they could get to the Spanish, while the Spanish armies and guerrillas tied down vast numbers of Napoleon'stroops. These combined regular and irregular allied forces, by restrictingFrench control of territory, prevented Napoleon's marshalsfrom subduing the rebellious Spanish provinces, and the war continued throughyears of stalemate. The British Army, under then Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington, guarded Portugal and campaigned against theFrench in Spain alongside the reformed Portuguese army. The demoralisedPortuguese army was reorganised and refitted under the command of Gen. William Beresford, who had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Portuguese forces by theexiled Portuguese royal family, and fought as part of the combined Anglo-Portuguese Armyunder Wellesley. In 1812, when Napoleon set out with a massive army on what proved to be adisastrous French invasion of Russia, a combined allied army under Wellesley pushed into Spain, defeating the Frenchat Salamancaand taking Madrid.In the following year Wellington scored a decisive victory over King JosephBonaparte's army in the Battleof Vitoria. Pursued by the armies of Britain, Spain andPortugal, Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, no longer able to get sufficient support from a depleted France, led theexhausted and demoralized French forces in a fighting withdrawal across the Pyreneesduring the winter of 1813–1814. The years of fighting in Spain were a heavy burden on France's GrandeArmée. While the French were victorious in battle, theircommunications and supplies were severely tested and their units werefrequently isolated, harassed or overwhelmed by partisans fighting an intenseguerrilla war of raids and ambushes. The Spanish armies were repeatedly beatenand driven to the peripheries, but they would regroup and relentlessly houndthe French. This drain on French resources led Napoleon, who had unwittinglyprovoked a total war, to call the conflictthe "Spanish Ulcer." War and revolution against Napoleon's occupation led to the Spanish Constitution of 1812, later a cornerstone of European liberalism. The burden of war destroyed the social andeconomic fabric of Portugal and Spain, and ushered in an era of socialturbulence, political instability and economic stagnation. Devastating civilwars between liberal and absolutistfactions, led by officers trained in the Peninsular War, persisted in Iberiauntil 1850. The cumulative crises and disruptions of invasion, revolution andrestoration led to the independence of most ofSpain's American colonies and the independence of Brazilfrom Portugal. I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club(UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society & theAmerican Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). Isubscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed.~Providing quality service & historical memorabilia online for over twentyyears.~
WE ONLY SELL GENUINE ITEMS, i.e., NO REPRODUCTIONS, FAKES OR COPIES!
