Obituary of British Officer Who Participated in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 as a Young Man

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On October 18, 1776, a twenty-four-year-old British Cavalry officer was among British and German troops who faced Colonel John Glover and the American troops he commanded during the Battle of Pelham.  The young British officer was named William Loftus.  At the time of the battle, Loftus was either a Cornet or a Lieutenant in the 17th Light Dragoons.  (At the time, "Cornet" was the third and lowest grade of a commissioned officer in a British Cavalry Troop, below Captain and Lieutenant.)

Because Loftus served later in life as a member of the Irish Parliament and the English Parliament, much is known of his life.  No image of William Loftus yet has been located, however.  An extensive biography of Loftus is available.  See The History of Parliament - British Political, Social & Local History:  LOFTUS, William (1752-1831), of Stiffkey, Norf. (visited Apr. 12, 2015).  

An obituary of William Loftus published in the July 28, 1831 issue of the London Morning Post noted that among the battles in which Loftus was engaged during the American Revolution was the Battle of "Pelham Manor" (see below).   

Loftus was born in 1752, the only surviving heir of Henry Loftus, a Member of Parliament for the borough of Fethard in Ireland.  William Loftus entered the British army as a Cornet in the 9th Dragoons in 1770.  That year he exchanged into the 17th Light Dragoons and, in 1775, embarked with this regiment for America.  Loftus served in the actions of Bunker's Hill, the Battle of Long Island, at the taking of New York, and the battles of Pelham and White Plains.  He also was involved in the attack and taking of Fort Washington.  During these several operations, he was wounded twice.

Loftus married Margaret King, daughter and "coheiress" of Macekerrell King of Lisson Hall in the County of Dublin on February 18, 1778.  The couple had a son named William Loftus.  Margaret King Loftus died on May 4, 1786.  

After the death of his wife, William Loftus married a second time on May 7, 1790 to Lady Elizabeth Townsend, daughter of George Fourth Viscount and First Marquis of Townsend.  Townsend eventually was made Lieutenant of the Tower of London and rose to the rank of full General in the British Army. 

Lady Elizabeth Loftus (née Townshend) (b. 1766; d. 1811),

Second Wife of William Loftus in Miniature Portrait, Watercolor

on Ivory, by George Engleheart (b. 1750; d. 1829).

(Private Collection).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an obituary of General William Loftus, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE LATE GENERAL WILLIAM LOFTUS.

General WILLIAM LOFTUS, of Kilbride, county of Wicklow, Colonel of the 2d Dragoon Guards, and Lieutenant of the Tower of London, was the only surviving son and heir of the late HENRY LOFTUS, Esq., M.P. for the borough of Fethard, in Ireland.  On the 1st of January, 1824, he became the male representative of the LOFTUS family, which has been thrice advanced in its different branches to the Peerage of Ireland, viz., in 1662, 1685, and 1751.  The present Marquis of ELY's grandmother was sister and coheiress of the last Peer, HENRY LOFTUS, Earl of Ely, who was descended from Sir DUDLEY LOFTUS, of Rathfarnham, Knight, the eldest son of ADAM LOFTUS, Archbishop of Dublin and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.  The General was descended from the other son, Sir THOMAS LOFTUS, of Killyan, Knight, fourth son of the Archbishop.  General LOFTUS married, first on the 18th February, 1778, MARGARET, daughter and coheiress of MACEKERRELL KING, of Lisson Hall, in the county of Dublin; and by her, who died 4th May, 1786, he has left one son, Colonel WILLIAM LOFTUS, who succeeds to his Irish estates, and one daughter, married to THOMAS BURKE RICKETTS, of Combe, Herefordshire, Esq.  He married, secondly, on the 7th May, 1790, Lady Elizabeth TOWNSEND, daughter of GEORGE, fourth Viscount and first Marquis of Townshend, by his first wife Lady CHARLOTTE COMPTON, in her own right Baroness De Ferrers of Chartley, Bouchier, Lovaine, Bassett of Drayton, and Compton; and by her, who died 21st of March, 1811, he has left five sons and three daughters.

General LOFUUS [sic] was one of the oldest officers in his Majesty's service, having entered the army as Cornet in the 9th Dragoons, in the year 1770.  In the same year he exchanged into the 17th Light Dragoons; and in 1775 embarked with this regiment for America.  He was in the actions of Bunker's Hill and Bedford in Long Island, at the taking of New York, and the battles of Pelham Manor and the White Plains; likewise at the attack and taking of Fort Washington; and was, during these several operations, twice wounded.  He afterwards exchanged into the 3d Foot Guards; and in the year 1794 he raised the 24th Light Dragoons, of which regiment he was appointed Colonel.  In 1796 he was made a Major-General, and appointed to the English Staff.  In 1797 he was appointed to the Irish Staff and the command at Cork.  At the attack of the Rebel forces at Vinegar Hill, Wexford, in 1798, he commanded a brigade, and acted a distinguished part on that occasion.  In 1803 he was made a Lieutenant-General; and in 1807 was appointed Governor of Dumbarton Castle.  In 1809 he was appointed to the command of the Eastern District; in 1810 he was made Lieutenant of the Tower of London; in 1813 received the rank of full General; and in 1821 he was appointed Colonel of the 2d Dragoon Guards.  Previous to the Union he sat in the Irish Parliament for Bannow; and in the English, from 1796 to 1813 successively, for the boroughs of Great Yarmouth and Tamworth."

Source:  THE LATE GENERAL WILLIAM LOFTUS, London Morning Post, Jul. 28, 1831, No. 18898, p. 3, col. 4 (NOTE:  Paid subcription required to access link).

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I have written extensively about the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776.  See, for example, the following 38 articles:  


Bell, Blake A., The Battle of Pelham:  October 18, 1776, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 41, Oct. 15, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.  

Bell, Blake, History of the Village of Pelham:  Revolutionary War, HistoricPelham.com Archive (visited May 9, 2014).  

Mon., Feb. 28, 2005:  Glover's Rock on Orchard Beach Road Does Not Mark the Site of the Battle of Pelham.  

Mon., Apr. 18, 2005:  Restored Battle of Pelham Memorial Plaque Is Unveiled at Glover Field.  

Fri., May 27, 2005:  1776, A New Book By Pulitzer Prize Winner David McCullough, Touches on the Battle of Pelham.  

Thu., Jul. 14, 2005:  Pelham's 1926 Pageant Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Pelham.  

Wed., Oct. 26, 2005:  Remnants of the Battlefield on Which the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.  Fri., May 19, 2006:  Possible Remains of a Soldier Killed in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Found in 1921.  

Fri., Aug. 11, 2006:  Article by William Abbatt on the Battle of Pelham Published in 1910.  

Thu., Sep. 21, 2006:  A Paper Addressing the Battle of Pelham, Among Other Things, Presented in 1903.  

Mon., Oct. 30, 2006:  Brief Biographical Data About Sir Thomas Musgrave, British Lieutenant Colonel Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Nov. 1, 2006:  Two British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Jan. 16, 2007:  Brief Biography of British Officer Who Served During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Feb. 09, 2007:  Extract of October 23, 1776 Letter Describing British Troops in Eastchester After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  

Mon., Feb. 12, 2007:  Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site Opens New Exhibition:  "Overlooked Hero:  John Glover and the American Revolution."  

Thu., Jan. 18, 2007:  Three More British Military Unit Histories that Note Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jul. 16, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Revolutionary War Diary of David How.  

Tue., Jul. 17, 2007:  Mention of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 in Writings of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Aide-de-Camp to British General Clinton.  

Wed., Jul. 18, 2007:  Another British Military Unit History that Notes Participation in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.  

Tue., Aug. 7, 2007:  An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Contained in the McDonald Papers Published in 1926.  

Wed., Aug. 8, 2007:  A Description of an Eyewitness Account of the Interior of St. Paul's Church in Eastchester During the Revolutionary War.  

Thu., Sep. 6, 2007:  Information About St. Paul's Church, the Battle of Pelham and Other Revolutionary War Events Near Pelham Contained in an Account Published in 1940.  

Mon., Oct. 8, 2007:  American Troops Who Guarded Pelham's Shores in October 1776.  

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007:  Images of The Lord Howe Chestnut that Once Stood in the Manor of Pelham.  

Fri., Oct. 27, 2006:  Orders Issued by British Major General The Honourable William Howe While Encamped in Pelham After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Thu., Jan. 22, 2009:  Another Brief Biography of Sir Thomas Musgrave, a British Officer Wounded at the Battle of Pelham on October 18 1776.  

Wed., Feb. 17, 2010:  British Report on Killed, Wounded and Missing Soldiers During the Period the Battle of Pelham Was Fought on October 18, 1776.  

Fri., Apr. 23, 2010:  Charles Blaskowitz, Surveyor Who Created Important Map Reflecting the Battle of Pelham.  


Thu., Feb. 06, 2014:  A Description of the Revolutionary War Battle of Pelham Published in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Mon., May 19, 2014:  Biography of British Officer Who Fought in the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Wed., Jun. 04, 2014:  An Account of the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776 Presented and Published in 1894.  

Fri., Jun. 27, 2014:  Newly-Published Account Concludes Colonel William Shepard Was Wounded During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Jun. 30, 2014:  A British Lieutenant in the Twelfth Foot Who Fought at the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Fri., Sep. 19, 2014:  Abel Deveau, An American Skirmisher on Rodman's Neck as British and Germans Landed Before the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 17, 2014:  References to the Battle of Pelham in 18th Century Diary of Ezra Stiles, President of Yale College.

Fri., Oct. 17, 2014:  First-Hand Diary Account of Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Mon., Oct. 20, 2014:  American Diary Account of Events Before, During, and After the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776.

Tue., Oct. 21, 2014:  November 1, 1776 Letter Describing the Battle of Pelham and Events Before and After the Battle.

Fri., Oct. 24, 2014:  October 21, 1776 Report to the New-York Convention Regarding the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 18, 2015:  Young American Hero James Swinnerton, Badly Wounded in the Battle of Pelham.

Wed., Feb. 25, 2015:  Where Were the Stone Walls Used by American Troops During the Battle of Pelham on October 18, 1776?

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