Percy Wyndham

[keIth A]

How believable is Percy Wyndham's account of his military experience pre-ACW? I recently saw a YouTube video which included him as one of the most remarkable soldiers-of-fortune of the period. I believe it also included George St Leger Grenfell. Given the similarity of their own accounts I believe they share the ability to tell a story, while being fictitious to a large degree. Wyndham's account strikes me as that of an upper middle class younger son, possibly illegitimate (he never names either of his parents). Fighting in the French revolution of 1848 as a member of the Student Corps (aged 15) and then joining the French Navy AS AN OFFICER is bizarre. What was he doing in France at 15 years of age? He then joins the British Army as an officer in the Royal Artillery? The Royal Artillery officer is a trained officer with academic qualifications not a cavalry officer with rich parents or patronage. He leaves the artillery after a year in 1852 (aged eighteen/nineteen) but luckily is accepted without cavalry experience into the Austrian cavalry - the 9th Lancers (Uhlans). Unfortunately there is no 9th Uhlan regiment in the Austrian Army, even if Percy had the experience, patronage or luck to join the Austrian Army. And so to Garibaldi... everybody claims to have served with Garibaldi but I see no mention of Lieutenant Colonel Wyndham, no Italian title etc.

 

[keIth A]

How believable is Percy Wyndham's account of his military experience pre-ACW? I recently saw a YouTube video which included him as one of the most remarkable soldiers-of-fortune of the period. I believe it also included George St Leger Grenfell. Given the similarity of their own accounts I believe they share the ability to tell a story, while being fictitious to a large degree. Wyndham's account strikes me as that of an upper middle class younger son, possibly illegitimate (he never names either of his parents). Fighting in the French revolution of 1848 as a member of the Student Corps (aged 15) and then joining the French Navy AS AN OFFICER is bizarre. What was he doing in France at 15 years of age? He then joins the British Army as an officer in the Royal Artillery? The Royal Artillery officer is a trained officer with academic qualifications not a cavalry officer with rich parents or patronage. He leaves the artillery after a year in 1852 (aged eighteen/nineteen) but luckily is accepted without cavalry experience into the Austrian cavalry - the 9th Lancers (Uhlans). Unfortunately there is no 9th Uhlan regiment in the Austrian Army, even if Percy had the experience, patronage or luck to join the Austrian Army. And so to Garibaldi... everybody claims to have served with Garibaldi but I see no mention of Lieutenant Colonel Wyndham, no Italian title etc.

I should state that I believe Wyndham had some military experience but not as an officer in the British Army as such. As a cultured young man with a little patronage from his father he might have served in the Yeomanry of his own country not the regular army (no mention in the London Gazette). Later service in the Italian "Royal" Army is unlikely, and he looks to be very much living on his self-made reputation until his death. He resembles Grenfell and others such as the Zulu War hero "Watt Whalley" who claimed service in the Indian Mutiny, China, Abyssinia, the Franco-Prussian and Carlist Wars. Whalley in fact did see service in Abyssinia and served as a junior cavalry officer in India before he had to resign his commission. Probably because of money troubles. Grenfell as we know only served briefly with "Beatson's Horse" (among a particularly rum group of British "black sheep" in the Turkish army in the Crimean War.

 

[RedRover]

The demand for military experience was greater than the supply in 1861-62. If one were remotely knowledgeable, and made the right connections, whether the resume was padded a little was not considered. Wyndham was able to convince the Governor of New Jersey that he was the man of the hour to command the 1st NJ Cavalry...

And like Twain said, the definition of an expert is a chap from another town...

The regimental history of the 1st NJ Cavalry records Wyndham, whatever his actual experiences, proved a gallant officer.

 

[keIth A]

Some is it is good, but the Wyndham history is loose.

 

[keIth A]

The demand for military experience was greater than the supply in 1861-62. If one were remotely knowledgeable, and made the right connections, whether the resume was padded a little was not considered. Wyndham was able to convince the Governor of New Jersey that he was the man of the hour to command the 1st NJ Cavalry...
View attachment 497440

And like Twain said, the definition of an expert is a chap from another town...

The regimental history of the 1st NJ Cavalry records Wyndham, whatever his actual experiences, proved a gallant officer.

Yep. A brave chap, but I firmly believe his military career before he joined the Federal Army (and probably after) is a fantasy. Not unusual for soldiers of fortune. I should however mention that another account has him with 8th Uhlans in the Austrian service 1852-60. I haven't found them in action in the Italian War 1859.

 

[RedRover]

It is kind of funny the continuing interest in Wyndham's pre and post war doings, which are based largely on claims which Sir Percy himself may or may not have personally made, given his significant 1862-64 military service, which was as much as any man could brag on. I seem to recall he retired from the US service in 1864 after suggestions for his promotion to brigadier-general were declined by the war department.


He died in India giving hot air balloon tours. In 1863 a real Sir Percy Wyndham, wrote the American papers claiming Sir Percy the soldier was something of a poseur...

Of course there is no rule that says a rake-hell with an alias can't be a good and gallant officer... and some American papers noted that Americans don't care about Sir Percy's claims of peerage, or arguments over his parentage, they were more impressed with his indubitable courage under fire, and his wounds suffered in the service of the republic.

 

[keIth A]

An interesting piece of detail about Charles Wyndham.

Colonel Charles Wyndham was born in 1796, the 5th child and 3rd son of George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont and Elizabeth Ilive. The first four children were born illegitimately, before the Earl married Miss Ilive in 1801, so Charles and his brothers Henry and George were illegitimate.

He married Hon.Elizabeth Anne Hepburne-Scott, daughter of Hugh Hepburne-Scott, 6th Lord Polwarth and Harriet Brühl, on 3 October 1835.

Hence, like his Dad, he was a b......