George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lord George Germain (1780)

George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville (born January 26, 1716 in London , † August 26, 1785 in Stoneland Lodge, Sussex ), was a British soldier and politician.

During the American Revolutionary War he was Secretary of State for the Colonies in the cabinet of Lord North . His Ministry was given the main blame for the loss of the British colonies in America. His propensity for detailed military instruction, coupled with his inability to grasp the geography of the colonies and the determination of the colonists, makes this conclusion seem legitimate.

He had two careers. His military career was not without merit, but ended up in court-martial . His political career ended with Lord North's cabinet after the loss of the American colonies.

Names

Until 1720 he was named the Hon. George Sackville , from 1720 to 1770 Lord George Sackville , from 1770 to 1782 Lord George Germain and from 1782 George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville .

Origin and education

Lord George Germain was born George Sackville , third son of Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , and his wife Elizabeth. He attended Westminster School and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1737 before joining the army.

Military career

He started out as a captain in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. In 1740 he moved to the Gloucestershire Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant colonel . The regiment was sent to Germany to take part in the War of the Austrian Succession . 1743 he was appointed Brevet - Colonel promoted. He received his baptism of fire at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, where he led the infantry attack of the Duke of Cumberland . He was wounded and taken prisoner by the French, but was soon released because of his wound. After returning home, he served in Scotland as Colonel of the 20th Infantry Regiment, the Lancashire Fusiliers.

From 1747 to 1748 he again served under the Duke of Cumberland as Colonel of the 7th Irish Cavalry Regiment in the Netherlands. He then interrupted his military career and became his father's first secretary and from 1753 to 1761 MP for Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons. During this time he became known for his homosexual escapades.

He returned to active service during the Seven Years' War . In 1755 he was promoted to major general and entrusted with the equipment and supply of the troops. In 1758 he fought as a lieutenant general under the Duke of Marlborough as part of the Allied troops of the Duke of Braunschweig in Germany. After Marlborough's death, he assumed command of the British forces.

The battle of Minden

In the battle of Minden on August 1, 1759, the British and Hanoverian infantry carried out a poorly planned advance on the opposing French cavalry and artillery in the center. Apparently she was acting without orders. However, the line of attack succeeded in repelling repeated French cavalry attacks by allowing the attacking cavalry to come within the shortest distance and only firing massive volleys at the last moment. When the split French began to retreat to Minden, the Duke of Braunschweig called for a British cavalry attack to complete the victory. However, Sackville did not give permission to proceed, although the Duke had the order transmitted several times. He was in dispute with Lord Granby , the commander of the cavalry, and did not want to offer him an opportunity to "gain fame" through an attack. As a result, the Allies missed the opportunity to completely destroy the enemy. Sackville was relieved of his command and sent home.

Court martial

He refused to accept responsibility for the insubordination . After his return to England he demanded a court martial and knew how to lend his demand so much weight that it was finally granted in 1760. The court found him guilty and passed an extremely harsh and unusual verdict: not only upholding his dismissal, but also declaring him "unable to serve His Majesty in any military capacity of any kind" and ordering that verdict before all regiments to be read out by the army and entered in their command book. The king dismissed him from the Privy Council .

Political career

Since 1741 he has been a member of the Irish and British House of Commons with interruptions , at times in both at the same time, but without making political commitments. After George III's accession to the throne . Difficulties in repaying war debts resulted in a period of short-lived governments and shifting political alliances. During this time he began his political rehabilitation. The victories over France overseas outshone the undecided outcome of the war in Europe and caused the events associated with it to be forgotten. In 1763, George III. Sackville quietly rejoined the ranks of the Privy Council . Sackville increasingly supported Lord North, with whom he formed a formal alliance in 1769. In the same year Lady Elizabeth Germain (daughter of the 2nd Earl of Berkeley , widow of the 7th Duke of Norfolk and Sir John Germaine, 1st Baronet) died without a biological heir, leaving him her estates. This improved his financial situation and enabled him to take her last name. From 1770 he was known as Lord George Germain .

On November 10, 1775, Germain became Secretary of State for the American Department Minister in Lord North's Cabinet. At that time there were a total of three ministers; the Secretary of State for the Northern Department was responsible for Europe and the Secretary of State for the Southern Department for the rest of the world. As Colonial Secretary, Germain was primarily responsible for suppressing the insurrection in the American colonies. He appointed and fired generals, looked after equipment and supplies, and was involved in the strategic planning of the war. His basic attitude was based on the attitude that “the mob shouldn't worry about politics and government because they don't understand anything about it” and that “these village idiots cannot beat us”.

Germain and Prime Minister Lord North made three assumptions about the impending war: first, that American forces would not be able to withstand British attacks; second, that this war would be like those that had successfully waged it in Europe; and third, that military victory would ensure the colonies' lasting ties to the motherland. All three assumptions should prove wrong.

In 1776, Germain worked with General John Burgoyne on the plans and orders for the Saratoga campaign . The ambiguity of the orders to General Howe , however, contributed to the failure of the campaign. In 1781, conflicting orders to General Cornwallis and Henry Clinton led to the defeat at the Battle of Yorktown .

After the revolution

After Lord North's resignation in 1782, Germain resigned his ministerial office and his parliamentary seat. King George III elevated him to hereditary nobility on February 9, 1782 with the titles Viscount Sackville , of Drayton in the County of Northampton and Baron Bolebrooke , in the County of Sussex . However, the controversies over his administration continued. Some members of the House of Lords opposed his admission, but his dwindling health settled the question. He retired to his country estate at Stoneland Lodge in Sussex , where he died in 1785. His son Charles Germain, 2nd Viscount Sackville, inherited his title of nobility .

Marriage and offspring

He was married to Diana Sambrooke († 1778) since 1754. He had four children with her:

  • Elizabeth Sackville ∞ Henry Arthur Herbert († 1756)
  • Diana Sackville (1756–1814) ∞ John Crosbie, 2nd Earl of Glandore (1753–1815)
  • Charles Sackville-Germain , 5th Duke of Dorset, 2nd Viscount Sackville (1767–1843),
  • George Sackville-Germain (1770–1836) ∞ Harriet Pearce († 1835)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The London Gazette : No. 12268, pp. 1 , February 5-9, 1782.
predecessor Office successor
New title created Viscount Sackville
1782-1785 		Charles Germain
personal data
SURNAME Germain, George, 1st Viscount Sackville
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sackville, George Germain, 1st Viscount; Lord George Germain
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British officer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1716
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH August 26, 1785
Place of death Stone Lodge, Sussex