{"product_id":"small-portrait-of-lieutenant-general-sir-harry-smith-1845","title":"Small Portrait of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith, 1845","description":"\u003cp\u003e19.5cm (7.5in) x 17cm (6.6in)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOil on board. Small quarter length portrait of Lieutenant General Sir Henry Smith in undress uniform decorated with the ribbons of the Order of the Bath and the Waterloo medal, after\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHenry Moseley (1798–1866). Labelled verso ‘Sir Harry Smith 1878-1860. Cousin of Great grandmother Harriet Smith. Thackeray says of his account of the Battle of Aliwal, “A noble deed was never told in nobler language”.’ Framed and glazed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSir Harry Smith is famously remembered for rescuing his wife Juana Maria de los Dolores de Leon from the rape and pillage of Badajoz after it fell to British troops in 1812. A descendent of the Spanish explorer and conquistador Ponce de León, Juana and her older sister approached Smith and Kincaid, both of 95th Rifles, in the ravaged streets seeking protection from the indiscriminate looting, killing, and raping of Spanish civilians by the British and Portuguese soldiers. It was love at first sight. Despite her youth, Juana and Harry were married four days later with Wellington giving Juana away. They remained devoted to each other the rest of their lives. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch6\u003eRead more\u003c\/h6\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e~section 2~\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSir Harry Smith, 1st Bart, GCB (1787-1860) was the son of a Cambridgeshire surgeon and was commissioned in the 95\u003cspan\u003eth\u003c\/span\u003e Rifles 1805. He first saw active service in South America during the British invasions of 1806-07 and distinguished himself at the Battle of Montevideo. In 1808 he joined the forces under Sir John Moore invading Spain. The expedition, begun with high hopes, ended in a disastrous retreat over 200 miles of mountain paths in winter. Men, women and children died by the roadside, but Smith made it back to Corunna and the battle which left Moore dead on the field. A brief period of recovery in England restored Smith to health and his next voyage to Portugal was as part of General Robert Craufurd’s Light Brigade, later to become the celebrated Light Division. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmith served with the 95\u003cspan\u003eth\u003c\/span\u003e throughout the war, from 1808 to end Battle of Toulouse in 1814. In 1810 he was appointed to ADC to Colonel Beckwith and from 1812 was promoted captain and he filled a succession of staff posts within the division. He volunteered to serve in the United States, fighting at the Battle of Bladensburg and witnessing the burning of the capitol in Washington. He returned to Europe in time to serve as a brigade major at Waterloo and remained with the army during the occupation of France, acting as mayor of Cambrai. In 1828 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope where he commanded a force in the Sixth Xhosa War of 1834-36 and was later appointed as governor of the Province of Queen Adelaide. He was considered an energetic and talented commander who was able to restore confidence among British and Boer residents and had considerable influence over the tribes. However his policies were reversed by London and he was removed from his command. Both Xhosa and Boers regretted his loss and some historians have suggested that his departure precipitated the Great Trek. In 1840 Harry Smith was appointed Adjutant-General in India. He fought in the Gwalior campaign of 1843 and the first Anglo-Sikh war of 1845-6, where he inflicted a crushing defeat on the Sikhs at Aliwal on the Sutlej. For this victory he was created a Baronet ‘of Aliwal’ and received the thanks of Parliament. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Armoury St James","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57303492690293,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/7008\/3014\/files\/L1700335.jpg?v=1781785010","url":"https:\/\/armoury.co.uk\/products\/small-portrait-of-lieutenant-general-sir-harry-smith-1845","provider":"The Armoury St James's","version":"1.0","type":"link"}