Sir John McCaskill KCB KH

John McCaskill was born in 1781 and entered the army as an ensign in the 53rd Shropshire Regiment, in March 1797. He served with them at the landing at Puerto Rico and the siege of St Juan in May 1797. He then served in India during the Mahratta War of 1817-18 and was present at the sieges of Forts Sattarah, Singhur, Woossotah and several others. He was also involved in the reduction of the strong fortress of Sholapore and the attack and defeat of 5,000 of the Peshwa’s elite troops who were strongly positioned with guns, of which 15 were captured under the walls of Sholapore on 11 May 1818. McCaskill rose to the rank of major in the 53rd and purchased the rank of lieutenant-colonel unattached in 1825. He subsequently served in the 86th, 89th and 98th regiments. After 18 months in Cape Colony in 1833, he exchanged from the 98th to the 9th, on 19 June 1835. He went out to India and joined the regiment in Feb 1836 at Chinsura.

In 1837 he was created a Knight of the Hanoverian Guelphic Order (KH) and appointed brigadier on the establishment commanding the troops at Meerut. When the 9th joined General Sir George Pollocks' advance into Afghanistan in 1840, McCaskill was appointed Brigadier of 1st Infantry Brigade, and Lt Col A B Taylor took command of the regiment. McCaskill was further promoted in 1842 to command a division of four infantry brigades. He was mentioned in Pollock’s despatch for his satisfactory handling of the rearguard in the Khyber Pass on 5 April 1842. After a delay at Jellalabad, McCaskill commanded the 2nd Division at Mamoo Khel, Tazeane and Haft Kotal. Following the occupation of Kabul he commanded a force sent to destroy Istaliffe, the last stronghold of the Afghan chiefs. He reverted to command of his division for the several actions fought during the march back to India. His services in this, the First Afghan War, were rewarded with the appointment of Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB). He resumed command of the 9th Regiment.

When the First Sikh War broke out in December 1845 he was given command of the 3rd Infantry Division in Sir Hugh Gough’s army of the Sutlej. The army marched for 100 miles in 5 days across difficult terrain and were relieved to hear the order to make camp at the village of Moodki. But a report came in that the Sikh army was advancing on them so they had to deploy straight away, with McCaskill’s Division on the left of the line. His regiments consisted of the 9th and 80th Foot and the 26th and 73rd Bengal Native Infantry. The battle took place in the late afternoon and when McCaskill’s regiments advanced it was in thick clouds of smoke and dust. Major-General McCaskill was struck by grapeshot as he led his men forward and died that day, 18 December 1845. He was the only officer fatality in his division.

John McCaskill was married in 1814 to Anne Steele. They had, according to The Peerage, one child, a daughter, Annie (1821-1857), later married to Sir Henry Marion Durand, Bengal Engineers who distinguished himself at the siege of Ghuznee. However, a memorial plaque, featuring on the IWM website, to Major-General Sir John McCaskill KCB KH, is on a wall of St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington, London W8. It gives a brief resumé of his career and says ‘This Tablet is Erected by his Daughter Jessie Mitchell’.

The monochrome reproduction of McCaskill’s portrait is taken from Loraine Petre’s History of the Norfolk Regiment vol1. It shows him in dress uniform c1806 when he was promoted captain in the 53rd Shropshire Regiment which had red facings. John McCaskill’s progression in his military career was as follows:

1797 Ensign in the 53rd Foot 10 Mar
1801 Lieutenant 14 May
1806 Captain 6 Mar
1819 Brevet Major 12 Aug
1824 Major 11 Mar
1825 Lieutenant-Colonel 17 Feb
1835 exchanged to 9th 19 Jun
1838 Colonel 28 Jun
1842 local rank of Major-General 14 Mar
1842 Appointed KCB 24 Dec
1845 Killed at Moodki 18 Dec