O'Hara, Charles

O'HARA, CHARLES. (1740?–1802). General of the British Coldstream Guards. Charles O'Hara was the illegitimate son of James O'Hara, who was the second Lord Trawley and colonel of the Coldstream Guards. Charles O'Hara was educated at Westminster School, appointed cornet of the Third Dragoons on 23 December 1752, and on 14 January 1756 entered his father's regiment with the grade of "lieutenant and captain." After service in Germany and Portugal, O'Hara was appointed commandant of the Africa Corps at Goree, Senegal, on 25 July 1766 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The Africa Corps was a unit composed of military offenders who were pardoned in exchange for life service in Africa. Maintaining his seniority in the Coldstream, he was named captain and lieutenant colonel of that regiment in 1769, and was made brevet colonel in 1777.

Highly critical of the British policy toward America, O'Hara favored a ruthless approach that would bring the war to civilians. He arrived in New York City in October 1780, and went from there with his Guards Brigade to join General Charles Cornwallis's southern operations. He spearheaded the latter's frustrating pursuit of American general Nathanael Greene across North Carolina to the Dan River, leading the gallant attack at Cowan's Ford on 1 February 1781.

Commanding the Second Battalion of Guards at Guilford on 15 March 1781, O'Hara rallied his troops after receiving one dangerous wound and led them forward again to deliver the final blow that broke the resistance of Greene's army. During that attack he was wounded a second time. Moving to Virginia with Cornwallis, O'Hara represented the British in the Yorktown surrender, and dined that night with General George Washington. When he was exchanged on 9 February 1782 he returned to England as a newly appointed major general, and received the highest praise from Cornwallis.

After serving in Jamaica and as the commanding officer at Gibraltar from 1787 to 1789, O'Hara was appointed lieutenant governor of Gibraltar in 1792, and promoted to lieutenant general in the following year. He was captured on 23 November 1793 at Fort Mulgrove, Toulon (France), in the operations that brought an obscure French officer named Napoleon to the attention of his military superiors. Imprisoned in Luxembourg, he was exchanged for Rochambeau in August 1795, named governor of Gibraltar, and promoted to full general in 1798. He proved himself an efficient commander of that stronghold during this critical time. After much suffering from his wounds he died at Gibraltar on 21 February 1802.

SEE ALSO Cornwallis, Charles; Cowans Ford, North Carolina; Yorktown Campaign.

                            revised by Michael Bellesiles