Stuart, Sir Charles

STUART, SIR CHARLES. (1753–1810). British officer. Born in London in January 1753, Stuart was the son of the future prime minister, the earl of Bute. The younger Stuart became an ensign in 1768, purchasing the rank of lieutenant of the Seventh Regiment in 1770 and of captain of the Thirty-seventh Regiment in 1773. Sent to America with his regiment in 1775, Stuart saw action at Bunker Hill that year and then in Howe's New York campaign of 1776, during which he was elected to Parliament for Bossiney. He earned promotion to lieutenant colonel of the Twenty-sixth Regiment in 1777. Critical of the conduct of the war, Stuart left America in 1779. His opposition to the policies of George Germain prevented his gaining a command outside of America, while King George's hostility to Stuart's father, the king's one-time mentor but now a loathed reminder of past failures, frustrated his efforts to become a diplomat. The war with France revived his military career as he was given command of the army in Corsica, where he won praise for his bravery at the Battle of Calvi. In 1797 he commanded British forces in Portugal. The following year his brilliantly executed capture of Minorca led to his being made a knight of the Bath and governor of Minorca. His inability to get along with his superiors led to his resignation in April 1800 with the rank of lieutenant general. He died at his home in Surrey on 25 March 1801.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Wortley, Violet S., ed. A Prime Minister and His Son: From the Correspondence of the 3rd Earl of Bute and of Lt-General the Hon. Sir Charles Stuart. London: J. Murray, 1925.