Derring-do of dashing Scots hero dubbed the finest soldier in the world
He had horses shot from under him and once took 400 prisoners. Now general’s medals are up for sale
HIS astonishing bravery in battle led his superiors to remark: ‘There was not a better soldier in any army.’
In a single charge, Lieutenant General Sir John Cameron captured up to 400 prisoners, defying the odds after his forces were surrounded.
Even after his horse was killed under him as he rode, he still fought on.
The Scots hero of the wars against the Emperor Napoleon also survived two years of imprisonment at the hands of the French before returning to his regiment. He fought courageously in the 1st Battalion of the 9th Foot for the majority of the brutal Peninsular War, despite being severely injured.
Now a rare set of medals awarded to the heroic commander during the Napoleonic Wars is expected to fetch as much as £90,000 at auction this month.
General Cameron, who displayed ‘irresistible bravery’ in a series of battles from 1807-14, was one of the first people to be appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). His citation read: ‘We can honestly assert there was not a better soldier in any army.’
General Cameron’s set of four Peninsular War medals will lead auctioneer Noonans’ sale of Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria in London on June 29.
Offered for sale by his descendants, the medals are expected to fetch between £70,000 and £90,000. Oliver Pepys, auc
‘Illustrious career reflected in medals’ multiple gold clasps’
tioneer and associate director at Noonans, said: ‘Peninsular medals are always popular and I am sure that this scarce example will attract a lot of attention.
‘Lieutenant General Sir John Cameron had an illustrious career which is reflected in the multiple gold clasps on the medals so I am sure that it will do very well in the auction later this month.’
Descended from the chief of the Clan Cameron, Sir John was born in Culchenna, Inverness, in 1773, and was educated at Eton.
Commissioned as an ensign at the age of 14, he first saw action in 1794 during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Later that year he was badly wounded and captured, spending more than two years on a prison ship in Guadeloupe before being exchanged for release.
During the Peninsular War he fought in several battles where he won medals, including Vimeiro, Corunna and Salamanca, before winning a decisive victory at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813.
Later that year, at the Siege of San Sebastian, he was mentioned in despatches after being wounded, again fighting ‘with the greatest gallantry in front during the charge’.
Then, during the fiercely fought Battle of the Nive, despite finding his regiment surrounded, he managed to rally his troops to between 300 and 400 men.
The army officer was promoted to Lieutenant General in 1837 after rising through the ranks of Major General, Lieutenant Governor and Colonel.
In addition to the early KCB, the medals for sale include the Army Gold Cross 1806-14, with three clasps; Field Officer’s Small Gold Medal with clasp; and the Military Order of the Tower and Sword of Portugal.
Despite being seriously wounded in combat at least twice, and having two horses die under him during engagements with the enemy, General Cameron managed to maintain six years of unbroken service for his country.
As well as his impressive military career, General Cameron had five children with his wife Amelia Brock, whom he married on October 10, 1803.
His son General Sir Duncan Alexander Cameron fought in the Crimean War of 18531856 and also commanded troops during the latter part of the New Zealand Wars of 1845-1872. His other children were Lieutenant General John Cameron, Amelia, Anne and Marion. General Cameron’s brother, Captain Ewen Cameron, of the 43rd Foot, was killed at the Battle of the Coa in Portugal in 1810.
General Cameron died on Guernsey on November 23, 1844, at the age of 71.