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{{Short description|British Indian Army general (1821–1896)}}
{{for|Sir Harry Niven Lumsden, 1st Baronet|Lumsden baronets}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
| name = Harry Burnett Lumsden
| honorific_suffix = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India|KCSI]] [[Companion of the Order of the Bath|CB]]
| image = Harry Lumsden - Project Gutenberg eText 16808.jpg
| caption = Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden
| rank = [[Lieutenant-General]]
| branch = [[Bengal army]]
| commands =
| unit =
| battles = [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] [[First Anglo-Sikh War]] [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Rebellion]]
| awards = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India]] [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]
| family =
| nickname =
| allegiance = [[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg|22x25px]] [[East India Company]] {{flagicon|British India}} [[British India]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1821|11|12|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1896|08|12|1821|11|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = On board the Rose, [[Bay of Bengal]]
| death_place = [[Belhelvie]], [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
| placeofburial = Belhelvie Kirkyard
| spouse = {{marriage|Fanny Myers|1866}}
| serviceyears = 1841-1882
| other work =
}}
[[Lieutenant-General]] '''Sir Harry Burnett "Joe" Lumsden''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KCSI|CB}} (12 November 1821 – 12 August 1896) was a British military officer active in [[India]].

==Biography==
===Background===
Lumsden was born aboard the [[British East India Company|East India Company]]'s ship ''Rose'' in the [[Bay of Bengal]]. He spent the first six years of his life in [[Bengal]], where his father Colonel Thomas Lumsden was serving as an Artillery officer.<ref name=tmwhthwef /> His father Thomas entered the [[Bengal Army]] in 1808 and served in the [[Anglo-Nepalese War]], [[Third Anglo-Maratha War]] and [[First Anglo-Burmese War]] achieving distinction.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.3</ref> His first cousin once removed was the [[Oriental studies|orientalist]] [[Matthew Lumsden]]. He had six brothers, three of whom emigrated to [[Canada]], whilst his younger brother [[Peter Lumsden|Peter]] followed his path to India.

He was sent to [[Scotland]] at age six, where he was cared for by his grandmother in [[Aberdeenshire]].<ref name=tmwhthwef />

===Early career===
At the age of 16, he was nominated by [[John Shepherd (governor and chairman)|John Shepherd]], a fellow Aberdeenshire man and a Director of the East India Company for a direct cadetship in India.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.5</ref> He travelled to India in 1838 commissioned into the [[8th Rajputs|59th Bengal Native Infantry]]. During the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] he was appointed as interpreter and quartermaster to the [[4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs|33rd Bengal Native Infantry]], marching to [[Peshawar]] with the army of [[Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet|George Pollock]].<ref name=tmwhthwef>Charles Allen, Soldier Sahibs: The Men Who Made the North-West Frontier, Hachette UK, 21 June 2012</ref> He was present at the forcing of the [[Khyber Pass]] in 1842. During the war he would become close friends with two fellow officers who would also achieve distinction [[John Nicholson (East India Company officer)|John Nicholson]] and [[Neville Bowles Chamberlain]].

Following the war he returned to base in [[Ferozepur]], having earned a campaign medal and six months extra pay.<ref name=tmwhthwef /> In early 1843, he rejoined the 59th Bengal Native Infantry stationed in [[Ludhiana]], indulging in his passion for shikar with hunting expeditions throughout the [[Punjab (region)|Punjab]]. During this time he explored the region, learning near perfect [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] and growing accustomed to local customs and traditions.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

===The Punjab===
During the [[First Anglo-Sikh War]], Lumsden served as a commander of a company in his regiment. At the [[Battle of Sobraon]] he was part of the storming division on [[Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough|Hugh Gough]]'s left flank. During the escape of the Sikh cavalry, Lumsden was shot in the foot which left him with a slight but permanent limp for the rest of his life.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

At the conclusion of the war, Lumsden was hand-picked by Sir [[Henry Montgomery Lawrence|Henry Lawrence]] to become one of his assistants, a band of chosen men who would become known as [[Henry Lawrence's "Young Men"]]. A number of these assistants had been brought to Lawrence's attention on the battlefield at Sobraon, including John Nicholson, [[William Stephen Raikes Hodson|William Hodson]] and [[Herbert Edwardes]]. Lawrence had been a friend of Thomas Lumsden, serving with him as an artillery officers earlier in his career. Lumsden later claimed that what first brought him to the attention of Lawrence was an incident a year or two previously, when he and a subaltern had been held prisoner by a gang of robbers following a shooting expedition on the banks of the [[Sutlej]]. A servant smuggled them a pencil and paper allowing them to call for help; help coming in the form of a cavalry led by Lawrence that same evening.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

Lumsden's first posting was to [[Kangra district|Kangra]] in 1846, where he served out the summer. He was thereafter summoned to Lahore. Whilst in Lahore, he became privy to the politics of the Lahore Durbar, at the time dominated by the Maharani [[Jind Kaur]] and her lover [[Lal Singh]].<ref name=tmwhthwef /> Noting how everyone of the Sirdars made no secret of their dislike for Lal Singh, he concluded that they were anxiously awaiting the time when the British would withdraw, and Lal Singh would consolidate power. In response to the political instability, like many fellow offers, but in contrast to his superior, Lawrence, Lumsden favoured the annexation of the Punjab.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

The sale of Kashmir to [[Gulab Singh]] had created considerable unrest amongst Kashmiri locals. In late 1846, Lumsden accompanied an expedition led by Lawrence to dispose the incumbent governor Imam ud-Din, who had the backing of Lal Singh and support the new rule of Gulab Singh.<ref name=tmwhthwef /> On his return to Lahore, Lumsden was given a mission to command a force of Sikh infantry to reconnoitre the hills of [[Hazara region|Hazara]]. Despite initial concerns of leading men he had formerly seen as the enemy, and noting their fondness for [[opium]], he would remark of his Sikh sepoys that "they were first rate men, ready for any work, always in the best of humours, fond of their officers, and just as obedient to orders as our own troops, and not giving one quarter the trouble as the latter do."<ref name=tmwhthwef /> Lumsden's mission was a success and he received the thanks of the government, and what he prized more, the approbation of Henry Lawrence.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

===Corps of Guides===
In 1847, Lumsden was nominated to raise a [[Corps of Guides (British India)|Corps of Guides]], enthusiastically regarding it as the finest appointment in the country.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.34</ref> Lawrence intended the corps as 'trustworthy men who could at a moment's notice act as guides to troops in the field, collect intelligence beyond as well as within the border.'<ref name=tmwhthwef /> At the same time he was to carry on his duties in the Punjab, and assist [[John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence|John Lawrence]], brother of Henry, in [[Peshawar]].

With his subaltern [[William Stephen Raikes Hodson|William Hodson]], he pioneered the use of a drab-coloured uniform for field service that came to known as [[khaki]].<ref>Dictionary of Indian Biography</ref> [[Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala|Lord Napier]] subsequently referred to the Guides as "the only properly dressed light troops in India".<ref name=adrian2015>Adrian Greenwood, Victoria’s Scottish Lion: The Life of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde, 2015, The History Press</ref> To enhance the regiment's prestige, Lumsden adopted selective recruitment, initially recruiting mainly from the local [[Pathan]] tribes of the Yusufzai, [[Khatak]] and [[Muhammadzai]]. So successful was the Corps that within months of its formation, there was a waiting list for enlistment.<ref name=tmwhthwef /> Lumsden would build up his force into what became the most famous unit of the [[British Indian Army]], inspiring a degree of devotion bordering on idolatry.<ref name=tmwhthwef />

In 1848, whilst Henry Lawrence was on leave in Britain, Lumsden and his Guides were summoned to Lahore. They were tasked to unravel a conspiracy believed to have been organised by the Sikhs to sow discontent amongst certain members of the Bengal Native Infantry and Irregular Cavalry stationed in Lahore.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.45</ref> Lumsden with the aid of Pir Buksh succeeded in obtaining papers proving the conspiracy and linking it with Maharani Jind Kaur, who he was then charged with escorting from [[Sheikhupura]] to Ferozepur.

Later that year, the [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]] broke out. Lumsden was sent to support Herbert Edwardes in the [[Siege of Multan]], where his Guides would go on to achieve considerable distinction.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.53</ref> He would later assist [[Hugh Wheeler (East India Company officer)|General Hugh Wheeler]] in operations at the heights of [[Dullah]] and see action at the [[Battle of Gujrat]]. Following the war, he noted his disappointment that all of Lawrence's assistants, despite their achievements in service, were being overlooked for key political postings at the expense of more junior civilians.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.60</ref> Nonetheless he was rewarded by Lawrence with a pay rise, the chance to remain in Peshawar and at the head of his beloved Guides, whose strength was now raised to four hundred horse and six hundred foot.

Lumsden initially based his regimental headquarters in a ruin outside of Peshawar, known as the Burj, which had been built in the seventeenth century by a [[Vizier|wazir]] of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>Lionel J. Trotter, ''A Leader of Light Horse: Life of Hodson of Hodson's Horse'', p. 51.</ref> In 1851, Lumsden relocated the headquarters to [[Mardan]] and the Guides became part of the [[Punjab Irregular Force]].

===North West Frontier===
In the years after the annexation of the Punjab, Lumsden was largely concerned with affairs of the border tribes. In 1849, he assisted in an [[Operations against the Baizai (1849)|expedition against the Baizai]], who had been refusing to pay tribute to the British.<ref name=adrian2015 /> The next year, he replaced John Lawrence as the political agent in Peshawar whilst Lawrence recuperated from fever in [[Shimla]].<ref name=adrian2015 /> Later that year he was part of a force moving against [[Afridi]] tribesmen who had attacked engineers building a road through the [[Kohat Pass]] killing twelve and wounding eight.<ref>William Wright, Warriors of the Queen: Fighting Generals of the Victorian Age. 2014, The History Press</ref> Lumsden had favoured friendly relations with the hill tribes, especially the Afridis, as he feared military occupation would be prohibitively costly in terms of lives and treasure and his views were cordially endorsed by the new military commander in Peshawar, [[Colin Campbell, 1st Baron Clyde|Sir Colin Campbell]].<ref name=adrian2015 /> Their views however gave way to the orders of the [[Governor-General of India|Governor-General]], [[James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie|Lord Dalhousie]], who demanded an iron handed response.<ref name=adrian2015 />

Throughout the summer of 1851, [[Mohmand]] tribesmen harassed the borders of British control. Lord Dalhousie advised that punishment should be as severe as was consistent with humanity, however such retaliation was opposed by both Lumsden and Campbell.<ref name=adrian2015 /> They were able to convince Dalhousie to attempt measures of prevention rather than retaliation, however as the skirmishes continued, Dalhousie grew more incensed, and ordered military intervention. Campbell launched an expedition with Lumsden at his side, noting that "Lumsden's views, those of common sense, are the most prudent and best....Punish those of the leading men who have shown emnity or have done injury to those who are bound to protect but leave the cultivators of the soil upon the land unmolested".<ref name=adrian2015 /> As operations became drawn out, criticism grew. On 5 January 1852, Dalhousie sacked Lumsden as Commissioner in Peshawar replacing him with [[Frederick Mackeson]].

===Later life===
In 1852, Lumsden took leave in Britain after fifteen years continuous service in India. On 1 March 1853 he was promoted to captain and on 6 February 1854 was made a brevet Major for services in the last Sikh war. He returned to India in 1855 and resumed command of the Guides.

In 1857 he was sent on a mission to [[Kandahar]] with his younger brother Peter and [[Henry Walter Bellew|Henry Bellew]] to assess the current military and political situation in Afghanistan. In May 1857, the [[Indian Mutiny]] broke out, causing Lumsden to fear for his safety six hundred miles from the nearest British post in [[Jacobabad]] and dependent entirely on the caprice of the Amir.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.174</ref> Lumsden, relying on regular updates from Herbert Edwardes in Peshawar, requested permission to return to India, but his service in Afghanistan was deemed vital in the interests of the Empire by the Governor General.<ref name="Lumsden, Peter Stark 1899, p.195">Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.195</ref> On 1 September 1857 he received news from his friend John Nicholson that his younger brother William had been killed in Delhi, whilst later that month he was informed Nicholson himself had been killed.<ref name="Lumsden, Peter Stark 1899, p.195"/> On 15 May 1858, Lumsden was instructed to return to India. He was gazetted lieutenant-colonel and resumed life with the Guides. His services were recognised by John Lawrence who remarked of him:<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.247</ref>
{{bquote|"One of the ablest and best military officers in the service. He has distinguished himself in the Afghan war, both the Punjab wars, and in most of the border fights on the Peshawar frontier in the last ten years. He raised, organised and commanded the famous Guide corps. While he was absent at Kandahar, the corps performed excellent service before Delhi. Therefore, in undertaking the Candahar mission, Major Lumsden missed the opportunity of commanding his corps and of winning rank and distinction before Delhi; while on the other hand he gained little but honour and risk in the interior in Afghanistan".}}

In 1860 he served under his friend Neville Bowles Chamberlain in the [[Military history of the North-West Frontier|Waziri Expedition]]. On 2 August 1860, whilst attending a regimental ball practice an assassin grabbed his sword and struck his arm. The assassin was subsequently apprehended by a Guide. In 1862, he was offered and accepted the command of the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]]'s army in the [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]]. He pithily summarised his service in the Deccan saying, "ffound the Hyderabad Contingent in debt, and left it clear."<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.270</ref>

In 1866, whilst on leave in Britain he married Fanny Myers of [[Cumberland]]. He returned to India in November the same year, and resided in [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]] with his wife. In 1869 his commission in [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]] expired and with no immediate prospects available in India, he resolved to return to England on leave.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.275</ref> Before returning, he rested some months in the Deccan on account of his wife's health. In the spring of 1869, on the invitation of [[Lord Mayo]] he travelled to [[Ambala]] for the [[Durbar (court)|Durbar]] of [[Sher Ali Khan]], affording him the change to re-acquaint with old friends and comrades.<ref>Lumsden, Peter Stark, (Sir) ; Elsmie, George Robert, Lumsden of the Guides, a sketch of the life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, 1899, p.277</ref>

Lumsden left India with his wife on 12 April 1869, never to return. On the death of his father in 1874 he inherited the family estate in [[Belhelvie]] and made it their permanent home. He was made a [[Knight Commander of the Star of India]] in 1873 and retired in 1875 with the honorary rank of Lieutenant-General. He died on 12 August 1896 in Belhevlie following a short illness and was buried in the local church graveyard.

===Legacy===

His friend, Sir [[Frederick Richard Pollock|Richard Pollock]] remarked of him in later years:
{{bquote|""A singular mixture of shrewdness and simplicity, absolutely free from selfishness and self-seeking, with great originality, a perfect temper and a keen sense of humour...he disliked civil routine intensely which made him turn down offers of civil employment so affecting his advance".}}

==See also==
*[[Henry Lawrence's "Young Men"]]
*[[Corps of Guides (India)|Corps of Guides]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* "Lumsden of the Guides" (London, 1899) by [[Peter Lumsden]] and [[George Robert Elsmie]].
* "Twelve Years of a Soldier's Life in India; being extracts from the letters of the late Major W.S.R. Hodson, Hodson of Hodson's Horse" (London, 1859), edited by George H. Hodson.
* Lionel James Trotter ''A Leader of Light Horse: Life of Hodson of Hodson's Horse'' (W. Blackwood and sons 1901, 1910)

==External links==
*[https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16808 Story of the Guides], by [[G. J. Younghusband]], 1908, from [[Project Gutenberg]]. Lumsden founded ('raised') the Queen's Own Corps of Guides.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20220622013906/http://www.geocities.com/scn_pk/corps_of_guides Corps of Guides], article discussing the raising of the Guides by Lumsden.

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lumsden, Harry Burnett}}
[[Category:1821 births]]
[[Category:1896 deaths]]
[[Category:British Indian Army generals]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War]]
[[Category:Corps of Guides (India) officers]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People of British India]]
[[Category:History of Punjab]]

Harry Burnett Lumsden - Revision history

Bot at 06:58, 17 September 2022