Roland Hill English general Date of Birth: 11.08.1772 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Roland Hill
2. Early Military Career
3. Diplomatic Service and Return to Active Army
4. Role in the Peninsular War
5. Later Career and Waterloo

Biography of Roland Hill

Roland Hill was an English general, born on May 27, 1825. He was the second son of the 3rd Baronet Hill and received his education at a private school in Chester.

Early Military Career

Hill began his military service on July 21, 1790, in the 38th Staffordshire Infantry Regiment in Ireland. In the same year, he also attended a course at the military school in Strasbourg. He was promoted to lieutenant on January 24, 1791, and to captain on March 23, 1794. Hill served in Scotland, stationed in Edinburgh.

Diplomatic Service and Return to Active Army

After transitioning to diplomatic service, Hill spent some time as a captain at the English embassy in Germany. When the war broke out between England and France, he returned to the active army and was sent to Toulon, which was occupied by the English. Hill served as an aide-de-camp to General Mulgrave, the commander of the forces in Toulon. On May 13, 1794, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the 90th Infantry Regiment. Hill participated in an expedition to San Domingo in 1795 and served on the island until 1798. He was then stationed in Minorca. In May 1799, Hill was recalled to England. On January 1, 1800, he was promoted to colonel and sent on a diplomatic mission to Switzerland and Italy. Upon his return, Hill rejoined his regiment, which was stationed in Gibraltar, and participated in military actions against Cadiz and later served in Malta. In 1801, he was transferred to the forces of General R. Abercromby in Egypt.

Role in the Peninsular War

Hill distinguished himself in the battles of Rolica and Vimeiro during the Peninsular War. He commanded a brigade in General D. Moore's expedition and played a crucial role in covering the evacuation of British troops after the defeat at Corunna. Hill was recalled to England after the battle, but when Wellington returned to the Pyrenees, he summoned Hill and placed him in command of a brigade that operated near Oporto. Hill showed outstanding bravery and was severely wounded in the head during the Battle of Talavera on July 28, 1809. In January 1810, he was appointed commander of a separate corps responsible for the defense of Portugal on the Guadiana - Tagus front. Hill acted in conjunction with Wellington and played a decisive role in the Battle of Bussaco on September 27, 1810. In December 1810, Hill fell ill with dysentery and was evacuated to Lisbon and then to England. After his recovery on May 23, 1811, Hill resumed command of his division. While Wellington conducted operations in the Ciudad Rodrigo area, Hill, with his 2nd and 4th divisions and a cavalry brigade, operated in the Alentejo region. On October 29, 1811, he, together with General Morillo, defeated General J. Girard's detachment in Merida, capturing General Brun and Prince Aremburg, as well as 1,300 prisoners. Hill then acted against the French in the direction of the Tagus and Almaraz. On January 1, 1812, he was promoted to lieutenant general. In 1812, Hill was transferred with his corps to Badajoz, where he operated on the communications in conjunction with General T. Graham's units. After the victory at Badajoz, Hill, with 6,000 men, was sent to Almaraz. On May 19, 1812, he conducted a brilliant operation, destroying a strategically important and well-guarded bridge in Almaraz. In 1812, Hill was elected a member of the House of Commons for Shrewsbury.

Later Career and Waterloo

On June 20, 1813, Hill occupied the heights of Guebwiller, cutting off the French army from Victoria. However, on July 25, he was pushed back to Trurito. Hill then participated in the siege of Pamplona and played a decisive role in the Battle of Nivelle on November 10, 1813, where his troops broke Marshal Soult's line of defense. He also participated in the battles of Nive, Orthez, and Toulouse. After Wellington's departure for Paris, Hill took command of the English troops. For successfully concluding the campaign, Hill received a lifelong pension of 2,000 pounds. In 1814, Wellington recommended Hill for the post of Governor of Gibraltar, but instead, Hill took a command post in Scotland. Upon learning of Napoleon's return to France, Hill traveled to Belgium. On April 1, 1815, he arrived in Brussels and temporarily commanded the Anglo-German army until Wellington's arrival on April 4. After the start of the campaign, Hill led the 2nd Corps (2nd and 4th British divisions, a cavalry brigade of the Royal German Legion, the German-Indian contingent, and the German-Belgian division) stationed near Ath. He participated in the Battle of Quatre Bras and played a crucial role in the Battle of Waterloo, where, leading his corps, he entered into battle and determined its outcome. Hill was severely wounded in the battle. He entered Paris with the army and assumed the post of commander of the defense forces in July 1815. On August 6, 1815, he was awarded the Russian Order of St. George, 2nd class, for his distinguished actions at Waterloo. After Napoleon's exile, Hill remained in France as the second-in-command of the occupation forces until November 1818 (Wellington being the first). In 1821, he served in Wellington's department. After Wellington formed a cabinet on February 16, 1828, Hill was appointed Army Commander with the title "Commander-in-Chief" and held this position for more than 14 years. From 1830, Hill was an honorary colonel of the Royal Horse Guards. He retired in September 1842. Hill had several brothers, one of whom, Clement, served under his command in the Pyrenees and Waterloo and died in Madras in 1845 as a major general.