View source for James Johnston (British Army officer, born 1721)

{{Short description|British Army general (1721–1795)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
'''James Johnston''' (21 May 1721 – 26 November 1795) was a general of the [[British Army]], colonel of the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues) then colonel of the Scots Greys where he succeeded his sister's husband, [[George Preston (British Army officer)|George Preston]].
==Early life==
[[File:Scots Greys Trooper and Royal Horse Guards c 1745.jpg|thumb|On the right is a trooper of the [[Royal Horse Guards]]<br>On the left is a trooper of the [[Scots Greys]]<br>Water colour of about 1745]]
Johnston was the only surviving son of [[James Johnston (Secretary of State)|James Johnston]] (1655–1737) and his wife, Lucy ([[née]] Claxton) Johnston.<ref>D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, ed. ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690–1715'', [[Cambridge University Press]], Cambridge, 2006</ref><ref group=note>Johnston was often confused with another army officer of the same name and much the same age, [[James Johnston (died 1797)|James "Irish" Johnston]] whose father, George Johnston, was a third cousin of James, sharing descent from Archibald Johnston (died 1619) and his wife Rachel Arnot.</ref> His father's first wife was Catharine Poulett (a daughter of [[John Poulett, 2nd Baron Poulett]]). His sister, Lucy Johnston, was the wife of [[George Preston (British Army officer)|George Preston]].
His father was the fourth and second surviving son of [[Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston]], and his second wife Helen Hay (a daughter of [[Alexander Hay, Lord Fosterseat]]). His maternal grandfather was Thomas Claxton of Dublin. Among his maternal family were aunts Frances, [[Richard Parsons, 1st Earl of Rosse|Countess of Rosse]] (and, later, [[Robert Jocelyn, 1st Viscount Jocelyn|Viscountess Jocelyn]]), Mary (née Claxton) [[Thomas Carter (1690–1763)|Carter]].
==Career==
Johnston was first commissioned into the [[Royal Horse Guards]] and was present with the [[Regiment#British Army|regiment]] at the [[Battle of Dettingen]] in 1743 and the [[Battle of Fontenoy]] in 1745. He became a major in the regiment on 29 November 1750, was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Horse Guards on 17 December 1754<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=9436|page=2|date=28 December 1754}}*</ref> and commanded the regiment in Germany in several engagements during the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref name=4dg>[[Richard Cannon]], ''Historical record of the Fourth or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards'' (London, 1839) [https://archive.org/stream/historicalrecord00cann#page/90/mode/2up page 90]</ref>
Desperately wounded at the [[battle of Minden]] in [[Annus Mirabilis of 1759|1759]]<ref>Sir Bernard Burke, ''A visitation of the seats and arms of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain, Volume 1'', London, Colburn, 1852</ref> he was promoted to full [[Colonel (United Kingdom)#Ceremonial ranks|colonel]] of Horse, Royal Horse Guards 9 March 1762,<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=10190|page=1|date=9 March 1762}}*</ref> (the same day as his 'Irish' cousin was gazetted colonel of Dragoons)<ref group=note>These appointments of the two James Johnstons: Major General, Lieutenant General and General, were identical and gazetted on the same day, one man listed beside the other without distinction.* In addition on 9 March 1762 they were gazetted respectively colonel of Horse and colonel of Dragoons beside each other.</ref>  and appointed an [[aide-de-camp]] to [[King George III]].
Promoted to major-general on 30 April 1770<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=11039|page=1|date=30 April 1770}}*</ref><ref name=beatson>[[Robert Beatson]], ''A political index to the histories of Great Britain and Ireland'', volume II (London, 1806)[https://archive.org/stream/politicalindexto02beat#page/120/mode/2up page 120]</ref> on 2 May 1775 he received the additional appointment of colonel<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=11557|page=1|date=2 May 1775}}*</ref> of the [[11th Regiment of Dragoons]] in place of the marquess of Lothian and was further promoted to lieutenant-general on 29 August 1777.<ref name=beatson/><ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=11802|page=2|date=6 September 1777}}*</ref> On 2 April 1778 he was removed from his colonelcy of Royal Horse Guards<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=11865|page=2|date=2 April 1778}}*</ref> and a fortnight later appointed colonel of the [[6th Regiment of Dragoons]].<ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=11865|page=1|date=14 April 1778}}*</ref> In succession to [[George Preston (British Army officer)|George Preston]], his sister's husband, he was made colonel of the [[Scots Greys]] on 4 February 1785, a post he held until his death.<ref name=4dg/> On 25 October 1793 he was promoted [[General (United Kingdom)|general]].<ref name=beatson/><ref>War Office {{London Gazette|issue=13582|page=913|date=18 October 1793}}*</ref>
==Personal life==
Johnston married twice. His first marriage was on 2 March 1747 to Lady Charlotte Montagu, youngest daughter of [[George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax]] and the former Mary Lumley.<ref name="Boswell1981">{{cite book |last1=Boswell |first1=James |title=Boswell, the Applause of the Jury, 1782-1785 |date=1981 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company |isbn=978-0-07-039114-7 |page=384 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hlpaAAAAMAAJ |access-date=7 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Charlotte's sister, Frances, was the wife of [[Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet]]. Before her death during childbirth on 28 April 1762,<ref name="Walpole1861">{{cite book |title=The Letters of Horace Walpole Earl of Oxford |date=1861 |page=502 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jKOswCZ8Vq8C&pg=PA502 |access-date=7 November 2022 |language=en |author1=Cunningham }}</ref> Charlotte and James were the parents of least three sons and three daughters, including:<ref name="Charleville1951">{{cite book |last1=Charleville |first1=Harriet Charlotte Beaujolois Campbell Bury countess of |title=A Journey to Florence in 1817 |date=1951 |publisher=G. Bles |page=150 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDc8AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA150 |access-date=7 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
* Richard Johnstone
* Charlotte Frances Johnston ({{Circa|1749}}–1820), who married her cousin, Maj.-Gen. [[Sir John Burgoyne, 7th Baronet|John Burgoyne]], a son of [[Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet]] and cousin to [[John Burgoyne]], in 1772. After his death, she married Maj.-Gen. [[Eyre Power Trench]], a son of [[Richard Trench (politician)|Richard Trench]], MP, and brother to [[William Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty]], in 1797.<ref name="Charleville1951"/>
Johnston then married his cousin Frances ([[née]] Carter) Twysden. A daughter of [[Thomas Carter (1690–1763)|Thomas Carter]], Frances was the widow of [[Philip Twysden]], [[Bishop of Raphoe]], and the mother of [[Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey]].
Johnston lived at [[Overstone, Northamptonshire]] and in retirement at Weston House near [[Weston, Bath|Bath]] and with a house in St James's Place, Middlesex.<ref>General Johnston's Estate—All Persons having any Claims or Demands on the Estate of General James Johnston, late of Weston near Bath, in the County of Somerset, and of St James's-place, in the County of Middlesex, deceased, are desired to send an account either to Mr Daniel Robinson, Gray's-inn-place, or Mr Clarke, attorney at Bath. ''The Times'', Friday, 25 December 1795; pg. 4; Issue 3474</ref>
==Note==
<references group="note"/>
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Will of James Johnston, General in His Majesty's Army of Weston near Bath, Somerset. Date	12 January 1796. Catalogue reference	PROB 11/1270
* Edward Almack. ''The history of the Second dragoons : Royal Scots greys.''<br>Lieutenant-General James Johnston.<br>Colonel, 1785. Died, 26 November 1795.
==External links==
*[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp02449/james-johnston James Johnston (1721-1797), General] at [[National Portrait Gallery, London]]
*[https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp54113/lady-charlotte-johnstone-nee-montagu Lady Charlotte Johnstone (née Montagu) (died 1762), Wife of Colonel Johnstone; daughter of 1st Earl of Halifax] at [[National Portrait Gallery, London]]
{{S-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef | before= Sir James Chamberlain }}
{{s-ttl | title=Major<br>[[Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond|Charles, Duke of Richmond]]'s<br> Royal Regiment of Horse Guards | years= 29 November 1750 – 1754}}
{{s-aft | after= Charles Shipman }}
{{s-bef | before= [[John Brown (British Army officer)|John Brown]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel<br>of [[4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards|1st Irish Horse, 4th Dragoon Guards]] | years= 9 March 1762 – 2 April 1775}}
{{s-aft | after= [[James Johnston (died 1797)|James Johnston<br><small>("Irish" Johnston)</small>]] }}
{{s-bef | before=[[William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian|William Kerr<br>Marquess of Lothian]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel<br>of the [[11th Regiment of Dragoons]] | years= 27 April 1775 – 1785}}
{{s-aft | after= [[Thomas Gage]] }}
{{s-bef | before=[[George Preston (British Army officer)|George Preston]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=Colonel<br>of the [[Scots Greys|2nd Dragoons<br>Scots Greys]] | years= 4 February 1785 – 24 November 1795}}
{{s-aft | after= [[Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton|Archibald Montgomerie<br>Earl of Eglinton]] }}
{{S-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, James}}
[[Category:1795 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:Royal Horse Guards officers]]
[[Category:Royal Scots Greys officers]]
[[Category:1721 births]]
[[Category:4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers]]