Francis de Rottenburg
| Francis de Rottenburg | |
|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada | |
|
In office 1813–1813 |
|
| Preceded by | Roger Hale Sheaffe |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Drummond |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1757 |
| Died | 1832 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of France United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Battles/wars |
French Revolutionary Wars War of 1812 |
Major-General Francis de Rottenburg, baron de Rottenburg (1757–1832) was a military officer and colonial administrator who served in the armies of the Kingdom of France and later the United Kingdom.
De Rottenburg was raised in what is now Gdańsk in Poland. He spent almost a decade in the French army which came to an end with the French Revolution. In December 1795, de Rottenburg joined the British army, serving in Hompesch's Hussars, a unit of foreign-born troops. In 1796 he helped to establish Hompesch's Light Infantry, which later became part of the 5th Battalion of the 60th Regiment of Foot. This battalion, formed mainly from German émigrés, was the first rifle armed unit in the British army. De Rottenburg rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the unit, and commanded it during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the capture of Suriname in 1799.
De Rottenburg wrote a series of manuals (initially in German) which became the basis for the training of riflemen and light infantry under Sir John Moore. He later commanded a brigade of light troops in the Walcheren Campaign.
De Rottenburg was promoted to Major General on the staff in British North America and arrived in Canada in 1810. When the War of 1812 with the United States broke out, he assumed command of the Montreal district. He assumed responsibility for both the civil and military leadership of Lower Canada on two occasions during the absence of Sir George Prevost, the commander in chief.
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