Jasper Nicolls

Sir Jasper Nicolls
Sir Jasper Nicolls
Born	15 July 1778 East Farleigh, Kent
Died	4 May 1849 Reading, Berkshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Madras Army Indian Army
Battles/wars	Second Anglo-Maratha War Peninsular War War of the Fifth Coalition Gurkha War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

Lieutenant General Sir Jasper Nicolls KCB (15 July 1778 – 4 May 1849) was Commander-in-Chief, India.

Born at East Farleigh in Kent and educated at a private school in Ballygall and at Trinity College, Dublin, Nicolls was commissioned into the 45th Regiment of Foot in 1793.

Nicolls spent five or six years in the West Indies, attaining the rank of captain on 12 September 1799. In 1802 he proceeded to India as military secretary and aide-de-camp to his uncle, Major-general Oliver Nicolls, commander-in-chief in the Bombay presidency. A few days after the Battle of Assaye joined the army commanded by Sir Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) during the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805). It is not clear whether he went as a volunteer or was appointed to the staff; but, according to Stocqueler, he was employed in the quartermaster-general's department. Nicolls was present at the Battle of Argaon and Siege of Gawilghur in 1803.

Nicolls returned home soon after the close of the war, and obtained his regimental majority on 6 July 1804. In the following year the 45th Foot formed part of Lord Cathcart's expedition to Hanover, and Major Nicolls accompanied it.

In 1806 he sailed with the force under Brigadier-general Crawford, first to the Cape of Good Hope, and afterwards on Lieutenant-general John Whitelocke's campaign to the Rio de la Plata. Nicolls was present at the disastrous attack on Buenos Aires in July 1807. In the ill-organised assault on that town Nicolls found himself isolated with seven companies of his regiment, his colonel having become separated with one or two companies from the main body of the 45th. In this trying position he displayed conspicuous resolution, and, repelling the attack of the enemy, held his ground. On the following day, in pursuance of an arrangement between Whitelocke and the Spanish general Liniers, Nicolls, together with the other isolated bodies, evacuated the town. The 45th, unlike several other bodies of British troops, did not surrender, and Nicolls refused to give up the colours of his regiment. So conspicuous was his conduct on this occasion that Whitelocke in his despatches thus writes of him: "Nor should I omit the gallant conduct of Major Nichols [sic] of the 45th regiment, who, on the morning of the 6th instant, being pressed by the enemy near the Presidentia, charged them with great spirit and took two howitzers and many prisoners". Nicolls was the only regimental officer whose name appeared in the despatches. At the subsequent trial by court-martial of Whitelocke he was one of the witnesses.