Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet
| Lieutenant Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher baronet |
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| Born | 1768 |
| Died | 31 August 1813 San Sebastián |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars |
Battle of Martinique (1794) Battle of Copenhagen (1807) Battle of Talavera Battle of Buçaco Battle of Sabugal Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro Second Siege of Badajoz (1811) Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo (1812) Battle of Vitoria Siege of Badajoz (1812) Siege of Pamplona (1813) Siege of San Sebastian |
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet (1768 – 31 August 1813) was an engineer in the British Army known for his work on the Lines of Torres Vedras. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and Peninsular Wars, and was mentioned in dispatches a number of times, most notably for his actions at Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz and Vitoria. Fletcher was twice wounded in the line of duty before being killed in action at the Siege of San Sebastian.
Little is known of Richard Fletcher's early life, even his exact date of birth is obscure. It is known however that the year was 1768 and his father was a clergyman. On 27 November 1796, at Plymouth, he married Elizabeth Mudge the daughter of a doctor. Fletcher and his wife went on to have five children together; two sons and three daughters. Though Fletcher was buried near to where he was killed at San Sebastián, a monument to his memory, purchased by the Royal Engineers, stands at the western side of the north aisle in Westminster Abbey, London.
Richard Fletcher enrolled as a cadet in the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich on 7 October 1782. He began his career in the Royal Artillery where he became a second-lieutenant on 9 July 1788, before joining the Royal Engineers on 29 June 1790. Fletcher was promoted to lieutenant on 16 January 1793 and when France declared war on Britain, later that year, he was sent to serve in the West Indies.
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