Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet
| Sir Thomas Hislop | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 July 1764 |
| Died |
3 May 1843 (aged 78) Charlton, Kent |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
British Army
|
| Years of service | 1778 to 1822 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands held | Madras Army |
| Battles/wars |
American Revolutionary War • Great Siege of Gibraltar French Revolutionary Wars • Capture of Corsica • Capture of Demerara, Berbice, and Essequibo Napoleonic Wars • Invasion of Martinique • Invasion of Guadeloupe War of 1812 • Capture of HMS Java Third Anglo-Maratha War • Battle of Mahidpur |
| Awards |
Baronetcy Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Sir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, GCB (5 July 1764 – 3 May 1843) was a senior British Army officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Serving exclusively in colonial campaigns, Hislop fought in the West Indies between 1796 and 1810 and subsequently in India, where he was a senior commander during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. Although his ability as a general was praised, Hislop came under criticism in Parliament for his heavy reprisals against forces of the Maratha Empire, particularly at Talnar, where he ordered the execution of over 300 men. He was also known for financial profligacy, losing large sums of money investing unsuccessfully in the Americas. Despite these problems, Hislop was later made a baronet and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, serving in his retirement as an equerry to Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
Hislop was born in 1764, the third son of Lieutenant Colonel William Hislop of the Royal Artillery of the British Army. Like his two elder brothers, Hislop followed his father into the British Army, studying at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich before joining the 39th Regiment of Foot as an ensign in 1778. Both of his brothers would be killed in action fighting in India, James at the Battle of Pollilur in 1781 and William at Cundapore in 1783. Thomas Hislop's first combat was during the American Revolutionary War, when his regiment served in the garrison during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. In 1783 at the end of the war, Hislop was promoted to lieutenant and purchased the rank of captain 1785, serving for a month with the 100th Regiment of Foot before returning to the 39th. In 1792 he left his regiment to become an aide to General David Dundas, with whom he participated in the invasion of Corsica at the start of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the capture of San Fiorenzo he was sent to Britain with the despatches, promoted to major and made an aide to Lord Amherst.
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