Charles James Napier

Categories: Military biographical stubs | 1782 births | 1853 deaths | British Army generals

Image:Napier.jpg
General Sir Charles James Napier

Sir Charles James Napier (August 10, 1782 - August 29, 1853) was a British general and Commander-in-Chief in India. The city of Napier, New Zealand is named after him.He is famous for conquering Sindh province now in present day Pakistan.

A quote for which Napier is famous involves a delegation of Hindu locals approaching him and complaining about prohibition of Sati, often referred to at the time as suttee, by British authorities. This was the custom of burning widows alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. The exact wording of his response varies somewhat in different reports, but the following version captures its essence:

"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

The most important epoch in Sir Charles Napier's life was yet to come, and in 1842, at the age of 60, he was appointed as Major-General to the command of the Indian army within the Bombay presidency. Here Lord Ellenborough's policy led Napier to Sindh, for the purpose of quelling the Amirs or Muslim Rulers of the region, who had made various hostile demonstrations against the British government after the termination of the Afghan war. His campaign against these chieftains resulted, as is well known, after the victories of Meanee and Hyderabad, in the complete subjugation of the province of Sindh, and its annexation to eastern dominions.This is when he is said to have despatched back to headquarters a short,but famous message, "Peccavi" – Latin for "I have sinned" (i.e., "I have Sindh"). Later apologists of British rule over the East Indians justified this as;

"If this was a piece of rascally, it was a noble piece of rascally!" .

He was appointed Bombay Presidency governor by Lord Ellenborough, his administration was not such as pleased the directors of the East India Company, and he accordingly returned home in disgust, but was sent out again by the acclamatory voice of the nation, in the spring of 1849, to reduce the Sikhs to submission. On arriving once more in India, he found that the object of his mission had already been accomplished by Lord Gough. He remained for a time as commander-in-chief (C-in-C); quarrelled with Lord Dalhousie, the governor-general; then throwing up his post, he returned home for the last time. Broken down with infirmities, the result of his former wounds in the Peninsular campaign, he expired about two years afterwards at his seat of Oaklands, near Portsmouth, in August 1853, at the age of 71.

A statue in honour of Sir Charles Napier is placed on a pedestal at Trafalgar Square, London.

Preceded by:
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{{{years}}}}|title=Commander-in-Chief, India|years=1849–1851}} 		Succeeded by:
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General Napier should not be confused with his cousin Admiral Charles Napier (naval officer) of the same name. The admiral visited his cousins in the Peninsular and this can lead to confusion.
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