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Cornwallis

Soldier and Statesman in a Revolutionary World

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Cornwallis

Written by: Richard Middleton
Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
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About this listen

The first biography of Charles Cornwallis in 40 years - the soldier, governor, and statesman whose career covered America, India, Britain, and Ireland.

Charles, first marquis of Cornwallis (1738-1805), was a leading figure in late 18th-century Britain. His career spanned the American War of Independence, Irish Union, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the building of the Second British Empire in India - and he has long been associated with the unacceptable face of Britain's colonial past.

In this vivid new biography, Richard Middleton shows that this portrait is far from accurate. Cornwallis emerges as a reformer who had deep empathy for those under his authority and was clear about his obligation to govern justly. He sought to protect the population of Bengal with a constitution of written laws, insisted on Catholic emancipation in Ireland, and recognized the limitations of British power after the American war. Middleton reveals how Cornwallis' rewarding of merit, search for economy, and elimination of corruption helped improve the machinery of British government into the 19th century.

©2022 Richard Middleton (P)2022 Tantor Europe Great Britain Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism
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Lord Cornwallis was at heart a loyalist, deeply bound to the royalty and empire. In this version, Richard Middleton attempts to portray his better characteristics, and present him as one of the few who put King and Country above his own interests. This may be the case, but there is no doubt that Cornwallis was a troubled man. He seems to have been a poor speaker, and tended to push is opinions, with little regard to the ways of politics, but somehow could not understand when he was left out of the discussion for fear of his meddling. Cornwallis also believed of the superiority of the British aristocracy over all others, especially in India, where famously said “Every native of Hindustan, I verily believe, is corrupt.” This from a man sent to India to curtail the corruption and excesses of the British East India Company, and its aristocratic leaders. He seems to have had a weakness to overlook the excesses of his peers, in an attempt to maintain his belief in empire., and while he was well aware of the rot and corruption in the ruling British parliament, he still hoped that a just and equitable system could be maintained if people were willing to follow his leadership. This aspect of his character is not explicitly presented by the author. In the end, everything Cornwallis tried ended in failure due to his blindness towards racism/corruption, and he seemed to realize this in his later years. The worst aspect of Cornwallis was he commanded respect, while he sowed a deeply racist ideology, which others would hide behind in later years to commit horrendous atrocities. The author tries to gloss over this, under the guise of "he was trying to do his best', but he never addresses the fact that Cornwallis may have been a benevolent wolf in sheep's clothing - and we all know what the wolf represents.
Overall this is a well researched work and very well presented. It is a good book to read to get a sense of the man, and should understood in conjunction with other books that portray Cornwallis from a different perspective.

A very patriotic view of a troubled soul

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