Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere
(1773-1865), Field MarshalRegency Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 9 portraits
Wellington tended to be suspicious, not without reason, of the performance of his cavalry units and their commanders. Lord Combermere, however, proved a success in Spain, and was in overall command of the division that charged so brilliantly at Salamanca in 1812. 'By God, Cotton,' said Wellington', I never saw anything so beautiful in my life; the day is yours.' Wellington, however, had a firm view of Combermere's limitations; when asked why he had recommended his appointment to command a campaign in Burma, when he considered him a fool, Wellington barked: 'So he is a fool, and a damned fool, but he can take Rangoon!'
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Martin Hopkinson
11 April 2019, 10:30
NPG 351 Martha Pearson's portrait of Viscount Combermere was also exhibited at the Liverpool Academy in 1829 as no 168