Edward Pakenham

Sir Edward Pakenham (1778-1815) was a British military general who was wounded and killed at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. He was the brother-in-law of the Duke of Wellington.

Early duties included serving in Martinique and seeing action throughout the wars of the French Revolution before joining his famous relative in the Peninsula War. In 1811 he fought in the Fuentes de Onoro battle to defend the besieged fortress of Almeida, helping the British to victory. Later in 1812 he was praised for his performance at Salamanca.

In 1814, Pakenham accepted an offer to replace Sir Robert Ross as commander of the British North American army. The next year during the Battle of New Orleans, he was defeated by General Andrew Jackson and was mortaly wounded. His last words were reputed to be "Lost for the lack of courage."

There is a staue in his memory at the South Transept of St Paul's Cathedral in London.