Napier Robert Cornelius

Napier, Robert Cornelius (Lord Napier of Magdala) (1810-90), was born in Ceylon, and educated for the Indian service at Addiscombe. He entered the Bengal Engineers, and took part in the Sutlej campaign, and also in the Sikh War, being engineer-in-chief at the siege of Mooltan (1848), and being present at the battle of Goojerat. In 1857 he was chief of the staff to Sir James Outram, and was engineer of the works by means of which Sir Colin Campbell relieved Lucknow. He was employed by Sir Hugh Rose against Tantia Topee, was second in command in the Chinese campaign of 1860, and in 1865 was commander-in-chief of the Bombay army. His expedition against Theodore of Abyssinia in 1868 and the capture of Magdala brought him a peerage and pension. He returned to India as commander-in-chief in 1870, became Governor of Gibraltar in 1876, and was appointed Constable of the Tower in 1887.