I have compiled a set of notes for Napoleon on St Helena. This list comprises historical figures, subjects and events that I found useful in developing my understanding of The Atlantic World of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Click on the relevant letter of the Alphabet or Search for a specific name. For information on the regiments search under ‘R’.
There are currently 4 names in this directory beginning with the letter C.
Cabildo
the. Founded in 1810 in Buenos Aires as a part of the May Revolution against Spanish imperial rule in the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata that included present-day Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. The governor appointed by Span was deposed and a Junta appointed. A group of prominent local lawyers and soldiers organised a special meeting of notables of he city and established its rule.
Cochrane
Lord Thomas, Admiral. 1775-1860. Cochrane was the penniless son of a Scottish peer (The Earl of Dundonald) who joined the Navy in 1793 aged 17. He soon made a reputation for being difficult but brilliant. In the French Revolutionary wars he fought continuously in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. He commanded HMS Speedy capturing, burning or driving ashore more than 53 enemy vessels and making himself and his crew rich on prize money. One of his Midshipmen was Frederick Marryat, later cartoonist and novelist. His most famous exploit was the burning of the French fleet with fire ships at the Battle of the Basque Roads on the French coast at Rochfort. In 1806 Cochrane stood for Parliament (Honiton) and promoted a series of reforms allying himself with William Cobbett and Henry Hunt. In 1814 he was implicated in a fraud at the Stock Exchange that involved making a false market in shares based on the false rumour of Napoleon’s death. Cochrane was found guilty, expelled from the House of Commons, pilloried at the Royal Exchange and imprisoned from where he escaped. He left Great Britain in disgrace, became a Chilean citizen and was invited to create a navy to libertate Chile. He subsequently commanded the Brazilian Navy and forced the Portugese to evacuate Bahia. His last command was of the Greek Navy in its fight for independence against the Ottoman empire. He was restored to the British Navy in 1832 and paid £40,000 (£3.7 million) in compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
Cocoa Tree Club
The. Founded during Queen Anne’s reign in c.1746 as a Tory chocolate- drinking house on St James’s. Previously it had been the headquarters of the Jacobite party in Parliament. Lord Holland and Byron were both members.
Crauford
Robert. 1764-1812. Joined the Army aged 15 and served in India. Fought in the campaign in Buenos Aires in 1807 and considered General Whitelocke the C in C to be a traitor. Took part in the retreat to Corunna and returned to England before re-embarking for Portugal in command of the Light Division (43rd, 52nd and 95th) following the death of Sir John Moore. Became one of Wellington’s more trusted and reliable generals. Killed in the Redoubt during the attack on the fortress of Cuidad Rodrigo.
