Edward John Eliot

Who was Edward John Eliot?

Captain Edward John Eliot was an English soldier.

Eliot was the son of Francis Perceval Eliot and his wife Anne née Breynton. He was born into a military family - the son of a Colonel, the grandson and great grandson of Generals, but he himself never rose above the rank of Captain. His letters and papers form an important record of military life for this period.

He enrolled at the age of 15 into his father's Staffordshire Militia as an Ensign, and a Lieutenant. In 1799, he transferred as Ensign of the 62nd Regiment of Foot. His unit sailed from Ireland in May 1800 to the Île-d'Houat, in Quiberon Bay, where 40 years earlier the Battle of Quiberon Bay had been fought. However, bad weather prevented a landing and he went on to Minorca where stayed until at least October 1801. By October 1802, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant and posted to Athenry in Ireland. He saw several excursions to the Mediterranean and was promoted to Captain, 4th Garrison Battalion.

During 1807, the Peninsula War was beginning and Edward was among the first of the British troops to fight in the Iberian peninsula, alongside his older brother William Granville Eliot, who was in another regiment. Edward now saw major military action over the next 5 years, including the Battle of Vimiero, the Battle of Talavera, Battle of Bussaco, Defence of the Lines of Torres Vedras, Battle of Badajoz. During this period, he fought in the elite Lord Hill's Flying Brigade.