John Mansel

Who was John Mansel?

John Mansel was a British Army cavalry general killed at the Battle of Beaumont.

John Mansel was born in Cosgrove, Northamptonshire in 1729, and married Mary Anne Biggin. The couple had two sons, John, and Robert, who joined the Royal Navy and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.

In the army Mansel was made Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 3rd Dragoon Guards 27 April 1775 and became Colonel on 16 May 1781. Promoted Major-General on 28 April 1790, he commanded the 2nd brigade of cavalry under the Duke of York and Albany in the Flanders Campaign from May 1793. He was at the relief of Menin on 15 September, and possibly at Sainghin 27 October. In 1794 he was with Erskine's column at Prémont 17 April, but at Battle of Villers-en-Cauchies on the 24th his command missed the action through an orders confusion that left Rudolf Ritter von Otto with just 4 squadrons to face 5,000 French.

At Beaumont on 26 April he led the cavalry flank attack in the valley of Cawdry and completely routed a column of infantry before plunging at the head of his troops across a ravine to attack a battery of 14 cannon on the other side.