Beresford, William Carr (1768–1854)

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Beresford, William Carr (1768–1854)

William Carr Beresford (b. 2 October 1768; d. 8 January 1854), British general who led the troops that accompanied Sir Home Popham in his invasion of Buenos Aires in 1806. Having begun his service in the British army at the age of seventeen, Beresford enjoyed great success as an officer in Egypt and South Africa between 1799 and 1805. It was after victory at Capetown, South Africa, in 1806 that Beresford and his troops were assigned to join Popham in his expedition to the Río de la Plata. In June 1806, Beresford's troops captured Buenos Aires and placed the area under British rule. In believing the Spanish-Americans to be on the verge of rebellion, Popham and Beresford misjudged the citizens' loyalty to Spain and encountered some opposition among the people of Buenos Aires before Santiago de Liniers's reconquest of the city less than two months later.

After escaping from imprisonment by the conquering Spaniards, Beresford returned to England, where he served as one of Wellington's lieutenants in numerous battles with the French.

See alsoBritish in Argentinaxml .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alexander I. Shand. Wellington's Lieutenants (1902).

Enrique Williams Alzaga, Fuga del General Beresford, 1807 (1965).

Additional Bibliography

Lozier Almazán, Bernardo P. Beresford, gobernador de Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires: Editorial Galerne, 1994.

                                      John Dudley