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MEMOIR 
OF 
GENERAL SIR CHARLES GEORGE ARBUTHNOT, G.C.B., 
COLONEL COMMANDANT, ROYAL ARTILLERY. 
A BARE list of the battles at which Sir Charles Arbuthnot was pre¬ 
sent might have its uses; but it would give us no notion of the 
character of the man who fought in these battles, nor would it explain 
how he reached the highest Army Commands. To form a conception of 
Sir Charles Arbuthnot’s character, something must be known of what 
he did and what he said ; and these facts are not easy to obtain, owing 
to his habitual silence about everything that might reflect credit upon 
himself. What was once said about another distinguished man may 
also be said of Sir Charles Arbuthnot : —“ he took more pains to 
avoid fame than others do to seek it The following meagre facts 
have been chiefly collected from friends and acquaintances. 
Sir Charles Arbuthnot was born at Killaloe, 19th May, 1824, fourth 
son of the Bishop of that Diocese : he died at Richmond, Surrey, 14th 
April, 1899. 
Before going to the Academy at Woolwich he was educated at 
Rugby, where he was remarkable for pluck and activity. Years after¬ 
wards, when (in spite of himself) he had made a name in the world, 
Mr. Tom Hughes (author of “Tom Brown’s Schooldays”) told Sir 
Alex. Arbuthnot, K.C.S.I., Sir Charles’ elder brother, that he well re¬ 
membered little Arbuthnot extracting the foot-ball from the densest 
scrimmages, and running with it until overhauled by some bigger boy. 
He was so small when he went to the Academy that under the present , 
regulations he would have been rejected. 
He joined the Regiment on the 17th June, 1843; was promoted 
1st Captain 8th March, 1855 ; and landed in the Crimea in May, 1855. 
It was settled, for some reason, that he and his 2nd Captain (the pre¬ 
sent General Sir William Williams, K.C.B.) were to draw lots to decide 
which of them was to lead the spiking party in the attack on 18th 
June; and to carry out the arrangement Captain Williams went down 
to the Quarry Battery on the 17th with the present General Sir 
Collingwood Dickson, V.C., G.C.B. When they got- there, they found 
that Captain Arbuthnot had just been shot through the leg. “ Well, 
then, the matter is settled,” said Colonel Dickson. But it was far 
from being settled. Captain Arbuthnot insisted upon drawing lots, 
saying, “if I win I’ll be there, even should I go on a gunner’s back.” 
It appears that, wishing to look at something in the front, he had 
S. VOL XXVI. 
