Born the illegitimate son of General
John Burgoyne and the opera singer Susan Caulfield, Burgoyne was brought up by the
12th Earl of Derby (a nephew of his father's late wife) following his father's early death. Educated at
Eton College and the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in the
Royal Engineers on 29 August 1798. Promoted to lieutenant on 1 July 1800, he took part in the
Siege of Malta in Autumn 1800 during the
French Revolutionary Wars before becoming
aide-de-camp to General
Henry Fox. he took part in the
capture of Alexandria in February 1807 and the subsequent
occupation of Rosetta in April 1807. Burgoyne became engineer officer for the
3rd Division, in which role he took part in the
Battle of Bussaco in September 1810, the
Second Siege of Badajoz in June 1811 and the
Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in January 1812. he led the storming parties at the
Siege of Badajoz in March 1812. he took part in the
Battle of Salamanca in July 1812, the
Siege of Burgos in September 1812 and the
Battle of Vitoria in June 1813 before going on to be present at the
Siege of San Sebastián in August 1813, the
Battle of Nivelle in November 1813 and the
Battle of the Nive in December 1813. In the closing stages of the War he was also present at the crossing of the
River Adour in February 1814 and the
Battle of Bayonne in April 1814. and to the rank of
major-general on 28 June 1838, Burgoyne was advanced to
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 19 July 1838 and became
Inspector-General of Fortifications in 1845. He was promoted to
lieutenant general on 11 November 1851 and advanced to
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 31 March 1852. and, following his recall to England in February 1855, he was promoted to full general on 5 September 1855. and awarded the French
Legion of Honour, 2nd Class on 2 August 1856. He was appointed one of the Colonels Commandant of the Royal Engineers in 1854, and also served as honorary colonel of
1st Middlesex Engineer Volunteer Corps and of the
1st Lancashire Engineer Volunteer Corps. in
Waterloo Place, London Burgoyne was appointed
Constable of the Tower in April 1865 and promoted to
field marshal on his retirement on 1 January 1868. He died at 5, Pembridge Square, Bayswater,
Kensington in London on 7 October 1871 and was buried at the
Church of St Peter ad Vincula. Castle Hill Fort in Dover was renamed
Fort Burgoyne in memory of him. ==Family==