19th cent. Military watercolour, portrait of General Sir Wil...

Hammer

£35

19th cent. Military watercolour, portrait of General Sir William Fenwick Williams, 1st Baronet Bt GCB (4 December 1800 - 26 July 1883) who was a Nova Scotian military leader for the British during the Victorian era.
Williams is remembered for his defence of the town of Kars during the Crimean War. He with other British officers inspired the poorly equipped Turkish soldiers to repel Russian attacks by General Murav'ev on the besieged town for three months, causing 6,000 Russian casualties. They were forced to surrender due to starvation, disease and shortage of ammunition. However, they surrendered on their own terms, with the officers being allowed to retain their swords. Williams was imprisoned at Ryazan, but he was treated very well and released at the end of the Crimean War in 1856. Before returning home he was introduced to Tsar Alexander II.
Many other honours were bestowed upon Williams, and in 1865-1867, he was appointed the first Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia where he was born.