Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Doveton, John
DOVETON, Sir JOHN (1768–1847), general, son of Frederick Doveton of London, and brother of Sir William Doveton, for many years governor of St. Helena, entered the 1st Madras light cavalry as a cornet on 5 Dec. 1785. He served all through the three campaigns of Lord Cornwallis against Tippoo Sultan, and was promoted lieutenant on 12 Jun. 1792. He also served in the campaign of General Harris against Tippoo Sultan in 1799, and was promoted captain on 8 May 1800, and he specially distinguished himself at the head of part of his regiment in the rapid pursuit of the notorious brigand leader Dhoondia Waugh, under the direction of Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who specially thanked him in general orders. He was promoted major on 2 Sep. 1801, and lieutenant-colonel on 15 Oct. 1804, and in 1808 was appointed to command the expedition against Bhangarh Khán, whose camp at Amritnair he stormed on 28 Dec. On 14 June 1813 he was promoted colonel, and in the following year appointed to command the Hyderabad contingent with the rank of brigadier-general. This contingent held a peculiar position. Under the subsidiary treaties with the nizam his country was garrisoned by a British division, but taking into consideration the largeness of his territories, it was decided, as it was in the case of a few of the greater native princes, that an additional force should be raised among his subjects to be officered by Englishmen and kept under the control of the company's government, while paid by the nizam. This force, which comprised nearly ten thousand men of all arms, was cantoned round Aurungábád, and was soon brought to a high pitch of efficiency by Doveton. In the Pindári war, the operations of which were carefully combined by the Marquis of Hastings in order to crush these marauding bands, which devastated India, the Hyderabad contingent played an important part, but Doveton’s most important services were rendered against the Maráthá Rájá of Nagpur. On that throne sat Apa Sahib, a degenerate descendant of the Bhonslas, who had obtained his accession by more than dubious means, and who, when once he was firmly seated on the throne, lent a ready support to the peshwá’s scheme of assisting the Pindáris and overthrowing the British power in India. He therefore treacherously directed his troops, who were chiefly Arabs, to attack the British resident, Mr. Jenkins, and though the resident escort, commanded by Colonel Scott, beat off the assailants from the fortified hill of Sitabaldi in November 1817, their position soon became critical. Doveton on hearing of this advanced by forced marches on Nagpur, which he reached on 12 Dec., and on the following day Apa Sahib surrendered himself. But his troops refused to surrender likewise, and after a fierce battle, in which Doveton lost two hundred men killed and wounded, the Arabs were defeated with a loss of seventy-five guns and forty elephants. But they still held the city and palace of Nagpur, which Doveton attempted to storm on 24 Dec., but in vain, and he lost over three hundred men and ten English officers in his assault. Yet the obstinacy of his attack terrified the Arab soldiery, who soon after evacuated the city. For his share in these operations, and especially for his rapid relief Nagpur, Doveton was made a C.B. on 14 Oct. 1818 and a K.C.B. on 26 Nov. 1819. On 12 Aug. 1819 he was promoted major-general, and in the following year resigned his command and retired to Madras. He was promoted lieutenant-general and made a G.C.B. in 1837, and died at his house at Madras on 7 Nov. 1847, aged 79.
[Dodwell and Miles's Indian Army list; East India directories; Wellington Despatches; and various works on Lord Hastings's campaign, such as Wallace's Memoirs of India and Blacker’s Military Operations.] .