Lot 1647 , John Raphael Smith after Sir Joshua Reynolds, mezzotint, 'Lt. Col. Tarleton', published by Smith 1782, visible sheet 65 x 41cm

John Raphael Smith after Sir Joshua Reynolds, mezzotint, 'Lt. Col. Tarleton', published by Smith 1782, visible sheet 65 x 41cm
£100-150
Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (1754 – 1833) was a British general and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the British Legion at the end of the American Revolution. He later served in Portugal and held commands in Ireland and England. Consequently, he had hoped to command British forces fighting the French in the Peninsular War. However, that position was given to Arthur Wellesley.

Tarleton's cavalrymen were colloquially known as "Tarleton's Raiders". During most of his service in North America, he led the British Legion, a provincial unit organised in New York in 1778. Nicknamed "Bloody Ban" for his ruthlessness, he was hated and feared by patriots in the southern states during the American Revolution. His conduct illustrated and exacerbated the problems the British faced in pacifying the population of South Carolina. After returning to Great Britain in 1781 at the age of 27, Tarleton was elected a Member of Parliament for Liverpool and returned to office in the early 19th century. As such, Tarleton became a prominent Whig politician despite his young man's reputation as a roué. Tarleton came from a family of slavers, and reflected that during his political career, where he was a prominent opponent of British abolitionists.

Sold for £850