Charles Howard (British Army officer)

General Sir Charles Howard KB (c. 1696 – 26 August 1765), styled The Honourable from birth, was a British soldier and politician.

Background
He was the second son of the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and Lady Anne de Vere Capell, daughter of the 1st Earl of Essex. Howard was a Groom of the Bedchamber from 1714 to 1727 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Carlisle from 1727 to 1761.

Military career
He entered the Coldstream Guards in 1716 and became lieutenant-colonel three years later. In 1725, Howard was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Carlisle and in 1734 colonel and aide-de-camp to King George II of Great Britain. In 1738, he received the command of the 19th Regiment of Foot, which under him became known as The Green Howards. His regiment took part in the War of the Austrian Succession and in 1742, Howard became brigadier-general. He commanded a brigade in the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 and as result was promoted to major-general a week later. He fought in the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, and commanded the British Infantry in the Battle of Rocoux in 1746. He was made lieutenant-general in the days after the Battle of Val in 1747.

After the war
After the war he was transferred to the 3rd Regiment of Dragoon Guards in 1748 and became then Governor of Fort George, Highland and of Fort Augustus. In 1749, he was awarded a Knight of the Bath and in 1765, three months before his death, Howard was promoted to the rank of general. He died at Bath, Somerset, unmarried and childless.