Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Blacker, Valentine
BLACKER, VALENTINE (1780?–1826), lieutenant-colonel, historian of the Mahratta war of 1817-18-19, obtained his commission in the Madras cavalry in 1798, and served as a comet in the Mysore campaign of 1799, with a troop of cavalry of the Nizam’s contingent. A year later he was employed in Wainád as aidede-camp to Colonel Stevenson, and subsequently served with his regiment in the southern provinces of the Madras presidency under Colonel Agnew, by whom he was thanked in despatches for having surprised a party of the enemy, and for a successful charge with the troop of cavalry under his command. The remainder of his military service was in the quartermaster-general's department, to the head of which he was raised in 1810. In 1815 he served with the army of reserve under Lieutenant-general Sir Thomas Hislop, and in 1817 under the same commander with the army of the Deccan at the battle of Mahidpur, and the other operations in the Deccan. His services at Mahidpur and the reconnaissances made by him before the battle were specially brought to the notice of the governor-general.
Lieutenant-colonel Blacker was subsequently appointed surveyor-general of India, and on returning to Europe in 1821 was thanked in general orders by the commander-in-chief of the Madras army for his ‘eminent and scientific services as quartermaster-general of the army of Fort St. George during a period of ten years.' He died at Calcutta in 1826. He was appointed a companion of the Bath in 1818.
[Blacker's Memoir of the Operations of the British Army in India during the Mahratta war of 1817-18-19, London, 1821; India Office Records]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.28
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
| Page | Col. | Line | |
| 125 | ii | 16-15 f.e. | Blacker, Valentine: for 1780?-1826 read 1778-1823 |
| 14 f.e. | before obtained insert born on 19 Oct. 1778 | ||
| 126 | i | 19 | for 1826 read 1823 |