Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Gurwood, John
GURWOOD, JOHN (1790–1845), colonel unattached, editor of the 'Wellington Despatches,' born in 1790, was the second son of one Gurwood, whose widow remarried H. Okey. He began life in a merchant's office, but after a love disappointment he entered the army as ensign, 52nd light infantry, 30 March 1808, and served with the first battalion of that corps, as ensign and lieutenant, in all the Peninsular campaigns down to the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo on 19 Jan. 1812. There he led one of the forlorn hopes, and received a severe skull wound. Wellington afterwards presented to Gurwood the sword of the French governor of the place, whom he had taken prisoner, a light scimitar, which Gurwood was afterwards permitted to wear instead of a sword of regulation pattern. He was promoted to a company in the Royal African corps, and served for a while as aide-de-camp to Lord Edward Somerset. He exchanged to the 9th light dragoons, and was appointed brigade-major of the household cavalry on the arrival of the service squadrons of the life guards and blues in the Peninsula. Thence he was transferred as brigade-major to Lambert's brigade of the 6th division, of which particular mention was made in the despatches at Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, and Toulouse (Lond. Gaz. 1813-14). He was one of the officers brought into the 10th hussars after the court-martial on Colonel Quentin in 1814. Gurwood served as aide-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton when second in command under the Prince of Orange in the Netherlands, and was for a short time deputy assistant quarter-master-general at the prince's headquarters, He had received three wounds in the Peninsula, and was again very severely wounded at Waterloo. He became a brevet-major in 1817, was retired on half-pay 1st West India regiment in 1822, obtained an attached lieutenant-colonelcy in 1827, and became brevet-colonel in November 1841. Gurwood was for many years private secretary to the Duke of Wellington, and was entrusted with the editing of the duke's general orders and selections from his despatches. The work, a monument of accuracy and editorial industry, occupied Gurwood many years (1837-1844), the last volume of the despatches with the indexes to the entire series being just ready for the press at the time of his death. For his literary service he received a civil pension of 200l. a year.
Gurwood was a C.B., and was appointed deputy-lieutenant of the Tower of London at the death of Earl Munster. His health, impaired by excessive mental strain and the effects of his old wounds, had for some time been failing. He died by his own hand at Brighton, on Christmas day 1845, leaving a widow and family.
[Philippart's Roy. Mil. Cal. 1820, v. 336; Preface to Gurwood's Wellington Desp.; Gent. Mag. 1846, pt. i. 208-9. For details of the storming of Ciudad Rodrigo see Captain C.R. Moorsom's Hist. Rec. 52nd Light Infantry, pp. 150-8. A notice of Gurwood will be found in Greville Memoirs, vol. ii.; and a lengthy correspondence relative to Gurwood's share in the capture of Ciudad Rodrigo, arising out of statements made in vol. vi. pp. 224-33 of Napier's Hist. of the Peninsular War, appeared in Colburn's United Service Mag. 1845, and was afterwards published separately.]