Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Peddie, John
PEDDIE, JOHN (d. 1840), lieutenant-colonel, entered the army as an ensign in the 38th foot on 26 Sept. 1805. He became lieutenant on 26 Aug. 1807, and went with the first battalion of his regiment to Portugal in 1808. He took part in the action of Rolica, and the battle of Vimiera, in Sir John Moore's advance into Spain, and in the battle of Coruña. After serving in the Walcheren expedition he returned to Spain in 1812, was present at the battle of Salamanca, and lost his right arm. He was promoted captain on half-pay on 23 Sept. 1813, but was brought back to full pay in the 97th foot on 25 March 1824, and obtained a majority in the 95th regiment on 16 June 1825. After a further period on half-pay, he became lieutenant-colonel of the 31st foot on 26 Oct. 1830, and of the 72nd highlanders on 20 April 1832, and in the same year he was made a K.H.
In the beginning of 1835 the 72nd, then quartered in Capetown, were ordered to Grahamstown, in consequence of the incursions of the Gaikas, which gave rise to the first Kaffir war. At the end of March the British troops, under Sir Benjamin D'Urban [q. v.], entered Kaffraria in several columns. On 8 April, ‘Colonel Peddie, leaving the camp at midnight with four companies of the regiment and the first provisional battalion, ascended the Izolo Berg; and having early on the morning of the 9th divided his forces into two columns, and penetrated the fastnesses of the Isidengi, the Kaffirs, seeing they were attacked on every point, fled in the utmost dismay, and several thousand head of cattle were the reward of this movement’ (Records of the 72nd Regiment, privately printed in 1886, p. 39). In September operations were brought to an end, the Gaika country was annexed as far as the Kei (though the annexation was not ratified till 1846), and the regiment returned to Grahamstown. A town in the newly acquired territory bears the name of Peddie.
On 23 Feb. 1838 Peddie exchanged into the 90th regiment, then stationed in Ceylon. There his health broke down, and he died at Newara Elija in August 1840.
[Hart's Army List, 1840; Delavoye's Records of the 90th Regiment.]