The Robertson court martial : authentic report of the trial (by Court Martial) of Captain A.M. Robertson, Fourth (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, held at the Royal Barracks, Dublin, on the 6th February 1862 and following days. With portraits.

Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Robertson court martial : authentic report of the trial (by Court Martial) of Captain A.M. Robertson, Fourth (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, held at the Royal Barracks, Dublin, on the 6th February 1862 and following days. With portraits. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    under consideration, and that he had ample time and opportunity of having it settled if he so ■wished. Was any reference made to Sir George Wetherall on this subject at this time ?—None that I am aware of; the General Commanding the Forces in Ireland did not consider such a step necessary, after having perused the letter of the Assistant Adjutant General of the Northern District, now before the Court. Did jmu give Captain Kobertson the opportunity of speaking to you alone, unaccom- panied by his commanding officer. Colonel Bentinck?—I did not offer the prisoner such an opportunity, as I concluded he would have asked for a private interview liad he wished to ha-ve one, which I should certainly never have thought of refusing. Colonel Erownrigg cross-examined by the Prisoner : Have }'ou got my letter of resignation, which you have referred to in your evidence?—I have, and I lay it before the Court. The letter was produced and read as follows “ To the Officer Commanding the 4th Dragoon Guards. “Dublin, 1st October, 1861. “ Sir,—I have the honour to request permission to retire from the service by the sale of my commission, and under the circumstances I am willing to wait for £450, the price of a cornetcy, without bearing any interest, until such time as a cornet is appointed to succeed to the vacancy created by my retirement.—I have the honour to be, &c. “A. M. Robertson.” In whose handwriting is the body of it?—It appears to be in the handwriting of Major Bellairs, who was then Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General of head-quarters, Dublin. Do you know where it was written ?—I believe in Major Bellair’s room, but I cannot be positive. Was it written before I left your office on the 1st of Oc- tober,' 1861 ?—Yes. Have you got any copy on record of the telegraph sent by you to me on the 30th September, 1861 ?—I think I eould obtain it by sending to my office; if so I will produce it to-morrow, or I shall take steps to procure it, if pos- sible. Did I hand you Captain Henry’s letter to Mr. Owen on the occasion of my interview with you ?—I cannot exactly remember now what the letter was ; the prisoner handed me in a letter, which I returned to him after reading. Did I then state to you the course which I had taken to obtain satisfaction ?—The prisoner attempted to enter into a good deal of what I thought very irrelevant matter, which I told him I thought he had better keep for another occasion, and that I could only carry out the instructions I had received from the General Commanding the Forces in Ireland. Did I then tell you that I wished to have an interview with Sir George Brown?—Ido not remember the prisoner saying anything of the sort. Did you tell me that I could not see Sir George Brown?—I really have no recollection of your asking me, but I do not swear that you did not ask to see Sir George Brown. Did I then state to you that I wanted time to consult my friends?—You said you should like to consult your friends. I said that if you had any friends who had accompanied you, there would be no objection to your consulting them; but that you had already had nearly twelve months to consult them, and had come to no conclusion, and that the General Commanding the Forces in Ireland did not con- sider any further delay to be reasonable ; ray impression is, that I myself proposed that you should consult a friend, thinking that one had accompanied you. Did you mention the name of Surgeon Cooper who had accompanied me from Newbridge ? I think I did. Did I in reply state to you that Surgeon Cooper attended me only in his professional capacity, and that I had not consulted him on the subject, and furthermore, that Surgeon Cooper had gone away ?—I do not remember the prisoner saying anything of the sort. Did I state to Colonel Bentinck in your presence and hearing that Colonel Dickson,had refused to appear in a Court of Inquiry, and tliat it was unfair to try me on charges of that description, and which had been before Colonel Wetherall several months previously?—The prisoner said in my presence that Colonel Dickson had refused to appear at a Court of Inquiry ; and he added something about the matter having been submitted to Sir George Wetherall, but what it was I cannot remember exactly. Did Colonel Bentinck say in your hearing that if I got off upon that charge he would try me upon others, in reference to something which he said had occurred between me and Mr. Rintoul, and between me and Captain Webb?—Certainly not. How long did tlie interview last?—I should think about ten minutes, hardly so long. Is this the letter from the Military Secretary at the Horse Guards in reply to my letter for permission to withdraw my application to retire from the service?—It is. Before I was summoned up from Newbridge for the purpose of the interview, had any communication been made to me as to its purport?—Not to my knowledge. Has Colonel Bentinck ever inti- mated to you a desire on his p.'irt that 1 should be compelled to leave the regiment? —1 have no objection to answer the question if the j)risoner press it, but I think he