David Carnegie Andrew Agnew

“ Having lost sight of him for the last twenty years, if I had been asked my opinion of him, I should certainly have said — If he is alive he is certainly one of the brightest ornaments of the British Army. ”

“ A. We went on the Spanish Main together; we slept many nights together in our clothes upon the ground; we have measured the height of the enemies’ wall together. In all that period of time no man could have shown more zealous attachment to his Sovereign and his country than Colonel Despard did. I formed the highest opinion of him at that time as a man and an officer, seeing him so willing in the service of his Sovereign. ”

“ Nelson was accustomed to count this as one of the most perilous expeditions in which he had ever been engaged; of 1800 men, counting Indians and all, only 380 returned.” Captain Despard rose to the rank of Colonel, but believing himself entitled to higher promotion, he formed that connection with revolutionary clubs which terminated so fatally in 1803. At his trial (says the same historian) “Sergeant Best argued that Colonel Despard, a gentleman, a veteran officer, could not have embarked with such men in such wild schemes, unless he had been bereft of his reason. ”