Arthur Fremantle - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Arthur James Lyon Fremantle was born in November 1835 into a distinguished military family. His father, Major General John Fremantle, had commanded a battalion of the Coldstream Guards, and had participated in the Peninsular War, as well as serving as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant General John Whitelocke during the abortive British invasion of Buenos Aires in 1807. Arthur's middle name, Lyon, came from his mother, Agnes Lyon.

After his graduation from Sandhurst, Arthur Fremantle entered the army in 1852, serving firstly as an ensign in the 70th Foot, before being transferred to the 52nd Foot almost immediately thereafter. The following year, Fremantle became ensign and lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, and continued to receive promotions until, in 1860, at the age of 25, he held the rank of Captain of his regiment and Lieutenant Colonel in the Army.

The same year, Fremantle was appointed to the position of Assistant Military Secretary at Gibraltar under Governor William John Codrington. In January 1862, the Confederate commerce raider CSS Sumter, pursued by the Union Navy, arrived in port. The ship's commander, Raphael Semmes, sought to have his ship repaired and refitted, although ultimately the Sumter was sold and its crew transferred to the newly-constructed CSS Alabama. Sometime in early 1862, the young British lieutenant colonel met the flamboyant Confederate captain, and was inspired by Semmes' tales of blockade running and combat on the high seas.

Like many other officers of his generation, including Lieutenant Colonel Garnet Wolseley, Fremantle had a considerable interest in the American Civil War. Unlike most of the others, however, he decided to take a tour of the South, and applied for a leave of absence in 1863. By his own admission, his initial sympathies lay with the Union, due to his natural distaste for slavery. On 2 March 1863, Lieutenant Colonel Fremantle left England on board the mail steamer, Atrato.