General Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH was a distinguished soldier in the British Army during the turbulent years of the early-19th century. He served in the Napoleonic Wars under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and ultimately succeeding him in 1829 as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. In 1790, Hill was commissioned into the 38th Regiment of Foot, and he served in campaigns in France, Egypt, Ireland and Hanover.
In 1808 he became involved in military action in Portugal, as part of the Peninsular War. It is this campaign for which he is perhaps most well-known, and by its conclusion he had become lieutenant general and second-in command. His troops were engaged at the battles of Coruna, Porto, Talavera, Bussaco, Arroyo, Almarez, and the Siege of Burgos. He later played key roles in the battles of Vitoria, the Pyrenees, the Nive, Orthez, and Toulouse. Viscount Hill is particularly well-known for leading a charge against Napoleon's Imperial Guard at Waterloo, and his service under Wellington ultimately led to his being made Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. Hill died at Hardwick Grange in 1842.