Edward Capel

Not to be confused with Edward Capell.

The Honourable Thomas Edward Capel
Born	24 March 1770
Died	3 February 1855(1855-02-03) (aged 84)
Buried	Kensal Green Cemetery
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1793–1855
Rank	General
Unit	1st Foot Guards
Commands held	General Officer Commanding, Cadiz
Battles/wars	French Revolutionary Wars Flanders Campaign Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War Battle of Corunna Siege of Cadiz Siege of Tarifa
Awards	Military General Service Medal
Alma mater	Exeter College, Oxford

General Thomas Edward Capel (24 March 1770 – 3 February 1855) was a British Army officer and sportsman.

Thomas Edward Capel was the son of William Capel, 4th Earl of Essex, by his second wife, Harriet Bladen, and the elder brother of Rev. William Robert Capel (1775–1854). He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, where he graduated with a BA in 1790, and was subsequently a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.

As a cricketer, Capel was mainly associated with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He made 3 known appearances in first-class matches in the 1790 season.

Capel served in the Flanders Campaign of the late 1790s. On 2 March 1795, Capel was appointed a Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber. In the same year, he was commissioned lieutenant and captain in the 1st Foot Guards, and became captain and lieutenant-colonel in 1803. Capel was promoted from a Gentleman Usher to a Groom of the Bedchamber on 31 October 1808, but was not immediately present at court, as he served with the 3rd Btn. of the Guards during Sir John Moore's campaign of 1808–1809 in the Peninsular War, including the Battle of Corunna. He was presented at the royal levee on 6 March 1809, after returning from Corunna.

He was again with the Guards in the Peninsula during the siege of Cadiz, from July to September 1811; in the latter month, he was appointed assistant adjutant general, filling the post until June 1813. He was breveted colonel on 1 January 1812, resigned his Court office on 18 February 1812, and subsequently commanded the Cadiz garrison from July 1813 to April 1814. Capel was promoted major-general on 4 June 1814, lieutenant-general on 22 July 1830, and general in 1846.