ROBERTS, FREDERICK, EARL, an English military officer; the son of an Indian officer, Gen. Sir Abraham Roberts; born in Cawnpur, India, Sept. 30, 1832. He was brought to England when two years old, educated at Clifton, Eton, Sand hurst, and Addiscombe, and entered the Bengal Artillery in 1851. His first taste of actual warfare was got in the hot time of the siege of Delhi, during the Mutiny, and he took an active part in the subsequent operations down to the relief of Lucknow, acting on the staff, in the quartermaster-general's department, and he won the V. C. He discharged the du ties of assistant quartermaster-general in the Abyssinian expedition of 1868, and in the Lushai expedition of 1871-1872. On the outbreak of the Afghan War in 1878, Roberts, now Major-General, was appointed to command the Kurram divi sion of the army. He forced in brilliant fashion the Afghan position on the peak of Peiwar Kotul (8,500 feet above sea level), and was rewarded with a knight commandership of the Bath (1879). Af ter the murder of Sir Louis Cavagnari and the escort of the British mission at Kabul. he was given command of the force sent to avenge them. He defeated the Afghans at Charasia on Oct. 6, took possession of Kabul on the 12th, and as sumed the government of the country, Yak:lb Khan having abdicated. Events followed quickly: the fortified cantonment of Sherpur was occupied by the British army, the fortress of Bala Hissar in Ka bul was dismantled, Yakilb Khan was sent a prisoner to India, the Afghans began to concentrate on Kabul, General Roberts sought to check them, and there was much sharp fighting round the city, Abdurrahman was proclaimed Arneer, and General Burrows was crushingly defeated at Maiwand, and the British garrison of Kandahar besieged by the followers of Ayub Khan. On Aug. 9 Sir F. Roberts
set out with 10,148 troops, 8,143 native followers, and 11,224 baggage animals on his memorable march through the heart of Afghanistan to the relief of Kandahar, which he reached three weeks later. He immediately gave battle to Ayub Khan and routed him completely, capturing all his artillery and his camp. When he visited England toward the close of the year he was honored with a bar onetcy, and on his return to India was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Madras army (1881), and held the rank of Commander-in-Chief in India 1885 1893. He was appointed Commander-in Chief of the forces in Ireland in 1895; and in 1899 took command of the English forces in South Africa; capturing Cronje, relieving Kimberley, and annexing the two republics. He returned to England and was created Earl, and made Commander in-Chief, which position he held until it was abolished in 1904. During the suc ceeding 10 years Lord Roberts urged upon his countrymen the need of more adequate military preparation, but he was little heeded. He died Nov. 14, 1914, while visiting the British lines in France.