His Royal Highness immediately gave his orders for continuing the pursuit of the rebels, with the utmost diligence.  Accordingly Oglethorpe advanced towards Lancaster; which place the Duke reached on the 16th.  Oglethorpe, continuing his pursuit at the heels of the rebels, arrived on the 17th in front of a village called Shap, where their rear was supposed to be, just before night-fall, in very bad weather.  Here he held a consultation with his officers, in which it was decided that the lateness of the hour, and the exhaustion of the troops, rendered it inexpedient to make the attack that night.  He, therefore, entered the neighboring village to obtain forage, and to refresh.  Meanwhile the Duke pressed on; and, next morning, when he came to Shap, found that it had been abandoned by the rebels; but was surprised at seeing on his right, towards the rear, an unexpected body of troops.  It turned out to be Oglethorpe’s corps, which, from being the van-guard of the army, had thus unaccountably become the rear.  Vexed at the disappointing occurrence, he caused Oglethorpe to be arraigned before a Court Martial, for having “lingered on the road.”  His trial came on at the Horse-guards on the 29th of September, and ended the 7th of October, 1746; when “he was honorably acquitted, and his Majesty was graciously pleased to confirm the sentence."[1]

[Footnote 1:  See London Gazette for October 20th, 1746; and the Memoir in European Magazine for 1785.

CROKER, in a note to his edition of BOSWELL’s Life of Johnson, Vol.  I. page 97, says that “though acquitted, he was never again employed.  It is by no means surprising that this neglect should have mortified a man of Oglethorpe’s sensibility; and it is to be inferred, from Mr. Boswell’s expressions, that, late in life, he had in vain solicited for ’some mark of distinction, ’to heal his wounded feelings.”  The last intimations are confuted by the advancements in military rank stated in the following pages of these memorials.  The “mark of distinction,” deserved, perhaps expected, but certainly not “solicited,” might be that of Knight, a title worn by his father, as also by the father of his wife.]

As a still higher proof that he stood high in public estimation, on the 13th of September, 1747, he was made Brigadier General in the British army.

On the establishment of the British Herring Fishery, in 1750, he took a very considerable part, and became one of the Council; in which situation, on the 25th of October he delivered to the Prince of Wales the Charter of incorporation in a speech which was printed in the public journals.

In 1754 he was candidate for the borough of Haslemere, which he had represented in former Parliaments; but on the close of the poll, the numbers were found to be for J. Moore Molyneaux, 75; Philip Carteret Webb, 76; Peter Burrel, 46; and Oglethorpe only 45.

On February 22d, 1765, he was raised to the rank of General of all his Majesty’s forces; and for many years before his death was the oldest general officer on the staff.[1]