it impossible to hold out any longer; terms of capitulation were arranged the following day, and on the 19th Yorktown and Gloucester were surrendered to Washington, and Tarleton returned to England on parole early in 1782.
Tarleton was appointed a lieutenant-colonel of light dragoons on 25 Dec. 1782; and his ambition was now directed to enter parliament. An expert electioneerer, he readily adapted himself to all classes. He was unsuccessful at his first attempt in 1784, but was returned for Liverpool free of expense at the head of the poll at the general election of 1790. In the House of Commons he uniformly sided with the opposition, and in consequence the tories endeavoured to prevent his re-election in 1796. Their candidate was his own brother, John Tarleton, who had sat in the preceding parliament for Seaford. Banastre Tarleton was, however, returned triumphantly. In 1802 he was again unsuccessfully opposed, and he held the seat without interruption until 1806, when he was beaten by William Roscoe [q. v.]; but his absence from parliament was of short duration, and he was again returned in 1807, and continued to sit until 1812, when he gave place to Canning. As a speaker in the House of Commons he evinced earnestness and some power, but his ignorance of mercantile matters and love of pleasure made him no very efficient representative of an important commercial town like Liverpool.
From 24 Oct. 1783 to 1788 he was on half-pay as lieutenant-colonel. He lived for some years with ‘Perdita’ (Mary Robinson [q. v.]) after her connection was broken off with the Prince of Wales, with whom he was on intimate terms. Tarleton published in 1787 his ‘History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America,’ London, 4to, with map and four plans. It is more than probable that Tarleton was assisted in this work by others, among them Mary Robinson. Valuable as containing documents otherwise difficult of access, as a narrative it is marred by the vanity of the author. It was severely criticised by Colonel Roderick Mackenzie in his ‘Strictures on Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton's History’ (1787) and in the ‘Cornwallis Correspondence;’ it contained an attack upon Cornwallis, which was a poor return for the commendations which Tarleton had received in despatches from his commander. He attributed his defeat at Cowpens to want of co-operation on the part of Cornwallis. Cornwallis describes Tarleton's attack upon him, in a letter from Calcutta to the bishop of Lichfield, as ‘most malicious and false.’
Tarleton was promoted to be colonel in the army on 18 Nov. 1790, and to be major-general on 3 Oct. 1794. At the close of 1798 he was sent to Portugal as a major-general, but, not liking the limited nature of the employment, he obtained his recall. He was appointed colonel of the Durham fencible cavalry on 11 May 1799, and was promoted to be lieutenant-general on 1 Jan. 1801. He was transferred to the colonelcy of the 22nd light dragoons on the 8th of the same month, and on 29 April 1802 to the colonelcy of the 21st light dragoons. On 25 Sept. 1803 he was sent to Ireland to command the Cork military district, comprising all the south of Ireland. After this he commanded the Severn military district for six years. On 23 Feb. 1808 he was made governor in Berwick and Holy Island. On 21 Jan. 1812 he was promoted to be general. He was transferred to the colonelcy of the 8th light dragoons on 15 Jan. 1818. On the enlargement of the order of the Bath in January 1815 it was limited to officers who had distinguished themselves after 1803. This Tarleton conceived a great injustice to himself, and he wrote from his residence at Leintwardine, near Ludlow, on 27 Jan. 1815, to the Earl Bathurst to protest, and forwarded a statement of his services. He received a polite acknowledgment; but, although his protest was at the time ineffectual, he was created a baronet on 6 Nov. the same year, and on 20 May 1820 was made a knight grand cross of the Bath. He died without issue at Leintwardine, Shropshire, on 25 Jan. 1833. He was a born cavalry leader, with great dash, and as such was unequalled in his time.
Tarleton married, on 17 Dec. 1798, Susan Priscilla, natural daughter of Robert Bertie, fourth duke of Ancaster.
Tarleton's full-length portrait (now in possession of Lieut. Alfred H. Tarleton, of 58 Warwick Square, London, son of Admiral Sir J. W. Tarleton, who was great-nephew of Sir Banastre) was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds for Tarleton's mother in 1782. It is one of Reynolds's happiest conceptions. Tarleton, in the uniform of the British legion, is in a half-stooping attitude, adjusting his sword, with a horse behind him. The attitude gave rise to the ludicrous description by Peter Pindar, ‘Lo! Tarleton dragging on his boot so tight.’ The portrait was engraved in mezzotinto by J. R. Smith the same year, and also by S. W. Reynolds. In 1782 Tarleton's portrait was also painted by Gainsborough, and exhibited with the Reynolds portrait in the Royal Academy the same year. Another portrait of him was painted by Cosby and engraved by Townley.
