John Ross (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
John Ross CB
(died 17 May 1843) was a British Army
officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
.
in the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot
. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
on 8 May 1796, and captain
in the same regiment on 11 January 1800. Ross took part, with his regiment, in the Ferrol Expedition
later that year. He became a major in the regiment on 15 August 1804.
On 28 January 1808, Ross purchased a lieutenant-colonelcy in the 91st Regiment of Foot
, but exchanged back into the 52nd on 18 February 1808. He went to the Peninsular War
with the 2/52nd, which he commanded at Vimiero, where he was mentioned in despatches. He continued to command the 2nd Battalion through Sir John Moore's campaign that winter, and five companies of the regiment in the Walcheren Campaign
. Ross subsequently returned to the Peninsula to command the 1/52nd, with whom he fought at Pombal
, Redinha
, Casal Novo
, Foz d'Arunce, Sabugal
, and Fuentes de Oñoro
, during Masséna
's retreat from Portugal
in the spring of 1811.
On 20 August 1811, Ross was appointed deputy adjutant-general to the Forces in Ceylon. He served there until June 1814, when he returned to Europe for reasons of health. He was promoted colonel
in the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
on 4 June 1814. He was made a Companion of the Bath in June 1815. After serving as Deputy Adjutant-General in Ireland
from 1815 to 1818, Ross was made Commandant of the Depot on the Isle of Wight
in 1819, and went on half-pay in 1820. On 27 May 1825, he was promoted major-general. Ross was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
in 1828 and retired from that post in 1837. The next year, on 28 June 1838, he was promoted lieutenant general
. He became Colonel of the 46th Regiment of Foot on 1 August 1839 and died on 17 May 1843 in Southampton
.
He is not to be confused with Major-General Sir John Ross, KCB, of the 95th Regt. and Cape Corps, who died in 1835.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
John Ross CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(died 17 May 1843) was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the...
.
Military career
Ross got his first commission on 2 June 1793, as an ensignEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot
36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 36th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1701 and amalgamated into The Worcestershire Regiment in 1881...
. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot
The 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
on 8 May 1796, and captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
in the same regiment on 11 January 1800. Ross took part, with his regiment, in the Ferrol Expedition
Ferrol Expedition (1800)
The Ferrol Expedition took place on 25 and 26 August 1800, and was an unsuccessful british attempt to capture Ferrol from Spain.-Background:The primary object of the British fleet during the year 1800 was the conquest of Belle Île...
later that year. He became a major in the regiment on 15 August 1804.
On 28 January 1808, Ross purchased a lieutenant-colonelcy in the 91st Regiment of Foot
91st Regiment of Foot
The 91st Regiment of Foot was a Line Regiment of the British Army . It was first formed in 1759 and in 1881 became the 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.- Early formations :...
, but exchanged back into the 52nd on 18 February 1808. He went to the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
with the 2/52nd, which he commanded at Vimiero, where he was mentioned in despatches. He continued to command the 2nd Battalion through Sir John Moore's campaign that winter, and five companies of the regiment in the Walcheren Campaign
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains...
. Ross subsequently returned to the Peninsula to command the 1/52nd, with whom he fought at Pombal
Battle of Pombal
The Battle of Pombal was a sharp skirmish during Marshal Masséna's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the first in a series of lauded rearguard actions fought by Michel Ney...
, Redinha
Battle of Redinha
The Battle of Redinha was a rearguard action which took place on March 12, 1811, during Masséna's retreat from Portugal, by a French division under Marshal Ney against a considerably larger Anglo-Portuguese force under Wellington. Challenging the Allies with only one or two divisions, Ney's 7,000...
, Casal Novo
Battle of Casal Novo
The Battle of Casal Novo was a rear-guard action fought on March 14, 1811, during Massena's retreat from Portugal. During this retreat the French rear-guard, under command of Michel Ney, performed admirably in a series of sharp rear-guard actions...
, Foz d'Arunce, Sabugal
Battle of Sabugal
The Battle of Sabugal was an engagement of the Peninsular War which took place on 3 April 1811 between Anglo-Portuguese forces under Arthur Wellesley and French troops under the command of Marshal André Masséna...
, and Fuentes de Oñoro
Battle of Fuentes de Onoro
In the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro , the British-Portuguese Army under Viscount Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida.-Background:...
, during Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's retreat from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in the spring of 1811.
On 20 August 1811, Ross was appointed deputy adjutant-general to the Forces in Ceylon. He served there until June 1814, when he returned to Europe for reasons of health. He was promoted colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot
The 66th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1758 and amalgamated into The Princess Charlotte of Wales's in 1881....
on 4 June 1814. He was made a Companion of the Bath in June 1815. After serving as Deputy Adjutant-General in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
from 1815 to 1818, Ross was made Commandant of the Depot on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in 1819, and went on half-pay in 1820. On 27 May 1825, he was promoted major-general. Ross was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the de facto head of state in Guernsey and as liaison between the governments of Guernsey and the...
in 1828 and retired from that post in 1837. The next year, on 28 June 1838, he was promoted lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. He became Colonel of the 46th Regiment of Foot on 1 August 1839 and died on 17 May 1843 in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
He is not to be confused with Major-General Sir John Ross, KCB, of the 95th Regt. and Cape Corps, who died in 1835.