Robert Abercromby of Airthrey
Encyclopedia
General
Sir Robert Abercromby GCB
(1740–1827), the youngest brother of Sir Ralph Abercromby
, was a general in the army, a knight of the Bath, and at one period the governor of Bombay and commander-in-chief
of the British forces in India.
, and was promoted captain in 1761. In 1773, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot. During the American Revolutionary War
, he fought at the Battle of Long Island
, the Battle of Brandywine
, the Battle of Germantown
, the Battle of Crooked Billet
, the Battle of Monmouth
and at the sieges of Charleston
and Yorktown
, where he commanded the left wing of the British forces. After the war, he was promoted to colonel. Abercromby served in India from 1790–1797, where he was eventually made Commander-in-Chief
at Bombay.
He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1797, elected M.P. for the county of Clackmannan
in the place of his brother Ralph in 1798, was made governor of Edinburgh Castle
in 1801 - a post he held until his death -, and a general in 1802. His increasing blindness made it impossible for him ever again to take active service, and obliged him to resign his seat in parliament in 1802.
Abercromby's niece married James Alexander Haldane, and Abercromby subsequently bought the estate of Airthrey
, Stirlingshire
from J. A. Haldane's brother Robert Haldane
, who was selling his estates to take up missionary work in India. Sir Robert died at Airthrey in November 1827: aged 87, he was the oldest general in the British army. He was succeeded by his nephew, Lord Abercromby, the son of his elder brother, Sir Ralph.
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General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir Robert Abercromby GCB
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...
(1740–1827), the youngest brother of Sir Ralph Abercromby
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
, was a general in the army, a knight of the Bath, and at one period the governor of Bombay and commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
of the British forces in India.
Military career
Abercromby served in the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, and was promoted captain in 1761. In 1773, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he fought at the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
, the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, the Battle of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
, the Battle of Crooked Billet
Battle of Crooked Billet
The Battle of Crooked Billet was a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on May 1, 1778 near the Crooked Billet Tavern...
, the Battle of Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
and at the sieges of Charleston
Siege of Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln...
and Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, where he commanded the left wing of the British forces. After the war, he was promoted to colonel. Abercromby served in India from 1790–1797, where he was eventually made Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief, India
During the period of the British Raj, the Commander-in-Chief, India was the supreme commander of the Indian Army. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his staff were based at General Headquarters, India, and liaised with the civilian Governor-General of India...
at Bombay.
He was promoted lieutenant-general in 1797, elected M.P. for the county of Clackmannan
Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire were constituencies of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918....
in the place of his brother Ralph in 1798, was made governor of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
in 1801 - a post he held until his death -, and a general in 1802. His increasing blindness made it impossible for him ever again to take active service, and obliged him to resign his seat in parliament in 1802.
Abercromby's niece married James Alexander Haldane, and Abercromby subsequently bought the estate of Airthrey
Airthrey Castle
Airthrey Castle is a historic building and estate which now forms part of the buildings and grounds of the University of Stirling in central Scotland....
, Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
from J. A. Haldane's brother Robert Haldane
Robert Haldane
-Biography:Haldane was born in London, the son of James Haldane 2nd of Airthrey House, and his wife Katherine Duncan. His younger brother James Alexander Haldane was also a clergyman...
, who was selling his estates to take up missionary work in India. Sir Robert died at Airthrey in November 1827: aged 87, he was the oldest general in the British army. He was succeeded by his nephew, Lord Abercromby, the son of his elder brother, Sir Ralph.
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