Lieut.-Colonel RONALD CAMPBELL, extracts from whose Journal have
been given in the preceding pages. He performed duty in India with
the 36th regiment; and was appointed Ensign in the SEVENTY-SECOND,
by commission dated the 20th of November, 1788. He was attached
to the grenadier company during the war with Tippoo Sultan, and
signalized himself on several occasions, particularly at the
storming of Bangalore, and at the capture of Savendroog; he also
distinguished himself at both the engagements near Seringapatam.
His Journal, with the plans and drawings, contains a detailed
account of the leading events of the war with a description of
the country; they show the interest he took in his profession,
with a laudable desire to become well informed on military
subjects, and they prove him to have been an intelligent, brave,
and zealous officer. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant
in May 1792; and served at the capture of Pondicherry in 1793;
also at the reduction of the Dutch settlements in Ceylon in
1795; in October, 1797, he obtained the command of a company. In
1805 he was brigade-major to Brigadier-General M^c Farlane, who
commanded a portion of the Western district in Ireland, and was
afterwards appointed brigade-major in Jamaica, but resigned his
situation on the staff of that island, to command his company (the
grenadiers) in the expedition to the Cape of Good Hope, where he
had additional opportunities of distinguishing himself, and was
appointed Commissary of Prisoners. On the 22nd of November, 1807,
he was promoted major in his regiment, which he accompanied,
in 1810, with the expedition against the Mauritius, where many
valuable stores were captured, and he was nominated prize-agent to
the brigade from the Cape of Good Hope. In 1812 he was promoted
to the rank of Lieut.-colonel in the army, and appointed deputy
adjutant-general to the forces serving on the island of Jamaica. He
performed the duties of that situation two years, and fell a victim
to the climate, his decease taking place on the first night after
his arrival at Portsmouth, on the 14th of December, 1814. He had
the reputation of a virtuous, brave, intelligent, humane officer,
endowed with a strict sense of honor and distinguished as a polite
gentleman and scholar.
[21] Colonel Charles George James Arbuthnot was appointed from the
half-pay unattached to the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment on the 25th
of September, 1826, and on the 17th on May, 1831, was removed to
the ninetieth light infantry; on the 23rd of February, 1838, he
exchanged to his former regiment, the SEVENTY-SECOND; and on the
28th of June of that year, he was promoted colonel by brevet.
In November, 1841, he was appointed one of the Equerries to Her
Majesty, and on the 14th of April, 1843, was removed to the
half-pay unattached.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE SEVENTY-SECOND,
OR THE
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS.
KENNETH, EARL OF SEAFORTH.
_Appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant 29th Dec. 1777_.
Kenneth Mackenzie, grandson of William fifth Earl of Seaforth, who
was deprived of his title and estates by act of attainder, for
joining the rebellion headed by the Earl of Mar in 1715, adopted
a line of conduct more consistent with the best interests of his
country, than that pursued by his ancestors, and was a zealous
supporter of the house of Hanover. He was created Baron of Ardelve
in the county of Wicklow, and Viscount of Fortrose, in Scotland, in
1766, and advanced to the dignity of EARL OF SEAFORTH, in Ireland,
in 1771. Grateful for these marks of royal favour, and anxious
to promote the well-being of the kingdom, when Great Britain was
engaged in war with the United States, and menaced by France,
Spain, and Holland, he tendered his services to raise a regiment
of Highlanders, now the SEVENTY-SECOND, of which he was appointed
lieut.-colonel commandant by commission dated the 29th of December,
1777. His corps was soon fit for active service, and was admired
for its warlike appearance. He embarked with it for the East
Indies, and died on the passage in August, 1781, when his titles
became extinct.
THOMAS FREDERICK MACKENZIE HUMBERSTON.
_Appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant, 13th Feb. 1782_.
Thomas Frederick Mackenzie Humberston, grandson of Colonel the
Honorable Alexander Mackenzie, second son of Kenneth fourth Earl
of Seaforth, was appointed Cornet in the first dragoon guards in
June, 1771; in 1775 he was promoted to a Lieutenancy, and in 1777
to Captain of a troop in the same corps. He took great interest
in the formation of the Highland corps raised by his cousin, the
Earl of Seaforth, now the SEVENTY-SECOND, or the Duke of Albany’s
Own Highlanders, in which regiment he was appointed Captain in
January, 1778, and Major in March, 1779. He was quartered with
his regiment at Jersey, and took an active share in repulsing the
attempt made by a body of French troops to land on that island on
the 1st of May, 1779. He afterwards took an active part in the
formation of another corps of Highlanders, which was numbered the
100th regiment, of which he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant
on the 5th of August, 1780. Soon after its formation, the 100th
regiment was selected to form part of an expedition against the
Cape of Good Hope, and its commandant had the local rank of Colonel
in the expedition; the naval part of the enterprise was under the
direction of Commodore Johnstone. While the fleet was at Praya
Bay, in St. Jago, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, it was suddenly
attacked by a French squadron; Colonel Humberston happened to be
on shore at the time; but so great was his ardour to share in the
enterprise, that he swam to one of the ships that was engaged with
the enemy, who was repulsed. In the meantime the Dutch garrison at
the Cape had been reinforced, the project of attacking that colony
was laid aside, and Colonel Humberston proceeded with the land
force to Bombay, where he arrived on the 22nd of January, 1782.
In the meantime the Earl of Seaforth had died on the passage,
without male issue, and Colonel Humberston purchased his
estates, and succeeded him in the command of the regiment, now
SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders.
After a short stay at Bombay, Colonel Humberston sailed for Madras,
but receiving alarming news on the voyage, of the success of Hyder
Ali, he called a council of war, which decided, that a diversion on
the Malabar side of Hyder’s dominions would be likely to prove of
great advantage to the British interest; he accordingly landed at
Calicut on the 18th of February, with a thousand men, and joining
Major Abington’s Sepoys, assumed the command of the united force.
He took the field, drove Hyder’s troops before him, and captured
several forts. The monsoon approaching, he returned to Calicut, and
placed the troops in quarters; he afterwards concluded a treaty
with the sovereign of Travancore, who reinforced him with twelve
hundred men. In September he again advanced--obtained possession
of Ramjarree, and approached Palacatcherry, and had the misfortune
to lose a portion of his baggage, when an attack was made on his
rear. Hyder Ali detached his son Tippoo Saib against Colonel
Humberston, with twenty thousand men; this force approached the
British division and attacked its rear. After fighting every step
of a long march, the colonel arrived at the river Paniané, which
appeared impassable, but, after a painful search of two hours,
a deep ford was found, and the soldiers passed the river, up to
the chin in water, and only lost two black camp followers; they
afterwards gained the fort of Paniané. Tippoo expected to find
Colonel Humberston’s force an easy prey, and neglected to keep
strict watch; he was surprised to find the British had passed the
river. He afterwards attempted to carry the lines at Paniané by
assault; but was repulsed with severe loss on the 28th of November.
He blockaded the fort until he heard of his father’s death, when he
withdrew.
Colonel Humherston afterwards joined the troops under Major-General
Matthews, and was employed in several operations on the Malabar
coast. He subsequently accompanied Colonel Macleod to Bombay, to
make some representations to the council, and sailed from thence,
on the 5th of April, 1783, in the Ranger, to rejoin the army. Three
days afterwards that vessel was attacked by the Mahratta fleet, and
after a desperate resistance of five hours, was taken possession
of. Every officer on board was either killed or wounded, and among
them the gallant Colonel Humberston was shot through the body with
a four-pound ball, of which he died at Geriah on the 30th of April,
1783.
JAMES MURRAY.
_Appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant, 1st November, 1783, and
Colonel in 1786._
James Murray, second son of Lord George Murray, who was
lieut.-general of the Pretender’s forces during the rebellion in
1745 and 1746, served many years in the Forty-second Highlanders,
in which corps he was appointed Captain on the 20th of July, 1757.
He served with his regiment in North America, under General Sir
Jeffery (afterwards Lord) Amherst, and after the conquest of Canada
in 1760 he returned to Europe, and served under Prince Ferdinand
of Brunswick in Germany, where he received a musket-ball in the
breast, which could never be extracted, and which prevented his
being able to lie in a recumbent posture during the remainder of
his life. In 1769 he was promoted to captain and lieut.-colonel
on the 18th of December, 1777. He took an active part in the
formation of the regiment of Highlanders raised by his uncle,
John fourth Duke of Athol, which was numbered the 77th regiment,
and he was appointed to the colonelcy by commission dated the
25th of December, 1777: in 1782 he was promoted to the rank of
major-general. At the peace in 1783, when the Athol Highlanders
were disbanded, he was nominated commandant of the Seventy-eighth,
now SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders. He was appointed governor of Fort
William, in Scotland; was many years a member of parliament for the
county of Perth, and was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general in
1793. He died on the 19th of March, 1794. About eight weeks before
his death he was stopped by two footpads on Hounslow Heath, when he
jumped out of his carriage, drew a dirk, wounded one, and put both
to flight.
ADAM WILLIAMSON.
_Appointed 19th March, 1794._
Adam Williamson entered the army in the reign of King George
II., and on the 21st of April, 1760, he was promoted captain in
the fortieth regiment. He served in North America during the
seven years’ war, and in 1770 he was promoted to the majority of
the sixty-first foot, with which corps he served at the island
of Minorca; on the 9th of December, 1775, he was promoted to
the lieut.-colonelcy of the eighteenth regiment, which corps he
commanded many years with credit to himself, and advantage to the
service. On the 20th of April, 1790, he was rewarded with the rank
of major-general, and in July following with the colonelcy of the
forty-seventh regiment, from which he was removed in 1794 to the
SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders. In January, 1797, he was promoted to
the rank of lieut.-general; he was also honored with the dignity
of Knight of the Order of the Bath, and appointed governor of
Jamaica. His death took place on the 21st of October, 1798, and was
occasioned by a fall.
JAMES STUART.
_Appointed 23rd October, 1798._
James Stuart commenced his career of brilliant and honorable
service, as ensign in the sixty-fourth regiment, in October,
1761; in 1764 he was promoted to a lieutenancy, and in 1768 he
accompanied the regiment to North America, where he was advanced
to captain of the grenadier company in 1770. He was stationed
at Boston when hostilities commenced between Great Britain and
the colonies in North America. He shared in the severe duties at
Boston during the winter of 1775-6, when that town was blockaded
on the land side by the Americans, and subsequently proceeded to
Halifax, from whence he sailed with the expedition towards New
York, and was employed, under General Sir William Howe, in the
reduction of Long Island, in August, 1776, also in the movements
by which possession was gained of New York, and the Americans
forced from their positions at White Plains, which was followed
by the capture of Fort Washington and Fort Lee. In the summer of
1777 he was engaged in operations in the Jerseys, and afterwards
in the expedition to Pennsylvania; he was engaged at the battle
of Brandywine, and in repulsing the attack of the Americans on
the position at Germantown. In the winter he was selected, as an
officer of ability and experience, for the commission of major
in the regiment of Highlanders, raised by the Earl of Seaforth,
now the SEVENTY-SECOND, or Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders, to
which he was appointed by commission dated the 18th of December,
1777; but he did not arrive from America until August, 1778. He
accompanied his regiment to the East Indies in 1781, with the local
rank of lieut.-colonel in that country, and on the 2nd of June,
1782, he was at the action with the forces of Hyder Ali near Arnee,
under Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote. He commanded his regiment,
in which he had been appointed lieut.-colonel in February, 1782,
under Major-General Stuart, in the action near Cudalore, on the
13th of June, 1783, and was commended in the general’s public
despatch, and in orders. He served at the siege of Cudalore; and
subsequently penetrated into the Mysore under Colonel Fullerton,
and was at the capture of the fortresses of Palacatcherry and
Coimbetore. In 1788 he commanded a detachment sent against the
refractory Rajah of the little Murwar country, when he engaged his
opponents at Kallengoody, and captured Caliacoil, the capital. When
Tippoo Sultan attacked the Rajah of Travancore, a British ally,
Lieut.-Colonel Stuart commanded the left wing of the army assembled
on Trichinopoly plain under Major-General Medows, and penetrated
the Mysore. After the capture of Caroor, Daraporum, and Coimbetore,
he was detached on the 23rd of July, 1790, against Palacatcherry,
but his progress was impeded by heavy rains and mountain torrents,
and his force was too weak for the reduction of the fortress; he
therefore returned to Coimbetore. He was again detached, on the 2nd
of August, against the fortress of Dindigal, which he took after a
short siege. He afterwards traversed the country to Palacatcherry,
which he besieged, and, when a practicable breach was made in the
works, the garrison surrendered. He subsequently rejoined the army
with his detachment, and was commended in general orders; and
he took part in the operations of the campaign, evincing great
personal bravery and ability on all occasions.
Lieut.-Colonel Stuart commanded the right wing of the army under
General Charles Earl Cornwallis, K.G., during the campaign of
1791; and after the capture of Bangalore the commander-in-chief
expressed in orders his “most grateful remembrance of the valuable
and steady support afforded him by Lieut.-Colonel Stuart.” The
lieut.-colonel also evinced personal gallantry and judgment at
the battle near Seringapatam on the 15th of May, 1791, and in the
other operations of this arduous campaign, including the retreat
to Bangalore. On the 9th of December he was detached against
Savendroog, which he captured by storm on the 21st of that month;
and three days afterwards he took the fortress of Outra-Durgum by a
_coup de main_, for both of which services he was highly commended
in general orders. He commanded the centre division, under Earl
Cornwallis, at the attack of the fortified lines at Seringapatam
on the 6th of February, 1792, when he again distinguished himself,
and also in the subsequent operations until the power of Tippoo was
subdued, and he solicited terms of peace. On the 8th of August,
1792, he was honored with the appointment of aide-de-camp to the
King, with the rank of colonel; and in February, 1795, he was
promoted to the rank of Major-General. He commanded the expedition
against the Dutch Settlements in the island of Ceylon, captured
Trincomalee after a short siege, took the forts and island of
Manaar, and completed the conquest of the Dutch colony at Ceylon
by the reduction of Colombo in February, 1796. On the 3rd of May
following he was promoted to the local rank of lieut.-general in
the East Indies, and appointed commander-in-chief of the army under
the Bombay presidency. On the 2nd of March, 1797, he was appointed
colonel of the eighty-second regiment, and in 1798 he was removed
to the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders.
When Tippoo Sultan sought union with the republican government
of France, for the purpose of waging war against the British
power in India, Lieut.-General Stuart commanded the forces from
Bombay, which co-operated from Malabar, in the invasion of the
Mysore. Having passed the eastern frontier, he was met by Tippoo
at the head of a numerous force, and he repulsed the attack of the
Mysorean army at Seedasere on the 6th of March, 1799. He afterwards
advanced to Seringapatam, where he arrived in the early part
of May, and took part in the siege of that fortress, which was
captured by storm on the 4th of May, 1799, when Tippoo Sultan was
killed, which terminated the war.
On the 24th of February, 1801, Lieut.-General Stuart was appointed
commander-in-chief of the forces on the coast of Coromandel; in
1802 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general; and in 1805
he returned to England. He was advanced to the rank of general in
1812. The decease of the excellent and highly respected officer
occurred in 1815, after a distinguished service of fifty-four years.
ROWLAND LORD HILL, G.C.B.
_Appointed 26th April, 1815._
Removed to the fifty-third foot in 1817, and to the Royal Horse
Guards in 1830.
SIR GEORGE MURRAY, G.C.B., G.C.H.
_Appointed 24th February, 1817._
Removed to the forty-second, the Royal Highland regiment, in 1823.
SIR JOHN HOPE, G.C.H.
_Appointed 6th September, 1823._
John Hope entered the Dutch service, as a cadet, in one of the
Scots regiments (Houston’s) in the service of the United Provinces,
in 1778, and served at Bergen-op-zoom and Maestricht, going
through the subordinate ranks of corporal and serjeant. In 1779
he was appointed ensign, and in 1782 he was promoted captain of
a company; but, being called upon to renounce his allegiance to
the British monarch, he quitted the Dutch service, and in 1787
he was appointed captain in the sixtieth foot, but his company
was soon afterwards reduced. On the 30th of June, 1788, he was
appointed captain in the thirteenth light dragoons, and in 1792 he
was nominated aide-de-camp to Lieut.-General Sir William Erskine,
in which capacity he served the campaigns of 1793 and 1794, in
Holland, and returned to England in 1795, when he was promoted to
the majority of the twenty-eighth light dragoons, and in 1796 to
the lieut.-colonelcy of the same corps, with which he embarked
for the Cape of Good Hope in the same year. He served at the Cape
until 1799, when his regiment was incorporated in other corps, and
he returned to England. In April, 1799, he was appointed to the
thirty-seventh foot, which corps he joined in 1800, in the West
Indies, where he remained until 1804, when he returned to England,
and exchanged to the sixtieth regiment. In 1805 he was nominated
assistant adjutant-general in Scotland, and in 1807 he served as
deputy adjutant-general to the expedition to Copenhagen, under
Lieut.-General Lord Cathcart. He was appointed brigadier-general
on the staff of North Britain in 1808, and subsequently deputy
adjutant-general in that part of the United Kingdom. He was
promoted to the rank of major-general in 1810, and appointed to
the staff of the Severn district, from whence he was removed to
the staff of the Peninsula in 1812, and served with the army under
the Duke of Wellington at the battle of Salamanca, for which he
received a medal. He subsequently served on the staff of Ireland
and North Britain until 1819, when he was promoted to the rank of
lieut.-general. He was honored with the dignity of Knight Grand
Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. In 1820 he was
appointed colonel of the ninety-second regiment, from which he was
removed, in 1823, to the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders. He died in
August 1836.
SIR COLIN CAMPBELL, K.C.B.
_Appointed 15th August, 1836._
This officer commenced his military career, as an ensign in
the First West India regiment, his commission being dated 3rd
of October, 1799. On the 21st of August, 1801, he was promoted
lieutenant in the thirty-fifth regiment, and on the 12th of
February, 1802, he exchanged into the seventy-eighth regiment, from
which he was promoted to a company in the seventy-fifth foot on the
9th of January, 1805. He obtained the brevet rank of Major on the
2nd of September, 1808, and was promoted to the rank of major in
the seventieth regiment on the 15th of December following; he was
promoted to the brevet rank of lieut.-colonel in May, 1810, which
was subsequently ante-dated to the 15th of December, 1808. On the
13th of August, 1812, he exchanged to the sixty-third regiment; on
the 4th of June, 1814, was promoted to the rank of colonel, and
on the 25th of July, 1814, was appointed lieut.-colonel in the
Coldstream regiment of foot guards. He served during the Peninsular
war, and was for a considerable time upon the staff of the army
under the Duke of Wellington. The Prince Regent appointed him
a Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order of the
Bath on the 2nd of January, 1815, and he also received a cross
and six clasps for Talavera, Busaco, Fuentes d’Onor, Badajoz,
Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Toulouse. Sir
Colin Campbell also greatly distinguished himself in the field at
the ever memorable Battle of Waterloo. He was advanced to the rank
of major-general on the 27th of May, 1825, and in March, 1828, was
appointed Lieut.-Governor of Portsmouth;--on the 15th of August,
1834, His Majesty King William IV. conferred upon him the colonelcy
of the ninety-ninth regiment, from which he was removed to the
SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders on the 15th of August, 1836. On the
28th of June, 1838, he obtained the rank of lieut.-general, and Her
Majesty, in July, 1839, was graciously pleased to appoint Sir Colin
Campbell to serve upon the staff of the army in Nova Scotia and
its dependencies; in November, 1840, he was appointed Governor and
Commander-in-Chief of Ceylon, from which island he had returned but
a short period, when, after an illness of only two days, he expired
at his residence in King Street, St. James’s, on Sunday the 13th of
June, 1847.
LIEUT.-GENERAL SIR NEIL DOUGLAS, K.C.B. AND K.C.H.
_Appointed from the Eighty-first regiment on the 12th of July,
1847._
London: Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street.
For Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
Pg xxviii: Inserted ---- and -- for the date and page number, in
the entry ‘Proceeded to Algoa Bay...’.
Pg 34: Missing Sidenote ‘[Sidenote: 1797]’ inserted before the
paragraph ‘As the island ...’.
Pg 57: Missing Sidenote ‘[Sidenote: 1841]’ inserted before the
paragraph ‘In July, 1841, the ...’.
Pg 68: ‘which he besiged’ replaced by ‘which he besieged’.