John Abercromby (British Army officer)
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Sir John Abercromby
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John Ambercromby (left) at his father's death (1801)
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| Born | 2 April 1772 |
| Died | 14 February 1817 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Rank | Lieutenant-General |
| Commands held | Bombay Army Madras Army |
| Battles/wars | Napoleonic Wars |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Lieutenant-General Sir John Abercromby or Abercrombie GCB (2 April 1772 – 14 February 1817) was a British Army officer.
Military career
The second son of Sir Ralph Abercromby, Abercromby entered the army in 1782 as a cornet in the 4th Dragoons,[1] transferring in 1786 as an ensign in the 75th Highland Regiment.[2] He gained promotion to lieutenant in 1787, and to captain in 1792.[2] He subsequently served as an ADC to his father during campaigns in Flanders (1793–1794), the West Indies (1796–1797), Ireland (1798) and against the Batavian Republic (1799).[2] Promoted to colonel in 1800, he left his father's staff, but became deputy adjutant general and served under General Hutchinson in the force led by his father to Egypt (1801). His father died in battle at Alexandria; but John continued to render admirable service, for which General Hutchinson commended him.[2]
When war broke out anew in 1803 the French detained Abercromby while travelling in France and imprisoned him at Verdun for the next five years.[2] During his captivity he received promotion to major-general in 1805 and the appointment as colonel of the 53rd Regiment of Foot in 1807. Exchanged in 1808 for General Brenier, he became Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army in 1809.[2] From there he led the forces that captured Mauritius in 1810,[3] returning to Bombay in 1811. In 1813 he transferred to become Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army and temporary Governor of Madras, with promotion to lieutenant-general.[2] The Indian climate had broken his health, however, and he had to return to Britain at the end of 1813, where he received the KCB.[2] He became GCB in 1815, and succeeded his elder brother George as MP for Clackmannanshire. However, his worsening health drove him to the Continent, and he died in Marseilles in 1817.[2]
References
- ↑ R. G. Thorne, ABERCROMBY, Sir John (1772-1817), of Tullibody, Clackmannan. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, 1986.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 0-550-18022-2, page 4
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir John Abercromby
- Portraits of John Abercromby at the National Portrait Gallery, London
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | C-in-C, Bombay Army 1809–1813 |
Succeeded by Sir Miles Nightingall |
| Preceded by | C-in-C, Madras Army 1813 |
Succeeded by Sir Thomas Hislop |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Clackmannanshire 1815–1817 |
Succeeded by Alexander Abercromby |
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- Use dmy dates from June 2013
- 1772 births
- 1817 deaths
- British Army generals
- Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies
- UK MPs 1812–18
- Gordon Highlanders officers
- British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
- People of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
- British Army personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
- Napoleonic Wars prisoners of war held by France
- British prisoners of war (Napoleonic Wars)
- Commanders-in-chief of Bombay
- Whig (British political party) MPs
