George Marquis of Huntly, Appointed 29th January, 1820
George Marquis of Huntly, son of Alexander fourth Duke of Gordon, was appointed to a commission in the 35th Regiment in 1790. He soon afterwards raised an independent company of foot, and was appointed, on the 25th of January, 1791, Captain in the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment. In July, 1792, he was appointed Captain-Lieutenant and Lieut. – Colonel in the 3rd Foot Guards; and, proceeding with his company to the Netherlands in the following year, he was engaged with the French at St. Amand and Famars, and in the siege of Valenciennes; also in the action before Dunkirk, and the affair at Lannoy. In the beginning of 1794 his Lordship raised the 100th (afterwards 92nd) regiment, of which he was appointed Lieut. – Colonel Commandant; and he proceeded with his regiment to Gibraltar, but on his return to England he was captured by a French privateer. He subsequently rejoined his regiment at the island of Corsica, where he served upwards of a year, and obtained the rank of Colonel on the 3rd of May, 1796. He was soon afterwards appointed Brigadier-General in Ireland, where he served during the rebellion. In 1799 he proceeded with the expedition to Holland, and was actively employed until the 2nd of October, when he was wounded. His Lordship was promoted in 1801 to the rank of Major-General; and in 1803 he was appointed to the Staff in North Britain, where he served three years. In January, 1806, he was removed to the Colonelcy of the 42nd Royal Highlanders; and on the 25th of April, 1808, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut. – General. He commanded a division of the army in the expedition to Walcheren in 1809, and was promoted to the rank of General on the 12th of August, 1819. In the following year he obtained the Colonelcy of the Royal Regiment, and was constituted a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath about five months afterwards. He succeeded, on the decease of his father, in 1827, to the dignity of Duke of Gordon, and was also appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle, and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland; and in 1834 he was removed from the Royals to the 3rd Foot Guards. This kind-hearted and gallant nobleman and soldier, who was distinguished for an uninterrupted succession of acts of kindness and philanthropy, died on the 28th of May, 1836.
Thomas Lord Lynedoch, G.C.B., Appointed 12th December, 1834
Amongst the most distinguished of the able and scientific soldiers who led the conquering armies of England from the Tagus to the Seine, was the venerable General Lord Lynedoch, whose death took place on the 18th December, 1843, at his residence in London.
The early life of this eminent man was that of a private country gentleman, but one whose mind had been cultivated in no ordinary degree. The classical attainments of his father, and the many elegant accomplishments of his mother, were directed to that which formed with them a never ceasing object, namely, the education of their son, who, owing to the death of both his elder brothers, had become heir to the family estate. The family from which he is descended, is a branch of that from which the Dukes of Montrose trace their origin. His father was Thomas Graham, Esq., of Balgowan, and his mother was Christiana, fourth daughter of the first Earl of Hopetoun. He was born at Balgowan (Perthshire), in the year 1750. In 1774 his father died, and, in the same year, he married the Hon. Mary Cathcart, one of the three daughters of the ninth Lord Cathcart. Thus Mr. Thomas Graham apparently settled down for life in the quiet, unobtrusive, happy condition of an independent country gentleman; and thus he continued in the enjoyment of great domestic felicity, surrounded by many estimable and attached friends, for a period of nearly 20 years. He had by this time attained the mature age of forty-two, and to all external seeming was one of the last men in the world likely to enter upon a military life.
In the year 1792, however, his domestic happiness was brought to a termination by the death of his wife. The effect of this melancholy event unsettled the mind of Mr. Graham, and his case adds one to the instances that might be adduced in which domestic calamities have procured, for the State, services of the highest order in the field and the cabinet. It may be said, that this change in his condition and prospects, imparted almost a romantic character to the tenor of his life. His grief was such as injured his health, and he was recommended to travel, with a view of alleviating the one, and restoring the other, by change of scene and variety of objects. While at Gibraltar in 1793, he was led into military society, and from that period he commenced to devote himself to the profession of arms.
Lord Hood was then about to sail for the south of France, and Mr. Graham had recently been a traveller in that country. He therefore gladly acceded to his proposition to accompany him as a volunteer. In the year 1793, he landed with the British troops at Toulon, and served as extra aide-de-camp to General Lord Mulgrave, the father to the present Marquis of Normanby, who marked by his particular thanks the gallant and able services of the elderly gentleman who had thus volunteered to be his aide-de-camp: the events of that period gave Mr. Graham ample means of indulging his taste for military life: nor did he neglect any opportunity which circumstances presented; he was always foremost in the attack, and on one occasion, at the head of a column, when a private soldier fell, Mr. Graham took up his musket and supplied his place in the front rank.
On returning to this country, he received a letter of service for raising a regiment in his native country, of which he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant on the 10th February, 1794, and which having been since retained on the establishment of the army, is now the Ninetieth Light Infantry, or Perthshire Volunteers. This regiment formed part of the army under the command of Lord Moira (afterwards Marquis of Hastings). It passed the summer of 1795 at Isle Dieu, whence it proceeded to Gibraltar. On the 22nd of July, 1795, the rank of Colonel in the Army was conferred on Lieutenant-Colonel Graham.
He continued for some months with his regiment at Gibraltar, when he obtained permission to join the Austrian Army. His connexion with that service continued during the summer of 1796, taking the opportunities which his position presented him of sending to the British Government intelligence of the military operations and diplomatic measures adopted by the commanders and sovereigns of the Continent: his despatches at this period evinced, in a remarkable degree, the great talents and characteristic energy of the writer.
During the investment of the city of Mantua by the French, he was shut up there for some time with General Wurmser, but, impatient of remaining inactive, he succeeded in making his escape, under cover of night, encountering great difficulty and imminent hazard.
Early in the year 1797, he returned to England, but in the following autumn rejoined his regiment at Gibraltar, whence he proceeded to the attack of Minorca with Sir Charles Stuart, who bestowed the warmest eulogiums on the skill and valour displayed by Colonel Graham. The part which he took in the reduction of Minorca is thus described in a work, published some years ago, detailing those transactions: —
"After the debarkation of the troops innumerable difficulties opposed themselves to their operations. There is not in any part of Europe to be found a greater variety of natural obstacles to an invading army than in this island. Reports from deserters and others, contradictory in their purport, rendered General Stuart for a short time irresolute what course to pursue. He, however, resolved to proceed by a forced march to Mercadel, and by possessing that essential post, to separate the enemy's force. To effect this object, Colonel Graham was sent with 600 men, and by dint of the utmost effort arrived at Mercadel, a very few hours after the main body of the enemy had marched towards Candarello. Here he made a considerable number of prisoners, seized several depôts of ammunition, &c., and established his corps in front of the village. The reduction of Minorca being completed, Colonel Graham repaired to Sicily, where he employed himself in the service and for the assistance of its legitimate monarch; and such were his exertions, that he received repeated acknowledgments and tributes of gratitude and esteem from the King and Queen of Naples."
In September, 1798, Colonel Graham, having been appointed to the local rank of Brigadier-General, commanded the force, consisting of the 30th and 89th Regiments, and some corps embodied under his immediate direction, in the siege of the island of Malta. Brigadier-General Graham, aware of the prodigious strength of the place, with the assistance of the fleet, resorted to a blockade, when, after a resistance of nearly two years' duration, a reinforcement of troops under the command of Major-General Henry Pigott was sent to assist in reducing the garrison, which capitulated on the 5th September, 1800, as announced in the following despatch from Major-General Pigott, addressed to Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, then commanding the forces in the Mediterranean.
"Malta, September 5, 1800.
"I have great satisfaction in acquainting you with the surrender of the fortress of La Valette, with all its dependencies, after sustaining a blockade of two years. The capitulation has been signed this day.
"During the short time you were here, you must have been sensible of the great exertions which Brigadier-General Graham must have made with the limited force he had, previous to my arrival with a reinforcement: he has ever since continued these exertions, and I consider that the surrender of the place has been accelerated by the decision of his conduct in preventing any more inhabitants from coming out of the fortress a short time before I came here. He was sent to negotiate the terms of capitulation with General Vaubois, and I am much indebted to him for his assistance in that business."
On the completion of this service, General Graham came home for a few months, and, again anxious for active service, proceeded to Egypt, but before his arrival that country had been completely conquered. He returned through Turkey, making some stay at Constantinople, and during the peace of Amiens resided for a short time at Paris. His active and enterprising spirit had now to endure a period of repose. In 1808, however, he proceeded with General Sir John Moore to Sweden, where he availed himself of that opportunity to traverse the country in all directions. Shortly afterwards Sir John Moore was ordered to Spain, and Major General Graham served there during the whole campaign of 1808. He was afterwards appointed to command a division in the expedition to Walcheren, but having been attacked with fever he was obliged to come home. In February, 1811, having been previously raised to the rank of Lieutenant-General, he was appointed to the command of an expedition to attack the rear of the French army then blockading Cadiz, an operation which led to the celebrated battle of Barrosa. The thanks of Parliament were voted to him and the brave force under his command, and never were thanks more nobly earned or bestowed in a manner more honourable to those who offered and those who received them. He was at that time a member of the House of Commons, and in his place in Parliament he received that mark of a nation's gratitude. In acknowledging the honour thus conferred on him, Lieutenant-General Graham spoke as follows: —
"I have formerly often heard you, sir, eloquently and impressively deliver the thanks of the house to officers present, and never without an anxious wish that I might one day receive this most enviable mark of my country's regard. This honest ambition is now fully gratified, and I am more than ever bound to try to merit the good opinion of the house."
Barrosa was to Lord Lynedoch what Almaraz was to Lord Hill, and Albuhera to Lord Beresford.
After this series of events, and having been appointed a Knight of the Bath in February, 1812, Lieut. – General Sir Thomas Graham joined the army under the Duke of Wellington; but from ill health he was obliged to revisit England for a short period. Early in 1813, however, he returned to the Peninsula, and commanded the left wing of the British army at Vittoria. Mr. Abbott, then Speaker of the House of Commons, (afterwards Lord Colchester,) in alluding to General Graham's distinguished career at this period, stated that his was "a name never to be mentioned in our military annals without the strongest expression of respect and admiration;" and Mr. Sheridan, speaking of the various excellences, personal and professional, which adorned his character, said: —
"I have known him in private life; and never was there seated a loftier spirit in a braver heart."
Alluding to his services in the retreat of the British army to Corunna, he continued: —
"In the hour of peril, Graham was their best adviser; in the hour of disaster, Graham was their surest consolation."
He was second in command at the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo; and commanded the army employed in the siege of St. Sebastian, and also the left wing at the passage of the Bidassoa; but soon after, in consequence of ill health, he was obliged to resign his command to Sir John Hope. In 1814 he was appointed to the command of the forces employed in Holland, and on the 3rd of May in the same year he again received the thanks of Parliament, and was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Lynedoch, of Balgowan, in the county of Perth.
As years advanced, and the infirmities of age began to accumulate, Lord Lynedoch found the climate of Italy better calculated to sustain his declining energies than the atmosphere and temperature of his own country; he, therefore, spent much time on the continent; but, on a recent occasion, so anxious was he to manifest his sense of loyalty and his personal attachment to the Queen, that when Her Majesty visited Scotland, he came home from Switzerland for the express purpose of paying his duty to Her Majesty in the metropolis of his native land.
Lord Lynedoch's first commission in the army, that of Lieut. – Colonel, was dated 10th February, 1794; and he was promoted Colonel, by brevet, on the 22nd July, 1795. His commissions in the grade of General Officer were, – Major-General, 25th September, 1803; Lieut. – General, 25th July, 1810; and General, 19th July, 1821. He was successively Colonel of the 90th Regiment, at the head of which he continued nearly twenty years; of the 58th; and of the 14th Regiment, from which he was removed to the Royal Regiment on 12th December, 1834, when the Duke of Gordon was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Scots Fusilier Guards. He was also Governor of Dumbarton Castle in North Britain. He wore a Cross for his services at Barrosa (as Commander of the Forces), at Ciudad Rodrigo, Vittoria, and St. Sebastian (where he commanded a division), and he was a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, and of the foreign Order of St. Michael and St. George.
To advert at greater length to Lord Lynedoch's services as a soldier would be superfluous. Conspicuous, in action for his talents, in council for his sagacity, and in private life for unassuming worth and the most estimable qualities, his character displayed a rare union of skill, chivalry, and amiability, and his widely-spread fame, his long and intimate connexion with the army, which have been the admiration of the present generation, will continue to hold a prominent place in British history. Though his titles have become extinct, he has left behind him a name which will be held in honoured remembrance while loyalty is considered a virtue, and military renown a passport to fame.
Sir George Murray, G.C.B., Appointed 29th December, 1843
Sir George Murray was a native of Scotland, and entered the army at the age of 17, as an Ensign in the 71st Regiment, on the 12th of March, 1789. He was shortly afterwards removed to the 34th Regiment, and to the 3rd Foot Guards in July, 1790, from which time, to the close of the war in 1815, he was almost constantly employed in the active military service of his country, in the Netherlands, in the West Indies, in Egypt, in the north of Europe, and in the peninsula of Spain and Portugal.
He was first under fire with the 3rd Guards in Flanders, and participated in the campaigns of 1793 and the two following years, being present at the affair at St. Amand, sieges of Tamars and Valenciennes, attack of Lincelles, investment of Dunkirk, &c.; and he accompanied the army on its retreat through Holland and Germany.
In 1795 he served as aide-de-camp to Major-General A. Campbell on the expedition to Quiberon Bay; and in the autumn he proceeded to the West Indies with the force under Sir Ralph Abercromby. Having returned home in ill health, he continued on the Staff of Major-General Campbell, first in North Britain, and then in Ireland.
In the year 1799 Lieut. – Colonel Murray was employed in the Quarter-Master General's department of the army under the Duke of York in Holland; and he was wounded in the action on the Helder. He subsequently embarked from Cork for Gibraltar with part of the force destined to be employed under Sir Ralph Abercromby in the Mediterranean; and, being again placed in the Quarter-Master General's department, he was ordered to precede the army to Egypt, for the purpose of making arrangements for the debarkation of the troops. He was present in the action on the landing of the force, in the affairs of the 13th and 21st March, 1801, at the siege of Rosetta, and the investments of Cairo and Alexandria.
From Egypt Lieut. – Colonel Murray proceeded to the West Indies, where he served for twelve months in the situation of Adjutant General.
Returning home, he was, in the early part of 1803, appointed one of the Assistant Quarter-Masters General at head-quarters; in November, 1804, he was appointed Deputy Quarter-Master General to the army in Ireland.
While holding that commission he was detached, as Quarter-Master General, with the expedition to Stralsund, and likewise with the force employed under Lieut. – General the Earl Cathcart at Copenhagen. He resumed his duties in Ireland; and in 1808 was again detached, as Quarter-Master General, with the force sent to the Baltic under Lieut. – General Sir John Moore; and when these troops proceeded to Portugal, Lieut. – Colonel Murray accompanied that force, and was engaged at the battle of Vimiera, at Lugo, and Villa Franca, as well as at Corunna, and his services as a staff officer were particularly alluded to and commended in Lieut. – General Hope's despatch containing the account of that victory.
In the year 1809 Colonel Murray was appointed Quarter-Master General to the army under Lieut. – General Sir Arthur Wellesley, but returned home in 1811, and in May of the following year was appointed Quarter-Master General in Ireland, where he remained until September, 1813, when he again proceeded to the Peninsula, and served there at the head of the Quarter-Master General's department until the close of the war, participating in all the important operations of that eventful period, and evincing all the talents which are indispensable in a staff officer with an army employed in such arduous and trying circumstances: he received a Cross and five Clasps for his services in the field.
In June, 1814, Major-General Sir George Murray was appointed Adjutant-General to the army in Ireland, a situation which he vacated in December following for the purpose of undertaking the governorship of the Canadas; but on the resumption of hostilities in the spring of 1815, he quitted America for the purpose of joining his former companions in arms. He did not, however, succeed in reaching the army until the allies had entered Paris; but he continued to serve on the Continent, with the local rank of Lieut. – General, until the return of the Army of Occupation to England, in 1818.
In August, 1819, Lieut. – General Sir George Murray was appointed Governor of the Royal Military College; in March, 1824, he was nominated Lieut. – General of the Ordnance, and in March, 1825, he proceeded to Dublin as Lieut. – General, commanding the forces in Ireland, where he remained till the year 1828, and in September, 1829, he received the appointment of Governor of Fort George in North Britain.
Sir George Murray's career was not, however, limited to his military employments. Having sat in two successive Parliaments as member for his native county of Perth, he was offered the seals of office as Secretary of State for the Colonial Department, which he accepted, and held from 1828 to 1830. His merits and talents, whether in a military or political point of view, were thus kept in view by the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister. In 1834 and 1835 he filled the situation of Master-General of the Ordnance, and in 1841 that appointment was again conferred upon him, and he continued to hold it till within a short period of his decease, which occurred on the 28th July, 1846.
Sir George Murray was successively Colonel commandant of a battalion of the 60th Regiment, Colonel of the 72nd Regiment, and of the 42nd Royal Highlanders, which he held upwards of twenty years, when he was removed to the Colonelcy of the First, or Royal Regiment, in December, 1843.
He was a Knight of the Crescent; and, in addition to the Orders of Leopold of Belgium, St. Alexander Newski of Russia, the Red Eagle of Prussia, the Tower and Sword of Prussia, Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria, and St. Henry of Saxony, Sir George Murray was decorated with the Crosses of the First Class of the Order of the Bath, and of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order.