Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby - A Famous Scottish Army General and Reformer
Sir Ralph Abercromby(1734 - 1801) was a Scottish army general and reformer. Ralph Abercromby was born at Menstrie, in the parish of Logie, on the 7th October, 1734 and was the eldest son of George Abercromby of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire. He was educated firstly at Rugby and then at the University of Edinburgh. In 1754 Abercromby went to Leipzig to study civil law.
Upon his return to Scotland rather than proceeding to the Scottish bar he expressed a preference for the military and in March 1756 he was granted a cornet's commission in the 3rd Dragoon Guards. In 1760 he became a lieutenant in the same regiment and in 1770 he became a major in the 3rd Horse and rose to lieutenant-colonel in 1773. In 1780 Abercromby was included in a list of brevet colonels and the following year he was made colonel of the 103rd, or king's Irish infantry. When that regiment was disbanded in 1783 he was placed on half-pay.
Ralph Abercromby entered politics and represented the shire of Kinross in the British parliament from 1774 till 1780 after which he settled, with his family, at Edinburgh. In 1787 he was promoted to major-general and the following year he was given command of the 69th foot. In 1792 he moved to the 6th foot.
In 1793 France declared war against Britain and Abercromby served under the Duke of York in the campaigns of 1794 & 1795. In 1795, he received the honour of a knighthood of the Bath, in acknowledgment of his services. The French were making massive gains in Europe and beyond. In the West Indies they had taken control of several of the islands. In response Ralph Abercromby was made commander-in-chief of the British forces in the West Indies and, in late 1795, set sail with over 60 ships. Abercromby managed to recover those islands which had been lost and gained Trinidad after a bold move on the Spanish. However he failed in his attempt to gain Porto Rico and returned to Britain in 1797.
During his absence he had been given with the colonelcy of the second dragoons (Scots Greys), entrusted with the governments of the Isle of Wight, Fort-George and Fort-Augustus, advanced to the dignity of the Bath and raised to the rank of a lieutenant-general. Ireland was facing rebellion and the British were expecting an invasion by the French so Sir Ralph Abercromby was appointed to the command of the forces (1797–1798). He struggled to maintain discipline in the army which was utterly disorganized and endeavoured to by re-establish the supremacy of the civil power but all of his efforts were thwarted by the councils of Ireland and the head of the Irish Government. Abercromby resigned the command. Sir Ralph transferred his head-quarters to Edinburgh, and, on 31st of May, assumed the command of the forces in Scotland, to which he had been appointed.
In 1799 Abercromby was selected to take chief command, under the Duke of York, of the forces against the Dutch Batavian Republic. The campaign ended in disaster, but friend and foe alike confessed that the most decisive victory could not have more conspicuously proved the talents of this distinguished officer. in 1801, he was sent with an army to dispossess the French of Egypt. His experience in the Netherlands and the West Indies particularly fitted him for this new command, as was proved by his carrying his army in health, in spirits and with the requisite supplies, in spite of very great difficulties, to the destined scene of action. The debarkation of the troops at Abukir, in the face of strenuous opposition, is justly ranked among the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army.
On March 21st, 1801, he was struck by a spent ball following a successful landing during a battle in the neighbourhood of Alexandria. The ball could not be extracted and Sir Ralph Abercromby died on March 28th, 1801. By a vote of the House of Commons, a monument was erected in his honour in St Paul's cathedral. His widow was created Baroness Abercromby of Tullibody and Aboukir Bay, and a pension of £2000 a year was settled on her and her two successors in the title.
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