Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby KB


Sir Ralph Abercromby (or Abercrombie) was a very able commander of the British Army during the early part of the Napoleonic Wars and famously led the army in its successful defeat of the French in Egypt. He was mortally wounded at the battle of Alexandra on 21 Mar 1801 and died a week later.

He was born on 7 Oct 1734 in Clackmannanshire, destined for a career as an advocate. He was sent to Leipzig University in 1754 to study, but when he returned he wanted to join the army, so took up a commission in the 3rd Dragoon Guards. In the Seven Years War he was greatly influenced by the tactics and methods of Frederick the Great. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel commanding the 3DG but also had time to be MP for Clackmannanshire 1774-80. He remained in Ireland during the American Revolutionary Wars and took no part in the conflict because he had sympathy for the colonists.

When the war against French Revolutionary France broke out in 1793 he went to the Netherlands with the Duke of York's army, commanding a brigade. He was in command of the allied force at Boxtel in 1794, and was wounded at Fort St Andries. He also commanded the forces in the West Indies in 1796, making gains on territory. Then on his return to Britain he was appointed Colonel of the Scots Greys on 2 Nov 1796. He had been Colonel of four other regiments before that; the 103rd, the 69th, the 6th Regiments of Foot and the 7th Dragoon Guards. He also returned to politics as MP once more for Clackmannanshire 1796-98. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Wight, Governor of Fort St George and Fort Augustus in Scotland, and C-in-C in Ireland 1797-98.

Another foray into the War against France ended disastrously in 1799 in the Netherlands but his leadership in Egypt in 1801 was brilliant. The attack on Aboukir Bay was meticulously planned, and the attention to detail in keeping his army well supplied and in good health made him a deeply mourned commander after his death at Alexandria. He died on 28 Mar 1801 he was buried at Fort St Elmo, Malta. He was married to Mary Anne Menzies on 17 Nov 1767. They had four sons and three daughters.


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by Stephen Luscombe