Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby was a British soldier and politician.
27 Facts About Ralph Abercromby
2.
Ralph Abercromby rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was appointed Governor of Trinidad, served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, and was noted for his services during the French Revolutionary Wars, ultimately in the Egyptian campaign.
3.
Ralph Abercromby's strategies are ranked amongst the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army.
4.
Ralph Abercromby was the second son of George Abercromby, a lawyer and descendant of the Abercromby family of Birkenbog, Aberdeenshire and Mary Dundas, daughter of Ralph Dundas of Manour, Perthshire.
5.
Ralph Abercromby completed his studies at Leipzig University in Germany from autumn 1754, taking more detailed studies in civil law with a view to a career as an advocate.
6.
On returning from the continent, Ralph Abercromby expressed a strong preference for the military profession, and a cornet's commission was accordingly obtained for him in the 3rd Dragoon Guards.
7.
Ralph Abercromby served with his regiment in the Seven Years' War, and thus, the opportunity afforded him of studying the methods of Frederick the Great, which moulded his military character and formed his tactical ideas.
8.
Ralph Abercromby rose through the intermediate grades to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the regiment and brevet colonel in 1780, and in 1781, he became colonel of the newly raised King's Irish infantry.
9.
Ralph Abercromby was a strong supporter of the American cause in the American Revolutionary War, and remained in Ireland to avoid having to fight against the colonists.
10.
When France declared war against Great Britain in 1793, Ralph Abercromby resumed his duties.
11.
Ralph Abercromby was appointed command of a brigade under the Duke of York for service in the Netherlands, where he commanded the advanced guard in the action at Le Cateau.
12.
The French were soon repelled and retreated to the fort at Morne Fortune, which Ralph Abercromby decided to besiege.
13.
Ralph Abercromby returned to Europe and, in reward for his services, was appointed colonel of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons.
14.
Ralph Abercromby again entered Parliament as the member for Clackmannanshire from 1796 to 1798.
15.
In 1798, Ralph Abercromby was made Commander-in-Chief of the forces in Ireland, then in rebellion and anticipating French intervention.
16.
Ralph Abercromby took the unusual step of publicly criticising the command of his predecessor, The 2nd Earl of Carhampton, for bequeathing an army "in a state of licentiousness, which must render it formidable to everyone but the enemy".
17.
Ralph Abercromby used his utmost efforts to restore the discipline of an army that was utterly disorganized; and, as a first step, he anxiously endeavoured to protect the people by re-establishing the supremacy of the civil power, and not allowing the military to be called out, except when it was indispensably necessary for the enforcement of the law and the maintenance of order.
18.
Ralph Abercromby was replaced in Ireland by Gerrard Lake who favoured an aggressive approach in putting down the rebellion, as opposed to Ralph Abercromby's attempts at conciliation.
19.
Ralph Abercromby conducted a textbook amphibious landing at Callantsoog establishing a beachhead and driving the Franco-Dutch army inland at Krabbendam.
20.
However, Ralph Abercromby refused to serve under a foreign ruler and would only take command of a joint army.
21.
The Austrian plan was that Ralph Abercromby could create a distraction from the activities of General Michael von Melas in North Italy by landing at various points on the Italian coast.
22.
General Charles O'Hara in Gibraltar was pleased with the appointment, for while Stuart had been hot-tempered and difficult to work with, Ralph Abercromby was "a reasonable, considerate good soldier, and listens with temper and patience to every proposal made to him".
23.
In 1801, Ralph Abercromby was sent with an army to recover Egypt from France.
24.
Ralph Abercromby commanded the expedition to the Mediterranean in 1800, and after successfully landing the army at Aboukir and driving the French inland, defeated an attempted French counter-attack at Alexandria, 21 March 1801.
25.
Ralph Abercromby anticipated a night attack, so the British slept in position under arms.
26.
Ralph Abercromby was eventually borne from the field in a hammock, cheered by the blessings of the soldiers as he passed, and conveyed on board the flag-ship HMS Foudroyant which was moored in the harbour.
27.
Ralph Abercromby was buried on St John's Bastion within Fort Saint Elmo in Valletta, Malta.