Lieutenant Colonel Robert Abercrombie

Abercrombie, Sir Robert. 1740-1827.

Robert Abercrombie was a British veteran of the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of captain in 1761. He continued to rise through the officer ranks and by 1773 he had become lieutenant colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot. During the American Revolution, Abercrombie fought at Long Island, Brandywine, Monmouth and Germantown.

Abercrombie sailed south with General Clinton in 1780 and participated in the capture of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1781 he was with Cornwallis during the Siege of Yorktown. During the siege, Abercrombie commanded a battalion of light infantry and was given command of the entire left wing of the British army. It was Abercrombie who led the British sortie on the night of October 15, 1781. This sortie did meet with some success but was quickly driven back to British line with no lasting damage done to the Americans or French.

Abercrombie was promoted to colonel in 1782 and went on to a long and distinguished career in the British Army. He served in India from 1790-1797 where he became commander-in-chief of Bombay with the rank of major general. Abercrombie eventually rose to the rank of full general in 1802.