James Murray (of Strowan)
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
James Murray (19 March 1734 – 19 March 1794), was a Scottish soldier and politician.
, he was the second son of Lord George Murray
, fifth son of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl
. His mother was Amelia, daughter and heiress of James Murray, a surgeon, of Strowan. John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl
and George Murray
were his brothers; his uncle Lord John Murray, later his commanding officer, was his godfather. Murray's father had been attainted
and exiled for taking part in the Jacobite Rising of 1745
, and in 1749 James joined him in the Netherlands
. He was educated at Utrecht
and Besançon
.
of the Saxon Army
's Grenadier Guards, with a two-year leave to complete his studies. Taking up his commission in 1751, he served in the Seven Years' War
, battling the Prussia
ns until the capitulation that followed the Siege of Pirna
. He obtained his release through the efforts of Andrew Michell
, the British envoy to Frederick the Great. Returning to Scotland, he was given a captain's commission in his uncle's regiment, the Black Watch
, and was placed in command of one of the companies being raised for the French and Indian War
. He then sailed to North America
and joined the fighting in New York State. His own company was left to garrison Fort Edward
, but he was wounded at Fort Ticonderoga
in 1758 while leading Captain Reid's company. The wound was not serious, and he was present for Amherst's campaign on Lake Champlain
the following year. Late that year he was given command, at his uncle's recommendation, of the grenadier company of the 2nd Battalion of the regiment, raised in the previous year. He led them to the surrender of Montreal
in 1760.
In 1761, the Black Watch was posted to the West Indies, and Murray fought with them in the capture of Martinique
. He was wounded during the engagement, a musket ball passing through the left lobe of his left lung and crossing under his chest to lodge under the scapula. He was at first thought mortally wounded, but was up and about in a few weeks, and had regained health and appetite by the time he was invalided home to England. However, the wound left him permanently disabled, and unable to lie down for the rest of his life, sleeping in an upright posture. He spent over six years on sick leave recovering.
Murray returned to the Black Watch in 1768, and was appointed lieutenant and captain in the Scots Guards
in 1769. He was promoted captain and lieutenant-colonel the following year. Murray was elected Member of Parliament
for Perthshire
in 1773, a seat he held for the next 21 years. He supported Lord North
's administration.
He was also Governor of Upnor Castle
from 1775 to 1778. In 1776, he bought his mother's estate of Strowan from his nephew, the Duke of Atholl
. After the outbreak of the American War of Independence, he offered to raise a new Highland regiment, but was refused. He joined the Brigade of Guards
in North America in March 1777, where he was wounded during the Philadelphia campaign
. Promoted to the rank of colonel
on 16 December 1777, he was appointed the colonel of the Atholl Highlanders
, newly raised by the Duke of Atholl, on 16 May 1778. He commanded them in Ireland
until the regiment was disbanded in 1783. In 1780, Murray was appointed Governor of Fort William
. This was the year of the Gordon Riots
. Murray denounced his kinsman Lord George Gordon
, and, when the rioters Gordon had stirred up prepared to storm the House of Commons
, he threatened to put a sword through Gordon, who was sitting next to him, if they broke in. During his later years in Parliament he supported William Pitt the Younger
. He became a major general
in 1782, and on the disbanding of the Atholl Highlanders, was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of the 78th Highlanders. He was appointed their colonel when they were renumbered the 72nd in 1786, and was made a lieutenant general
in 1793.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
James Murray (19 March 1734 – 19 March 1794), was a Scottish soldier and politician.
Background and education
A member of Clan MurrayClan Murray
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The Murrays were a great and powerful clan whose lands and cadet houses were scattered throughout Scotland.- Origins of the Clan :...
, he was the second son of Lord George Murray
Lord George Murray (general)
Lord George Murray was a Scottish Jacobite general, most noted for his 1745 campaign under Bonnie Prince Charlie into England...
, fifth son of John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl, KT, PC was a Scottish nobleman, politician, and soldier. He served in numerous positions during his life, and fought in the Glorious Revolution for William III and Mary II....
. His mother was Amelia, daughter and heiress of James Murray, a surgeon, of Strowan. John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl KT, PC , known as John Murray until 1764, was a Scottish peer and Tory politician.-Background:...
and George Murray
George Murray (MP)
Vice Admiral George Murray was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He was the third son of the Jacobite general Lord George Murray.-Naval career:...
were his brothers; his uncle Lord John Murray, later his commanding officer, was his godfather. Murray's father had been attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
and exiled for taking part in the Jacobite Rising of 1745
Jacobite Rising of 1745
The Jacobite rising of 1745, often referred to as "The 'Forty-Five," was the attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne for the exiled House of Stuart. The rising occurred during the War of the Austrian Succession when most of the British Army was on the European continent...
, and in 1749 James joined him in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He was educated at Utrecht
Utrecht University
Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....
and Besançon
University of Franche-Comté
The University of Franche-Comté is a French university in the Academy of Besançon with five campuses: Besançon , Belfort , Montbéliard , Vesoul , and Lons-le-Saunier ....
.
Military and political career
Murray's father obtained a commission for him as a lieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
of the Saxon Army
Royal Saxon Army
-Overview:The Royal Saxon Army was under the command of the Rulers of Saxony. With the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine by Napoleon the Royal Saxon Army joined the French "La Grande Armée" along with 37 other German states. The commander of the Royal Saxon Army at this time, was...
's Grenadier Guards, with a two-year leave to complete his studies. Taking up his commission in 1751, he served in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, battling the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns until the capitulation that followed the Siege of Pirna
Siege of Pirna
The Siege of Pirna took place in 1756 as part of the Prussian invasion of Saxony during the Seven Years War.Following the occupation of the capital Dresden by Frederick the Great on 9 September the Saxon army had withdrawn south and taken up position at the fortress of Pirna under Frederick von...
. He obtained his release through the efforts of Andrew Michell
Andrew Mitchell (diplomat)
Sir Andrew Mitchell was a British diplomat noted for his service as envoy to the court of Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War.-Early Career and Interests:...
, the British envoy to Frederick the Great. Returning to Scotland, he was given a captain's commission in his uncle's regiment, the Black Watch
42nd Regiment of Foot
The 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
, and was placed in command of one of the companies being raised for the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. He then sailed to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and joined the fighting in New York State. His own company was left to garrison Fort Edward
Fort Edward
Fort Edward could refer to:* A historic site located in Windsor, Nova Scotia* A temporary fort in South Africa, ca. 1901. It was established in 1901 by British forces during the Boer War...
, but he was wounded at Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
in 1758 while leading Captain Reid's company. The wound was not serious, and he was present for Amherst's campaign on Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
the following year. Late that year he was given command, at his uncle's recommendation, of the grenadier company of the 2nd Battalion of the regiment, raised in the previous year. He led them to the surrender of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1760.
In 1761, the Black Watch was posted to the West Indies, and Murray fought with them in the capture of Martinique
British expedition against Martinique
The British expedition against Martinique was a military action from January to February 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War.- Prelude :...
. He was wounded during the engagement, a musket ball passing through the left lobe of his left lung and crossing under his chest to lodge under the scapula. He was at first thought mortally wounded, but was up and about in a few weeks, and had regained health and appetite by the time he was invalided home to England. However, the wound left him permanently disabled, and unable to lie down for the rest of his life, sleeping in an upright posture. He spent over six years on sick leave recovering.
Murray returned to the Black Watch in 1768, and was appointed lieutenant and captain in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
in 1769. He was promoted captain and lieutenant-colonel the following year. Murray was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Perthshire
Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Perthshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1885, representing a seat for one Member of Parliament .-Boundaries:...
in 1773, a seat he held for the next 21 years. He supported Lord North
Frederick North, Lord North
Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG, PC , more often known by his courtesy title, Lord North, which he used from 1752 until 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the American War of Independence...
's administration.
He was also Governor of Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor, Kent, England. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham dockyards....
from 1775 to 1778. In 1776, he bought his mother's estate of Strowan from his nephew, the Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl
John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl KT, PC, FRS , styled Marquess of Tullibardine 1764 and 1774, was a Scottish peer.-Background:...
. After the outbreak of the American War of Independence, he offered to raise a new Highland regiment, but was refused. He joined the Brigade of Guards
Brigade of Guards
The Brigade of Guards is a historical elite unit of the British Army, which has existed sporadically since the 17th century....
in North America in March 1777, where he was wounded during the Philadelphia campaign
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
. Promoted to the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
on 16 December 1777, he was appointed the colonel of the Atholl Highlanders
Atholl Highlanders
The Atholl Highlanders is a Scottish infantry regiment. Based in Blair Atholl, the regiment is not part of the British Army. Instead, the regiment is in the private employ of the Duke of Atholl, making it the United Kingdom's, and indeed Europe's, only legal private army.-77th Foot:The name Atholl...
, newly raised by the Duke of Atholl, on 16 May 1778. He commanded them in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
until the regiment was disbanded in 1783. In 1780, Murray was appointed Governor of Fort William
Fort William, Scotland
Fort William is the second largest settlement in the highlands of Scotland and the largest town: only the city of Inverness is larger.Fort William is a major tourist centre with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the north and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles...
. This was the year of the Gordon Riots
Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots of 1780 were an anti-Catholic protest against the Papists Act 1778.The Popery Act 1698 had imposed a number of penalties and disabilities on Roman Catholics in England; the 1778 act eliminated some of these. An initial peaceful protest led on to widespread rioting and looting and...
. Murray denounced his kinsman Lord George Gordon
Lord George Gordon
Lord George Gordon was a British politician best known for lending his name to the Gordon Riots of 1780....
, and, when the rioters Gordon had stirred up prepared to storm the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, he threatened to put a sword through Gordon, who was sitting next to him, if they broke in. During his later years in Parliament he supported William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
. He became a major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1782, and on the disbanding of the Atholl Highlanders, was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of the 78th Highlanders. He was appointed their colonel when they were renumbered the 72nd in 1786, and was made a lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in 1793.