Lieutenant-Colonel John Maitland (1732 – October 25, 1779) was a British military officer who was the tenth son of Charles Maitland, 6th Earl of Lauderdale

Earl of Lauderdale

Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The second Earl was created Duke of Lauderdale but died without male issue when the dukedom became extinct. The earldom passed to his brother Charles,...

 and Lady Elizabeth Ogilvie. He was a member of the Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

 prior to joining the 71st Regiment of Foot, Fraser's Highlanders

71st Regiment of Foot, Fraser's Highlanders

The 71st Regiment of Foot was a regiment of infantry raised in 1775, during the American Revolution. The unit served in both the Northern and Southern Campaigns, and participated in many major battles including the Battle of Long Island , the Battle of Brandywine , Savannah , Briar Creek , the...

 in 1777. He had lost a hand while fighting in the East Indies.

Maitland fought at the Battle of Stono Ferry

Battle of Stono Ferry

The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by poorly-trained militia forces under American General...

, where he commanded the British redoubt, and helped lift the Siege of Savannah

Siege of Savannah

The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The siege itself consisted of a joint...

 during the American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

. He died of a fever shortly after the siege was lifted.