Lord Adam Gordon (general)
Encyclopedia
General Lord Adam Gordon (c. 1726 – 13 August 1801) was a Scottish soldier and general, a younger son of Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon
and Lady Henrietta Mordaunt.
He entered the army as an ensign
in the 2nd Dragoons in 1741, and attended Eton
from 1742 to 1743. That year he was promoted lieutenant
, and in 1746 became a captain
of the 18th Regiment of Foot.
in 1754, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Foot Guards
in 1756. He supported the recently fallen Duke of Newcastle
during the parliamentary inquiry into his ministry's role in the loss of Minorca
. In 1758, he took part in the descent on Cherbourg
, and fought bravely at the Battle of St. Cast, leading the grenadier company of the Guards as part of the rearguard there.
Gordon continued in Parliament after the 1761 election
as a supporter of the rising Lord Bute
. On 19 January 1763, he was made colonel
of the 66th Regiment of Foot, and the next year, toured the West Indies, the American colonies, and Canada
, looking to invest in land. He returned to England in 1765.
On 2 September 1767, he married Jean, Dowager Duchess of Atholl, and laid aside his American projects. He left Parliament in 1768, but returned again for Kincardineshire
in 1774. He had, by 1772, been promoted major-general.
On 27 December 1775, Gordon was appointed colonel of the 26th Regiment of Foot
, but he did not receive a command during the American Revolution
. A zealous supporter of Lord North
's government, he was appointed governor of Tynemouth
in 1778 and colonel of The Royal Scots
on 9 May 1782. Unhappy with the terms of the Treaty of Paris
and the fate of the loyalist
s, he supported the new ministry of Pitt
in 1783. He left Parliament in 1788. Gordon was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Scotland in 1789, promoted general
in 1793, and resigned Tynemouth for the governorship of Edinburgh Castle
in 1796. He was replaced as Commander-in-Chief in 1798 and retired to his seat in Kincardineshire
, where he died in 1801.
Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon
General Alexander Gordon, 2nd Duke of Gordon , styled Earl of Enzie until 1684 and the Marquess of Huntly from 1684 to 1716, was a Scottish peer....
and Lady Henrietta Mordaunt.
He entered the army as an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 2nd Dragoons in 1741, and attended Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
from 1742 to 1743. That year he was promoted lieutenant
Lieutenant
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...
, and in 1746 became a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
of the 18th Regiment of Foot.
Seven Years War
He was returned for AberdeenshireAberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868...
in 1754, and was made lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Foot 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 1756. He supported the recently fallen Duke of Newcastle
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he served...
during the parliamentary inquiry into his ministry's role in the loss of Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
. In 1758, he took part in the descent on Cherbourg
Raid on Cherbourg
The Raid on Cherbourg took place in August 1758 during the Seven Year's War when a British force was landed on the coast of France by the Royal Navy with the intention of attacking the town of Cherbourg as part of the British government's policy of "descents" on the French Coast.-Background:Since...
, and fought bravely at the Battle of St. Cast, leading the grenadier company of the Guards as part of the rearguard there.
Gordon continued in Parliament after the 1761 election
British general election, 1761
The British general election, 1761 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...
as a supporter of the rising Lord Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute KG, PC , styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723, was a Scottish nobleman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain under George III, and was arguably the last important favourite in British politics...
. On 19 January 1763, he was made 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...
of the 66th Regiment of Foot, and the next year, toured the West Indies, the American colonies, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, looking to invest in land. He returned to England in 1765.
On 2 September 1767, he married Jean, Dowager Duchess of Atholl, and laid aside his American projects. He left Parliament in 1768, but returned again for Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Kincardineshire was a 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 to 1918. It was represented by one Member of Parliament ....
in 1774. He had, by 1772, been promoted major-general.
On 27 December 1775, Gordon was appointed colonel of the 26th Regiment of Foot
26th Regiment of Foot
The 26th Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment of the British Army, active from 1688 to 1881. Although the regiment took the name of its first colonel as The Earl of Angus's Regiment, it became popularly known as The Cameronians until 1751, when it was ranked as the 26th Foot...
, but he did not receive a command during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. A zealous supporter of 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 government, he was appointed governor of Tynemouth
Tynemouth
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England, at the mouth of the River Tyne, between North Shields and Cullercoats . It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough in its own right...
in 1778 and colonel of The Royal Scots
The Royal Scots
The Royal Scots , once known as the Royal Regiment of Foot, was the oldest, and therefore most senior, infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, having been raised in 1633 during the reign of Charles I of Scotland...
on 9 May 1782. Unhappy with the terms of the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
and the fate of the loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
s, he supported the new ministry of Pitt
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
in 1783. He left Parliament in 1788. Gordon was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Scotland in 1789, promoted general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
in 1793, and resigned Tynemouth for the governorship of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
in 1796. He was replaced as Commander-in-Chief in 1798 and retired to his seat in Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...
, where he died in 1801.