Robert Ross (British Army officer)

Robert Ross (British Army officer)

Major General Robert Ross-of-Bladensburg (born "Robert Ross", 1766 - September 12, 1814) was a British army officer who participated in the Napoleonic War and the War of 1812. He led the army which burned the American capital and is thus credited as the first commander to defeat a full United States army in the field.

Early life

Ross was born in Rostrevor, County Down, Kingdom of Ireland to Major David Ross, an officer in the Seven Years' War and his mother, half-sister to the Earl of Charlemont. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and joined the 25th Regiment of Foot as an ensign in 1789. In 1803 he took command of the 20th Regiment. He fought at the Battle of Krabbendam in the Netherlands, Alexandria, Egypt, the Battle of Maida, Scylla Castle, in the Peninsular War at Corunna and the Battle of Pamplona.

He had been promoted to Lieutenant–Colonel before Corunna. In 1810, Ross was made a colonel as well as aide–de–camp to the king. He fought in Spain under Wellington in 1812, at the battles of Vittoria, Roncesvalles, and the Battle of Sorauren.

War of 1812

After the conclusion of the war with Napoleon, Ross sailed to North America as a Major General to take charge of all British troops off the east coast of the United States. Ross personally led the British troops ashore in Benedict, Maryland and marched through Upper Marlboro, Maryland to the attack on the Americans at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, where the American army of mostly militia quickly collapsed. [cite book
last =Markham
first =Edwin
authorlink =Edwin Markham
title =The Real America in Romance Valor and Victory: The age of Vindication 1783 1824 Volume X
publisher =William H Wise & Company
year =1912
location =New York, Chicago
pages =370-382
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=foAQAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Benedict,+Maryland%22+ross&as_brr=1&pg=PA3&ci=161,378,657,162&source=bookclip
isbn =
] [cite web
url=http://www.nps.gov/fowa/historyculture/warburton.htm
title=Fort Warburton
publisher=U. S. National Park Service
date=July 19, 2007
accessdate=2007-12-15
] Moving on from Bladensburg, Ross captured Washington, D.C. with little resistance. Ross insisted on only destroying public property, including the destruction of the U.S. Capitol and the White House.

Ross then organized an attack on Baltimore, Maryland. His troops landed at the southern tip of the Patapsco Neck peninsula at North Point, twelve miles from the city, on the morning of September 12, 1814. During the march, and just prior to the Battle of North Point, the troops encountered American skirmishers and Ross rode forward to personally direct his troops. An American sniper shot him through the right arm into the chest. According to Baltimore tradition, two American riflemen, teenagers Daniel Wells and Henry McComas, aged 18 and 19, respectively, were credited with killing Ross; both were killed in the engagement. Ross died while being transported back to the ships. After his death, the general's body was stored in a barrel of 129 gallons (586 l) of Jamaican rum and shipped on the British ship HMS "Royal Oak" to Halifax, Nova Scotia where his body was buried on September 29, 1814. It is thought that preparations for the Battle of New Orleans prevented his body from being shipped back to Britain.

Legacy

He is commemorated by a 100 ft granite obelisk near his birthplace alongside Carlingford Lough in Northern Ireland as well as by a monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. As an augmentation of honour his armorial bearings were given a second crest in which an arm is seen grasping the stars and stripes on a broken staff; and the family name was changed to Ross-of-Bladensburg.

References

External links

* [http://www.myedgemere.com/local_history/mg_ross.htm General Ross]
* [http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/conway/ff823138.html Ross's Monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, London]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Robert Ross — may refer to:*Robert Ross (British army officer) (1766 ndash;1814) *Robert Ross (CEO), founder and leader of the Muscular Dystrophy Association *Robert Ross (Royal Marines officer) (c. 1740 ndash;1794), commander of the marines in the first… …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Grose (British Army officer) — Francis Grose Grose as a captain Born 1758 Died …   Wikipedia

  • George Brown (British Army officer) — For others of this name, see George Brown (disambiguation page).General Sir George Brown, GCB KH (1790–1865) was a British soldier notable for commands in the Peninsular War and the Crimean War.He was born and educated in Elgin, Scotland. He… …   Wikipedia

  • Allan Wilson (army officer) — Infobox Military Person name= Allan Wilson lived= 1856 – December 4, 1893 placeofbirth= Glen Urquhart, Ross shire, Scotland placeofdeath= Shangani River, Zimbabwe; buried at Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe caption= nickname= allegiance= British Army… …   Wikipedia

  • British Raj — British Empire in India redirects here. For other uses, see British India (disambiguation). India Indian Empire ← …   Wikipedia

  • Robert Rogers (soldier) — Robert Rogers There is no known authentic portrait of Robert Rogers. This is an artist s interpretation. Nickname Wobomagonda [1] …   Wikipedia

  • British anti-invasion preparations of World War II — entailed a large scale division of military and civilian mobilization in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France, and 1.5… …   Wikipedia

  • Ross Tollerton — VC (May 6 1890 May 7 1931) born in Ayr, Ayrshire he was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.VC actionHe… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert McBeath — Robert Gordon McBeath, VC (December 221898 ndash; October 9 1922) was born in Kinlochbervie, Sutherland and was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious medal that can be awarded to members of British military… …   Wikipedia

  • British Forces casualties in Afghanistan since 2001 — The United Kingdom was one of the first countries which took part in Operation Enduring Freedom to topple the Taliban regime in autumn 2001. See Britain s role in the 2001 present Afghan war. As of 13 September 2008, British forces have suffered… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”