John Abercromby

Lieutenant-General Sir John Abercromby or Abercrombie GCB (2 April 1772 – 14 February 1817) was a British Army officer and Member of Parliament (MP) for Clackmannanshire from 1815 to 1817. Family and early life John Abercromby was born the son of Lt.-Gen. Sir Ralph Abercromby and Mary Abercromby, 1st Baroness Abercromby. He had an elder brother George, who was born in 1770, and two younger brothers, of whom James was born in 1776 and Alexander in 1784. Abercromby also had three sisters, Anne, Mary, and Catherine. Career 1782-1802 Abercromby entered the army in 1782 as a cornet in the 4th Dragoons, transferring in 1786 as an ensign to the 75th Highland Regiment. He gained promotion to lieutenant in 1787, and to captain in 1792. He subsequently served as an ADC to his father during campaigns in Flanders (1793–1794), the West Indies (1796–1797), Ireland (1798) and against the Batavian Republic (1799). Promoted to colonel in 1800, he left his father's staff, but became deputy adjutant general and served under General Hutchinson in the force led by his father to Egypt (1801). His father died in battle at Alexandria; but John continued to render admirable service, for which General Hutchinson commended him.