Abercromby, James
Abercromby, James
ABERCROMBY, JAMES. (1706–1781). British general. A laird's son from Banffshire in Scotland, he rose to colonel in the army in 1746. Through Newcastle's patronage, in 1756 he became Loudoun's second in command with the local rank of major general. He proved a solid subordinate. Becoming commander in chief himself in 1758, he unwisely attacked Ticonderoga without waiting for his artillery. Although removed from his command, he was promoted to lieutenant general in 1759 and general in 1772. In Parliament he supported the coercion of the American colonies. He died on 23 April 1781.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, Fred. The Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766. New York: Knopf, 2000.
Brumwell, Stephen. Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755–1763. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
revised by John Oliphant