Wemyss, James

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Wemyss, James

WEMYSS, JAMES. British officer. An ensign in the Fortieth Foot on 6 April 1766, he was promoted to captain in that regiment on 14 March 1771 and commanded the Loyalist Queen's Rangers at Brandywine on 11 September 1777. On 10 August 1778 he was promoted to major of the Sixty-third Foot. With the start of major British military operations in the South, he became second only to Tarleton as the object of hatred among Patriots. He was defeated, wounded, and captured by Sumter at Fishdam Ford, South Carolina, on 9 November 1780. On 22 August 1783 he became a major in the army and on 20 September 1787 was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Sixty-third Foot. Two years later he disappeared from the Army Lists.

SEE ALSO Brandywine, Pennsylvania; Fishdam Ford, South Carolina.

                      revised by Michael Bellesiles