Abercromby, Sir Ralph
Abercromby, Sir Ralph
ABERCROMBY, SIR RALPH. (1734–1801). British army officer. Born in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, in October 1734, Ralph was the elder brother of Sir Robert Abercromby and of James Abercromby, who died of wounds received at Bunker Hill. He served in Germany in the Seven Years' War and was elected to Parliament in 1774. His insistence on voting according to his conscience and his opposition to the war in America seriously damaged his career prospects until 1793. An able commander with strong humanitarian principles, Abercromby was mortally wounded at Abu Qir Bay in Egypt in March 1801. His heroic death caught the public imagination, and his victory over the French army of occupation restored the reputation of the British army.
revised by John Oliphant