Major-General Sir James Campbell (c. 1773–1835) was a Scottish army officer and colonial governor.

Early life

He was son of Major-General Dugald Campbell of Auchinleck (1742–1809) and his wife Elizabeth Mackay. Campbell served from 1803 in the

Second Anglo-Maratha War Second Anglo-Maratha War (from 1803 –1805) was a large conflict within the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire involving the British East India Company. It resulted in major loss of territory for the Marathas, including regions around Delhi a ...

, under Arthur Wellesley.

Peninsular War

The

94th Regiment of Foot The 94th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised as the Scotch Brigade in October 1794. It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802 and disbanded in December 1818. The regiment was reformed in Decemb ...

in which he served had its troops drafted into other regiments, and Campbell, promoted lieutenant-colonel in 1804, returned to the United Kingdom with the other officers. Stationed in

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

, the 94th recruited again. It was sent to Portugal in 1810, and was on garrison duty in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

and then Cadiz, Campbell commanding it in a brigade of the 3rd Division under

Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars and died at Waterloo. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respecte ...

. From October 1810 it was under

Charles Colville General Sir Charles Colville (7 August 1770 – 27 March 1843) was a British Army officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was an ensign in 1781. He served in the West Indies from 1791 to 1797 and while serving there was promoted to li ...

, in the field and at the

battle of Fuentes de Oñoro At the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (3–5 May 1811), the Anglo-Portuguese Army under Wellington checked an attempt by the French Army of Portugal under Marshal André Masséna to relieve the besieged city of Almeida. A bloody stalemate ...

in 1811. From the end of 1811, Colville having taken over the 4th Division, Campbell commanded the 94th, to the end of the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. He took command at the

Siege of Badajoz (1812) In the siege of Badajoz (16 March – 6 April 1812), also called the third siege of Badajoz, an Anglo-Portuguese Army under the command of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, the Earl of Wellington (who was la ...

of the 3rd Division, Picton and

James Kempt General Sir James Kempt, ( – 20 December 1854) was a British Army officer, who served in the Netherlands, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars. He led a British brigade at the Battle of Waterloo and ...

being wounded. He was himself wounded, in command, at the

Battle of Salamanca The Battle of Salamanca (in French and Spanish known as the Battle of the Arapiles) took place on 22July 1812. An Anglo-Portuguese Army, Anglo-Portuguese army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Earl of Wellington (future ...

in 1812, and gave up brigade command to Colville in June 1813. He was then seriously wounded at the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...

, commanding the 94th, and returned to England.

Later life

Campbell was acting

Governor of British Ceylon The governor of Ceylon was the representative in British Ceylon, Ceylon of the British The Crown, Crown from 1795 to 1948. In this capacity, the governor was president of the Executive Council of Ceylon, Executive Council and Commander-in-Chief o ...

, appointed in 1822 and in post until 1824. He was succeeded by Edward Barnes. He was then

Governor of Grenada This is a list of Viceroys of Grenada from the establishment of French rule in 1649 until its independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. Following independence, the viceroy of Grenada ceased to represent the British monarch and British governme ...

, from 1826 to 1831.

Family

In 1817 Campbell married Lady Louisa Dorothea Cuffe, a younger daughter of

Otway Cuffe, 1st Earl of Desart Otway Cuffe, 1st Earl of Desart (25 November 1737 – 9 August 1804), was an Anglo-Irish peer and lawyer. Biography Desart was the second son of John Cuffe, 1st Baron Desart, by his second wife, Dorothea Gorges. He was educated at Christ Church ...

. Their fourth child, James Campbell (1822–1894), worked as an astronomer with Edmund Neville Nevill. Three daughters, Elizabeth Ann Louisa, Charlotte and Emily, survived their father.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, James 1770s births Year of birth uncertain 1835 deaths Governors of British Ceylon British expatriates in Sri Lanka 19th-century British people General Officers Commanding, Ceylon Governors of British Grenada British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Maratha War