Sir Robert Pigot, 2nd Baronet (20 September 1720 – 1 August 1796) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Army officer during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

Life

Robert Pigot was born in

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in 1720. His two brothers were George Pigot, 1st Baron Pigot, Governor of

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and Admiral Hugh Pigot, Commander-in-Chief of the

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fleet. He and his brothers shared

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

ancestry through their grandfather Peter Godde, who had come to England in the late seventeenth century. In 1758 Pigot was

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 10th Regiment of Foot. In 1764 he was lieutenant colonel. From 1769 to 1775 he was the commander of the 38th Regiment of Foot. He also served as a member of parliament for Wallingford from 1768 to 1772. He was appointed Warden of the Mint from August, 1771 until his death. On 17 June 1775 he commanded the left flank of the British assault in the Battle of Bunker Hill. On 9 July he was

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the 55th Regiment of Foot. He was promoted to the permanent grade of colonel for his bravery in the battle of Bunker Hill. He was made a major general in 1777. Pigot was placed in command in

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and made a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 1782. In the Battle of Rhode Island he fought with 3,000 men against 5,000 men under General John Sullivan. He inherited the baronetcy of his older brother Lord George Pigot (it had been created with special remainder) and the Patshull Hall estate in 1777. He also inherited a one-third share of the Pigot Diamond, which remained in the family until sold in a lottery in 1801. On 8 February he resigned and died 1 August 1796 in Stafford, England.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pigot, Robert 1720 births 1796 deaths Military personnel from London Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain British Army lieutenant generals British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1768–1774 Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers 55th Regiment of Foot officers