William Douglas of Balgillo

Colonel Sir William Douglas (c. 1778 – 25 August 1818) K.C.B., was a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars.[1][2]

Biography

He was the son of William Douglas of Brigton (died 1814), and his wife Elizabeth Graham, daughter of Robert Graham, 11th of Fintry.[3] He served at the Cape of Good Hope in 1795. He was promoted to major in 74th Foot on 4 December 1796. He joined the 91st Foot in 1798.[4] He was promoted a brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 1 January 1800.[5]

He served on the Hanover expedition in 1805 and fought in the Peninsular War from August 1808 to June 1809. While in theatre he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of 91st Foot on 25 November 1808 and commanded the 1st Battalion from 1808 to 1818. He served in the Walcheren expedition of 1809; again in Iberia and then France under Wellington from January 1813 to April 1814. He obtained the rank of brevet Colonel on 4 June 1814.[5] He served in Waterloo Campaign of 1815, during which he led one of the columns that stormed Cambray on 24 June 1815.[6] He was awarded the Army Gold Cross (one of only 163 so honoured).[4] He died in August 1818 at Valenciennes in France.[7]

Notes

1. Bridges 1812, p. 74.
2. Timmermans 2008.
3. "(69) Page 57 – Heraldry of the Douglases – Histories of Scottish families – National Library of Scotland". digital.nls.uk.
4. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum 2014.
5. Brown 2011.
6. Siborne 1848, pp. 678–679.
7. Goff 1891, pp. 75–76.

References

• "The 91st Argyllshire Highlanders, 1794–1881", Official web site, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum, 26 March 2014, archived from the original on 18 December 2013, retrieved 1 March 2014
• Bridges, James (1812), "Forfarshire: Roll of Freeholders made up at the Michaelmas Head Court, held at Forfar 1st of October 1811.", View of the Political State of Scotland at Michaelmas 1811..., Hill, pp. 70–75
• Brown, Steve (April 2011), British Regiments and the Men Who Led Them 1793–1815: 91st Regiment of Foot, Napoleonic series, retrieved 1 March 2014^[better source needed]
• Goff, Gerald Lionel Joseph (1891), Historical records of the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders, ... to 1881, London: R. Bentley, pp. 75–76
• Siborne, William (1848), The Waterloo Campaign, 1815 (4th ed.), Westminster: A. Constable
• Timmermans, D. (24 September 2008), Douglas's tome in Valenciennes, Les Monuments de l'Empire — Erected by the Officers, non–coms and privates XCI British Regiment to the memory of Colonel Sir William Douglas K.C.B. Their Commanding Officer as a feeble testimony of regard and their regret for one of the bravest and the best of men Died XXV Aug MDCCCXVIII aged XL.

Further reading

• McGuigan, Ron (24 September 2008), "Lt-col William Douglas ( ? – 1818)", Napoleon Series Archive 2008, retrieved 1 March 2014 — a forum comment.