William Crosbie (British Army officer)
William Crosbie | |
|---|---|
 Crosbie c.1774, by Robert Hunter | |
| Born | c. 1740 |
| Died | 16 June 1798 |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Rank | Major general |
| Battles / wars | American Revolutionary War |
Major-General William Crosbie (c. 1740 – 16 June 1798) was a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and held several senior commands in the British Army, including that of Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth.
Military career
Crosbie was commissioned as an ensign in the 38th Regiment of Foot in 1757.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant in 1759 and captain in 1769.[1] After serving at the evacuation of Boston in March 1776 during the American Revolutionary War, he was promoted to major in 1778.[2] Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1781, he became commanding officer of the 22nd Regiment of Foot on promotion.[1] He raised the 89th Regiment of Foot in December 1793[3] and was promoted to major-general in 1794.[1]
Crosbie also served as colonel of the 89th Regiment of Foot from 1793 to 1795[3] and as colonel of the 22nd Regiment of Foot from 1795 to his death in 1798.[4] He was also Member of Parliament for Newark from 1790 to 1796.[1]
Death and legacy
Crosbie died by suicide on 16 June 1798 while serving as Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth.[1][5][6] He reportedly suffered from severe mental distress.[1][5][6] He never married, but left most of his estate to an illegitimate son, Charles Carmichael Carr (1788–1859), who later became a bishop.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "William Crosbie". History of Parliament. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ Thorne, R. G. (1986). House of Commons, 1790–1820. Vol. 3. London. p. 540.
- ^ a b "89th (The Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "The Cheshire Regiment". regiments.org. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Taylor, Nat (23 March 2009). "update on the Crosbie-Pitcairn pistols". a genealogist's sketchbook. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ a b "William Crosbie". lordbyron.org. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ Taylor, Nat (20 March 2009). "Pitcairn's pistols were Crosbie's—heraldry on a famous revolutionary artifact". a genealogist's sketchbook. Retrieved 23 July 2025.