Editing Ralph Abercromby

{{short description|British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator (1734–1801)}}
{{About||his grandson, the diplomat|Ralph Abercromby, 2nd Baron Dunfermline|his great-grandson|Ralph Abercromby (meteorologist)|the public house in Manchester|Sir Ralph Abercromby (pub)}}
{{redirect|Ralph Abercrombie|the Australian public servant|Ralph Abercrombie (public servant)|the New Zealand cricketer|Ralph Abercrombie (cricketer)}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Sir Ralph Abercromby
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KB}}
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1734|10|7|df=y}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1801|3|28|1734|10|7|df=y}}
| image         = Sir Ralph Abercromby by John Hoppner.jpg
| caption       = Sir Ralph Abercromby, by [[John Hoppner]]
| nickname      = 
| birth_place   = [[Menstrie]], [[Clackmannanshire]]
| death_place   = [[Alexandria]], [[Ottoman Egypt]]
| placeofburial = [[Fort Saint Elmo]], [[Valletta]]
| placeofburial_coordinates = {{Coord|35|54|10|N|14|31|12|E|display=inline,title}}
| allegiance    = [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]<br />[[United Kingdom]]
| branch        = [[British Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1756–1801
| rank          = [[Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = 
| battles       = {{Tree list}}
*[[Seven Years' War]]
**[[Great Britain in the Seven Years War#War in Europe (1756–1759)|West German Campaign]]
***[[Battle of Warburg]]
*[[French Revolutionary Wars]]
**[[Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition|Flanders Campaign]]
**[[West Indies Campaign (1793–1798)|West Indies Campaign]]
**[[Fédon's rebellion]]
**[[Anglo-Spanish War (1796-1808)|Anglo-Spanish War]]
***[[Battle of San Juan (1797)|Battle of San Juan]]
**[[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland]]
***[[Battle of Callantsoog]]
***[[Battle of Krabbendam]]
***[[Battle of Castricum]]
**[[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]
**[[French campaign in Egypt and Syria]]
***[[Battle of Abukir (1801)|Battle of Aboukir]]
***[[Battle of Mandora]]
***[[Battle of Alexandria (1801)|Battle of Alexandria]]{{DOW}}
{{tree list/end}}
| awards        = 
| relations     = [[Alexander Abercromby, Lord Abercromby]] (brother)<br/>[[Robert Abercromby of Airthrey|Sir Robert Abercromby]] (brother)
| laterwork     = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />[[Governor of Trinidad]]<br />[[Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire]]
}}

[[Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] '''Sir Ralph Abercromby''', {{Post-nominals|post-noms=[[Order of the Bath|KB]]}} (7 October 1734{{snd}}28 March 1801) was a [[British Army]] officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the [[governor of Trinidad]] in 1797. Rising to the rank of [[lieutenant general]] in the British army, he also served as the [[Commander-in-Chief, Ireland]] and was noted for his military service during the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], which included defeating the [[French invasion of Egypt and Syria]]. His strategies are ranked amongst the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army.

==Early life==

Ralph Abercromby was born on 7 October 1734 at [[Menstrie Castle]], [[Clackmannanshire]]. He was the second (but eldest surviving) son of George Abercromby (1705-1800), a lawyer and descendant of the Abercromby family of Birkenbog, Aberdeenshire and Mary Dundas (died 1767), daughter of Ralph Dundas of Manour, [[Perthshire]]. His younger brothers include the advocate [[Alexander Abercromby, Lord Abercromby]] and [[Robert Abercromby of Airthrey|General Robert Abercromby]].<ref name="CBD">[[Chambers Biographical Dictionary]], {{ISBN|0-550-18022-2}}, page 4</ref><ref>{{Cite ODNB |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-45 |title=Abercromby, Sir Ralph, of Tullibody (1734–1801), army officer. |last=Gates |first=David |date=4 October 2007 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/45 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>

The family had acquired Menstrie Castle in 1719 but their main family house was the nearby [[Tullibody]] House which they had built around 1700. Much of Ralph's childhood was spent in the latter.<ref>Clackmannan and the Ochils, by Adam Swan ISBN 07073 0513 6</ref>

Abercromby's education was begun by a private tutor, then continued at the school of Mr Moir in [[Alloa]], then considered one of the best in Scotland despite its Jacobite leanings. Ralph attended [[Rugby School]] from 12 June 1748, where he remained until he was 18. Between 1752 and 1753, he was a student at the [[University of Edinburgh]]. There he studied moral and natural philosophy and civil law, and was regarded by his professors as sound rather than brilliant.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abercromby |first1=James |title=Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K. B., 1793–1801 |date=1861 |publisher=Edmonston and Douglas |location=Edinburgh |page=16 |url=https://archive.org/stream/lieutenantgener02dunfgoog#page/n30/mode/2up |access-date=24 July 2017}}</ref> He completed his studies at [[Leipzig University]] in Germany from autumn 1754, taking more detailed studies in [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] with a view to a career as an [[advocate]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Spenser |title=From Cromwell to Wellington: twelve soldiers |date=1899 |publisher=Lawrence and Bullen, ltd |location=London |pages=288–325 |url=https://archive.org/stream/fromcromwelltowe00wilkrich#page/290/mode/2up/search/tullibody |access-date=11 July 2017}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Colvin Smith - Sir Ralph Abercromby, 1734 - 1801. General - PG 250 - National Galleries of Scotland.jpg|upright|thumb|1852 portrait of Abercromby by [[Colvin Smith]]]]

On returning from the continent, Abercromby expressed a strong preference for the military profession, and a [[Cornet (military rank)|cornet]]'s commission was accordingly obtained for him (March 1756) in the [[3rd Dragoon Guards]]. He served with his regiment in the [[Seven Years' War]], and thus, the opportunity afforded him of studying the methods of [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]], which moulded his military character and formed his tactical ideas.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Abercromby, Sir Ralph|volume=1|page=44}}</ref>

Abercromby rose through the intermediate grades to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the regiment (1773) and [[brevet (military)|brevet]] colonel in 1780, and in 1781, he became colonel of the newly raised [[103rd Regiment of Foot (King's Irish Infantry)|King's Irish infantry]]. When that regiment was disbanded in 1783, he retired on [[half pay]].<ref name="EB1911" /> He also entered Parliament as MP for [[Clackmannanshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Clackmannanshire]] (1774–1780).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/abercromby-ralph-1734-1801 |title=Abercromby, Ralph (1734–1801), of Tullibody, Clackmannan. |publisher=History of Parliament Online |access-date=14 May 2016 |archive-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428131203/http://historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/abercromby-ralph-1734-1801 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1791 he commissioned a large townhouse at 66 [[Queen Street, Edinburgh]].<ref>Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh by Gifford, McWilliam and Walker</ref>

Abercromby was a strong supporter of the American cause in the [[American Revolutionary War]] and chose to serve in Ireland, where British military regiments were stationed year-round to discourage rebellion, to prevent his being forced to fight in North America.<ref>David Andress, ''The Savage Storm: Britain on me Brink in the Age of Napoleon'' (2012) p. 61</ref> 

When France declared war against Great Britain in 1793, Abercromby returned to active duty. He was appointed commander of a brigade under the [[Prince Frederick, 1st Duke of York and Albany|Duke of York]] for service in the [[Netherlands]], where he commanded the advanced guard in the action at [[Le Cateau-Cambrésis|Le Cateau]]. During the 1794 withdrawal to Holland, he commanded the allied forces in the action at [[Battle of Boxtel|Boxtel]] and was wounded directing operations at Fort St Andries on the [[Waal (river)|Waal]]. In 1795 he commissioned a townhouse at 66 [[Queen Street, Edinburgh]].<ref>Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol. III ??seems to contradict footnote 8 above??</ref>

In July 1795, Abercromby was nominated by Secretary of State for War [[Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville|Henry Dundas]] to lead an expedition to the West Indies. Under instructions from Dundas, Abercromby's predecessor, Sir Adam Williamson, the lieutenant-governor of Jamaica, had signed an agreement with representatives of the French colonists of [[Saint Domingue]] that promised to restore the [[ancien regime]], slavery and discrimination against mixed-race colonists, a move that drew criticism from abolitionists [[William Wilberforce]] and [[Thomas Clarkson]].<ref>[[C. L. R. James]], ''[[The Black Jacobins]]'' (London: Penguin, 1938), p. 109.</ref><ref>David Geggus, ''Slavery, War and Revolution: The British Occupation of Saint Domingue, 1793–1798'' (New York: Clarendon Press, 1982).</ref> That same month he had been made a [[order of the Bath|Knight of the Bath]] and in August Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Wight – a reward for his services but also possibly an incentive to lead the army in the Caribbean.<ref name="EB1911" /> The appointment of Abercromby as Commander-in-Chief of the Leeward and Windward Islands was officially announced on 5 August.<ref>Carole Divall, ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby and the French Revolutionary Wars 1792–1801'', (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2019), pp. 72–73.</ref>

On 17 March 1796 Abercromby arrived in [[Carlisle Bay, Barbados]] on the ''[[HMS Arethusa (1781)|Arethusa]].''<ref>Divall, ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby'', pp. 84–85.</ref> A third of the 6,000 troops that had arrived on the island before him had already been sent on to [[Saint Vincent (Antilles)|Saint Vincent]] and [[Grenada]], leaving the general with 3,700 soldiers at his disposal.<ref>Martin R. Howard, ''Death Before Glory: The British Soldier in the West Indies in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1793–1815'', (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2015), p. 94.</ref> Control of much of Saint Vincent had been lost to rebelling French planters and native Caribs since early 1795, while Grenada was in the midst of an [[Fédon's rebellion|insurrection led by Julien Fédon]]. The reinforcements to Grenada allowed [[Oliver Nicolls|General Nicolls]] to attack enemy posts south of Port Royal on 25 March, preventing further French reinforcements from Guadeloupe.<ref>Howard, ''Death Before Glory'', p. 94.</ref> Three months later Abercromby arrived with further reinforcements and attacked Fédon's camp on 19 June, routing the insurgents and ending the rebellion.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cox |first=Edward |date=Spring 1982 |title=Fedon's Rebellion 1795–96: Causes and Consequences |journal=[[The Journal of Negro History]] |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=7–19 |doi=10.2307/2717757 |jstor=2717757 |s2cid=149940460}}</ref>

The British fleet sailed on 25 April 1796 for [[Saint Lucia]], landing the following day and establishing a beachhead. The French were soon repelled and retreated to the fort at [[Morne Fortune]], which Abercromby decided to besiege. The garrison under General Goyrand surrendered to the British army 26 May. The island had been retaken at the cost of 566 men. A force of around 4,000 was left to hold Saint Lucia under the command of Colonel [[John Moore (British Army officer)|John Moore]] before Abercromby left for Saint Vincent at the beginning of June.<ref>Divall, ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby'', pp. 87–99.</ref>

Abercromby arrived on Saint Vincent 7 June with a force of just over 4,000. He marched his troops near to the insurgent base at Vigie Ridge and camped nearby as the British started to execute an encircling movement: Quartermaster General John Knox manoeuvred his men on the seaward side in order to prevent the enemy retreating north, and Lieutenant Colonel Dickens used the [[34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot|34th Regiment]] as a diversion on the opposite side. Knox was able to cut off communications with the Vigie, whilst Dickens ousted the nearby Caribs to complete the encirclement. The black French commander, Marinier, signed terms of surrender on 11 June and the Caribs did 4 days later. The British took around 200 prisoners, with another 200 escaping into the jungle.<ref>Howard, ''Death Before Glory'', p. 103.</ref> Although some of the Caribs would remain in resistance until October, the rebellion had effectively been put down at the cost of 17 officers and 168 men killed or wounded.<ref>Divall, ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby'', pp. 99–101.</ref>

In [[February]] 1797, the [[Ralph Abercromby|General Abercromby]] launched the [[Invasion of Trinidad (1797)|invasion of Trinidad]]. His squadron sailed through the Bocas and anchored off the coast of [[Chaguaramas, Trinidad|Chaguaramas]]. The Spanish [[José María Chacón|Governor Chacón]] decided to capitulate without fighting. Trinidad thus became a British [[crown colony]], with a French-speaking population of Catholic faith and Spanish laws.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} British rule was formalized under the [[Treaty of Amiens]] (1802).

Afterwards, Abercromby secured possession of the settlements of [[Demerara]] and [[Essequibo (colony)|Essequibo]] in South America.<ref name="EB1911" /> A [[Battle of San Juan (1797)|major assault]] on the port of [[Battle of San Juan (1797)|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]], in April 1797 failed<ref>{{Cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-45 |title=Abercromby, Sir Ralph, of Tullibody (1734–1801), army officer |last= |first= |year=2004 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/45 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref> after fierce fighting where both sides suffered heavy losses.
[[File:Trinidad Ralph Abercromby.JPG|thumb|A medallion commemorating the British capture of Trinidad in 1797]]
[[File:Tobago Ralph Abercromby.JPG|thumb|A medallion commemorating Abercromby for his role in the capture of Trinidad]]

Abercromby returned to Europe and, in reward for his services, was appointed colonel of the [[Royal Scots Greys|2nd (Royal North British) Regiment of Dragoons]]. He was also made [[Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Wight]], [[Governor of Fort George and Fort Augustus]] in the Scottish Highlands, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-general. He again entered Parliament as the member for Clackmannanshire from 1796 to 1798. 

In 1798, Abercromby was made Commander-in-Chief of the forces in [[Ireland]], then in rebellion and anticipating French intervention.<ref name="EB1911"/> He took the unusual step of publicly criticising the command of his predecessor, [[Henry Luttrell, 2nd Earl of Carhampton|The 2nd Earl of Carhampton]], for bequeathing an army "in a state of licentiousness, which must render it formidable to everyone but the enemy".<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Year of Liberty, The Great Irish Rebellion of 1798 |last=Pakenham |first=Thomas |publisher=Times Books, Random House |year=1998 |location=New York |isbn=0812930886 |page=24}}</ref> To quote the biographic entry in the 1888 Encyclopædia Britannica, {{Blockquote|"[H]e laboured to maintain the discipline of the army, to suppress [[Irish Rebellion of 1798|the rising rebellion]], and to protect the people from military oppression, with the care worthy of a great general and an enlightened and beneficent statesman. When he was appointed to the command in Ireland, an invasion of that country by the French was confidently anticipated by the British government. He used his utmost efforts to restore the discipline of an army that was utterly disorganized; and, as a first step, he anxiously endeavoured to protect the people by re-establishing the supremacy of the civil power, and not allowing the military to be called out, except when it was indispensably necessary for the enforcement of the law and the maintenance of order.<ref name="EB1911"/> 

Finding that (he) received no adequate support from the head of the Irish government and that all his efforts were opposed and thwarted by those who presided in the councils of Ireland, he resigned the command. His departure from Ireland was deeply lamented by the reflecting portion of the people, and was speedily followed by those disastrous results which he had anticipated, and which he so ardently desired and had so wisely endeavoured to prevent."<ref name="EB1911"/>}}

Abercromby was replaced in Ireland by [[Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake|Gerrard Lake]] who favoured an aggressive approach in putting down the rebellion, as opposed to Abercromby's attempts at conciliation.{{sfn|Pakenham|1998|loc=1063}}

After holding for a short period the office of [[commander-in-chief in Scotland]], Abercromby was again called to command under the Duke of York in the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland|1799 Anglo-Russian expedition]] against the [[Batavian Republic|Napoleonic Dutch Republic]]. Abercromby conducted a textbook amphibious landing at [[Battle of Callantsoog|Callantsoog]] establishing a beachhead and driving the Franco-Dutch army inland at [[Battle of Krabbendam|Krabbendam]]. The high watermark of British success came when a squadron of the Dutch fleet then surrendered and the Anglo-Russian army advanced through North Holland capturing the cities of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Medemblik. However, with the Duke of York now in overall command Anglo-Russian fortunes turned sour following the reverse at [[Battle of Castricum|Castricum]]. The expected [[Orangism (Dutch Republic)|Orangist]] uprising in the North Holland peninsula never materialized and allies withdrew to their original positions. The expedition ended with the signing of the [[Convention of Alkmaar]] in which the Anglo-Russian force was allowed to withdraw.<ref name="EB1911"/>
[[File:John Downman (1750-1824) - Sir Ralph Abercromby (^) and Companion - N03316 - National Gallery.jpg|right|thumb|General Abercromby reviewing battle plans, by [[John Downman]]]]

After spending time with Dundas over Christmas, Abercromby was summoned to London 21 January 1800. The Portuguese, concerned that they were under threat from Spain, requested British support and wanted Abercromby to lead their army. However, Abercromby refused to serve under a foreign ruler and would only take command of a joint army. Before he could leave for Portugal to inspect their defences and army, the resignation of General [[Charles Stuart (British Army officer, born 1753)|Charles Stuart]] in the Mediterranean in April led to a change of plans. The Austrian plan was that Abercromby could create a distraction from the activities of General [[Michael von Melas]] in North Italy by landing at various points on the Italian coast. Abercromby received instruction from London to send 2,500–3,000 men to take French-occupied Malta. Thereafter, he was to receive a further 6,000 men to assist the Austrians. General [[Charles O'Hara]] in Gibraltar was pleased with the appointment, for while Stuart had been hot-tempered and difficult to work with, Abercromby was "a reasonable, considerate good soldier, and listens with temper and patience to every proposal made to him". However, delays caused by the weather meant that the situation in Italy had changed drastically by the time that Abercromby reached Minorca 22 June.<ref>Divall, ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby'', pp. 226–230.</ref>

In 1801, Abercromby was sent with an army to recover [[Battle of Alexandria (1801)|Egypt from France]]. His experience in the Netherlands and the West Indies particularly fitted him for this new command, as was proved when he carried his army in health, in spirits, and with the requisite supplies to the destined scene of action despite great difficulties. The debarkation of the troops at [[Abu Qir|Aboukir]], in the face of strenuous opposition, is justly ranked among the most daring and brilliant exploits of the British army.<ref name="EB1911"/>

== Battle of Alexandria, 1801 ==
{{Main|Battle of Alexandria (1801)}}
[[File:Philip James de Loutherbourg - The Battle of Alexandria, 21 March 1801 - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''[[The Battle of Alexandria (painting)|The Battle of Alexandria, 21 March 1801]]'' by [[Philip James de Loutherbourg]]. Abercromby sits mortally wounded in the painting's centre.]]

Abercromby commanded the expedition to the Mediterranean in 1800, and after [[Battle of Abukir (1801)|successfully landing the army at Aboukir]] and driving the French inland, defeated an attempted French counter-attack at Alexandria, 21 March 1801. [[Jacques-François Menou]] had arrived from Cairo and was determined to defeat the British advance. On 20 March, the British forces extended across the [[isthmus]], the right wing resting upon the ruins of Nicopolis and the sea, the left on the lake of Abukir. The line faced generally south-west towards the city, the reserve division under Major-General Sir [[John Moore (British Army officer)|John Moore]].

Abercromby anticipated a night attack, so the British slept in position under arms. At 3:30&nbsp;a.m.  French forces attacked and drove in the British outposts. Moving forward rapidly with great gallantry from the left, Lanusse launched the attack with Valentin's brigade in column along the seashore, and to their right Silly's brigade against the British entrenchments around the roman ruins. The brunt of the attack fell upon Moore's command, and in particular upon the [[28th (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot]]. The British repulsed this first assault, during which both Silly and Lanusse were hit. 

“General Lanusse saw that General Valentin had left the seashore, and was within the re-entering angle of the redoubt and the Roman camp, where the cross fire of the enemy held him back. General Lanusse marched to this spot, encouraged the men, and made them advance. The worthy general was hit in the thigh by a ball from a gun-boat; four grenadiers tried to carry him off, but a second ball killed two of these brave fellows”. Soon Rampon's command in the centre was engaged, and despite disorientation in the dark, penetrated between the front and rear wing of the [[42nd Regiment of Foot]]. A confused fight ensued in the ruins, in which the French troops were all either killed or captured with the 42nd taking their [[Military colours, standards and guidons|colour]]. Other British regiments engaged were the [[23rd Regiment of Foot]], [[40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot]] and [[58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot]], together with Stuart's [[Minorca Regiment]].

The front and rear ranks of the 28th Foot were simultaneously engaged to both their front and rear. During the attack of Roize's second line, Abercromby was briefly captured by French [[dragoons]], but quickly rescued by a highlander of the 42nd. About this time he received a bullet wound to the thigh which would eventually prove fatal, though he remained on the field and in command to the end. Rampon's renewed infantry attack on the centre was repulsed by the Guards brigade, supported by Coote's brigade, and the left wing maintained its position with ease, but the French cavalry for the second time came to close quarters with the reserve. The 42nd, twice charged by cavalry, had but 13 men wounded by the [[sabre]]. Part of the French losses were caused by the gunboats which lay close inshore and cannonaded the left flank of the French columns, and by a heavy naval gun which was placed in battery near the position of 28 March. The battle was won and was a great victory, with Menou forced to retreat to the city of Alexandria. On 17 August, British forces laid [[Siege of Alexandria (1801)|siege to Alexandria]] and later captured the city which effectively ended French control of Egypt and Syria.<ref name="EB1911" />

==Death==
[[File:Thomas Stothard (1755-1834) - Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801) at the Battle of Alexandria - RCIN 406155 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|Death of Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria by [[Thomas Stothard]]]]
[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - Fort Saint Elmo (MSTHC) 02 ies.jpg|thumb|Abercromby is buried in St. John's Bastion within [[Fort Saint Elmo]], [[Valletta]], [[Malta]]. It is also known as Abercrombie's Bastion in his honour.]]

During the action of the battle Abercromby was struck by a musket-ball in the thigh; but not until the battle had been won and he saw the enemy retreating did he allow himself to be relieved of command so he could receive medical aid. He was eventually borne from the field in a hammock, cheered by the blessings of the soldiers as he passed, and conveyed on board the flag-ship [[HMS Foudroyant (1798)|HMS ''Foudroyant'']] which was moored in the harbour. The ball could not be extracted; mortification ensued, and seven days later, on 28 March 1801, he died.<ref>{{cite book |title=The new international encyclopædia |date=1909 |publisher=[[Dodd, Mead and Company]] |location=New York |pages=26–27 |url=https://archive.org/stream/newinternationa43unkngoog#page/n60/mode/2up/search/tullibody |access-date=11 July 2017}}</ref>

Abercromby's old friend and commander, the Duke of York, paid tribute to Abercromby's memory in general orders:<ref name="EB1911" />

{{quote|"His steady observance of discipline, his ever-watchful attention to the health and wants of his troops, the persevering and unconquerable spirit which marked his military career, the splendour of his actions in the field and the heroism of his death, are worthy the imitation of all who desire, like him, a life of heroism and a death of glory."|style=font-size:inherit|author=[[Prince Frederick, Duke of York]] on Abercromby}}

He was buried on St John's Bastion within [[Fort Saint Elmo]] in [[Valletta]], [[Malta]]. The British military renamed it ''Abercrombie's Bastion'' in his honour.<ref>{{cite web |title=St John Bastion Caraffa – Valletta |url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1600.pdf |website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713060301/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1600.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2015 |date=28 June 2013}}</ref> The adjacent curtain wall linking this bastion to the [[fortifications of Valletta]], originally called Santa Ubaldesca Curtain, was also renamed ''Abercrombie's Curtain''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sta Ubaldesca Curtain – Valletta |url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1601.pdf |website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713060023/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1601.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2015 |date=28 June 2013}}</ref>

==Recognition==
[[File:Cathedral Church of St Paul, Monument to Lt. Gen. Sir Ralph Abercormby City of London 1079157 20230822 0039.jpg|thumb|250px|Monument at [[St Paul's Cathedral]]]]
By a vote of the House of Commons, a monument was erected in Abercromby's honour in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] in [[London]].<ref>"Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral" [[William Sinclair (Archdeacon of London)|Sinclair, W.]] p. 456: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909</ref> His widow was created [[Baron Abercromby|Baroness Abercromby]] of Tullibody and Aboukir Bay,<ref name="CBD" /> and a pension of £2,000 a year was settled on her and her two successors in the title.<ref name="EB1911"/>

Abercromby Place in [[New Town, Edinburgh|Edinburgh's New Town]] and [[Abercromby Square]] in [[Liverpool]] are named in his honour.

==Family==
On 17 November 1767, Abercromby married [[Mary Anne Menzies|Mary Anne]], daughter of John Menzies and Ann, daughter of Patrick Campbell. They had seven children.<ref>"Famous Warriors." ''The Boy's Standard'', no. 505, 10 Jan. 1891, pp. 334+. ''Nineteenth Century Collections Online'', {{Gale|SRJDHA110029575}}</ref> Of four sons, all four entered Parliament, and two saw military service.
*Hon. Anne Abercromby (born 21 September 1768 and died October 1832) married [[Donald Cameron, 22nd Lochiel|Donald Cameron, 22nd Chief of Clan Cameron]]. They had two sons, and two daughters.
*Hon. Mary Abercromby (born 19 August 1773 and died 26 April 1825)
*Hon. Catherine Abercromby (born 4 December 1780 and died 1841), married on 31 December 1811 to Thomas Buchanan of Powis (d. 1842) Superintendent of Marines at Bombay.<ref>''Logie: A Parish History'' by Menzies Fergusson</ref> They had one son.
*[[George Abercromby, 2nd Baron Abercromby]] (1770–1843)
*General Hon. [[Sir John Abercromby]] (1772–1817)
*[[James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline]] (1776–1858)
*Lt.-Col. Hon. [[Alexander Abercromby (army officer)|Alexander Abercromby]] (1784–1853)

{{Infobox COA wide
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|escutcheon=Argent a chevron indented Gules between three boars’ heads erased Azure armed Or and langued Sable in the middle chief point a crescent Vert.
|crest=A bee volant proper
|supporters=On either side, a greyhound per fess Argent and Or collar and line Gules charged on the shoulder with a thistle proper.
|motto=Vive Ut Vivas
|notes=Supporters granted 30 January 1798 {{cn|date=October 2020}}}}

==Popular culture==
Numerous works have been written about Abercromby. A [[public house]] in central [[Manchester]], the "[[Sir Ralph Abercromby (pub)|Sir Ralph Abercromby]]", is named after him. There is also a primary school and pub in [[Tullibody]]. There is also another 'General Abercrombie' pub with his portrait by [[John Hoppner]] as the sign off of the Blackfriars Bridge Road in London.<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.scottyweb.freeuk.com/thursday/sirralphabercrombie.htm |title=Sir Ralph Abercrombie Inn |access-date=31 January 2013 |archive-date=12 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212125645/http://www.scottyweb.freeuk.com/thursday/sirralphabercrombie.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Three ships have been named [[HMS Abercrombie|HMS ''Abercrombie'']] after the general but using the variant spelling of his name.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=David |title=A Companion to the Royal Navy |date=1988 |publisher=Harrap |location=London |isbn=0 245-54572-7 |page=55}}</ref>

The ballad song "The Banks of the Nile", perhaps most notably recorded by Sandy Denny and Fotheringay, refers to Sir Ralph Abercrombie's campaign in Egypt.

==Further reading==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170327030730/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.02(1956-59)/MH.2(1957)2/orig03.pdf Some public monuments of Valletta 1800–1955]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

===Primary sources===
*{{Citation |first=James |last=Abercromby |author-link=James Abercromby, 1st Baron Dunfermline |title=Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, KB, 1793–1801 |year=1861 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H0AJAAAAIAAJ |ref=none}}
*{{UK National Archives ID}}
*{{Citation |first=G.E. |last=Cokayne |year=2000 |title=The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant |edition=reprint in 6 volumes |location=Gloucester, U.K. |publisher=Alan Sutton Publishing |volume=I |page=12|display-authors=etal}}
*{{cite web |url=http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.rbc/kislak.65781.1 |title=Orderly Book of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot, 16 February 1796–10 October 1796 |place=Collections at the [[Library of Congress]]}}
*{{Citation |first=L.G. |last=Pine |year=1972 |title=The New Extinct Peerage 1884–1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms |location=London |publisher=Heraldry Today |page=1}}
*{{NPG name |id=00010 |name=Ralph Abercromby }}

===Secondary sources===

*{{Citation |author=Alonso, María M. |title=Chapter XIV – Abercromby's Siege |work=The Eighteenth Century Caribbean & The British Attack on Puerto Rico in 1797 |url=http://www.nps.gov/saju/14.html |access-date=7 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630203439/http://nps.gov/saju/14.html |archive-date=30 June 2006 |ref=none}}
*{{Citation |title=Historia del Pueblo de Puerto Rico |first=Arturo Morales |last=Carrión |language=es}}
*Divall, Carole. ''General Sir Ralph Abercromby and the French Revolutionary Wars 1792–1801.'' (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2019). {{ISBN|978-1526741462}}
*Howard, Martin R. ''Death Before Glory: The British Soldier in the West Indies in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793–1815.'' (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2015). {{ISBN|978-1781593417}}
*{{Citation|chapter-url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9001652/Sir-Ralph-Abercromby |title=Encyclopædia Britannica |chapter=Sir Ralph Abercromby|date=3 October 2023 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ralph Abercromby}}
*{{Eminent Scotsmen|Abercromby, Sir Ralph|1|4–13}}
*{{cite Collier's|wstitle=Abercrombie, Sir Ralph}}

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