William Crosbie (British Army officer)

Major-General William Crosbie (c.1740 – 16 June 1798) was a British Army officer who served in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars and held several senior commands in the British Army, including that of Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth.


William Crosbie
Portrait by Robert Hunter, c.1774
Bornc. 1740
Died16 June 1798
AllegianceGreat Britain
Branch
British Army
Rank
Major general
Conflicts
American War of Independence
French Revolutionary Wars

Military career

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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

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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

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "William Crosbie". History of Parliament. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. Thorne, R. G. (1986). House of Commons, 1790–1820. Vol. 3. London. p. 540.
  3. 1 2 "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)
  4. "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)
  5. 1 2 Taylor, Nat (23 March 2009). "update on the Crosbie-Pitcairn pistols". a genealogist's sketchbook. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  6. 1 2 "William Crosbie". lordbyron.org. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  7. 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.