James Robertson (officer)

James Robertson (born June 29, 1717 (baptized) in Fife , Scotland , † March 4, 1788 in London , England ) was British Governor of the Province of New York from 1780 to 1783 .

Life

Nothing is known about the youth and education of James Robertson. He later joined the British military and was stationed with the royal troops in North America from 1756, then with the rank of major. In the following years he passed through other military ranks before he was promoted to major general in August 1777. For many years he worked as a Barrack Master in New York . In September 1776 he was instrumental in putting out a fire that burned about 500 houses in New York City . In August 1776 he led a brigade at the Battle of Long Island , the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War . In February 1777 he temporarily returned to Great Britain . In July 1779 he was appointed civil colonial governor of the province of New York. He took up this office on March 23, 1780. Since November 1782 he held the rank of lieutenant general. His entire tenure as governor was overshadowed by the events of the American Revolutionary War. The Americans, who had already declared their independence on July 4, 1776, no longer regarded themselves as British subjects and saw Robertson, like all British remaining in the country, as their enemies. In early 1783, Robertson met with key British generals to plan the withdrawal of British troops from New York City. This step became necessary as Britain's defeat in the war against the Americans was looming. The final evacuation of the city did not take place until November 1783. At that time, Robertson was no longer on site. He had been replaced in the spring of 1783 by his previous deputy Andrew Elliot , who was then the last British governor of New York until the troops withdrew in November 1783. James Robertson died in London on March 4, 1788.