Background
Sir John Moore, the son of John Moore, was born at Glasgow, United Kingdom on the 13th of November 1761.
Sir John Moore, the son of John Moore, was born at Glasgow, United Kingdom on the 13th of November 1761.
Moore remained in America to the peace of 1783, after which the Hamilton regiment was disbanded.
In parliament, though he never spoke, he seems to have taken his duties very seriously, and to have preserved an independent position, in which he won the friendship of Pitt and the respect of Burke, and (more important still) the friendship of the duke of York.
In 1792 Moore sailed with his corps to the Mediterranean.
Soon after this he became adjutant-general to Sir Charles Stuart, with whom he formed a close friendship.
In 1798 he accompanied Abercromby to Ireland as a major-general, and during the rebellion was actively engaged in command of a corps in the south, defeating a large force of the Irish, and saving Wexford from destruction after the battle of Vinegar Hill (June 21).
His services were in universal request, and Abercromby had him appointed to the command of a brigade destined for the expedition to Holland.
At the action of Egmont-op-Zee, on the 2nd of October 1799, his brigade lost very heavily, and he himself was wounded for the fourth time, on this occasion severely.
The 28th and 42nd regiments in this corps gained great distinction at the battle of Alexandria, where Moore himself was again wounded.
He returned to duty, however, before the surrender of the French forces to General Hutchinson, and added so much to his reputation by his conduct in this brilliant campaign that after the short peace came to an end he was appointed to command the force assembled at Shorncliffe camp (1803) as a part of the army intended to meet the projected invasion of Napoleon.
Here were trained some of the best regiments of the service, amongst others the 43rd, 52nd' and 95th Rifles, the regiments which afterwards formed the famous " Light Division " and won in the Peninsula an unsurpassed reputation, not only for the skilful performance of the duties of light troops, but also for invincible steadiness in the line of battle.
While at Shorncliffe he renewed his intimacy with Pitt, who was then residing at Walmer Castle, and his close friendship with Lady Hester Stanhope led to the erroneous belief that he was betrothed to her.
In 1808 Moore was ordered to the Baltic, to assist Gustavus IV, king of Sweden, against Russia, France and Denmark.
The conduct of the king, who went so far as to place Sir John Moore under arrest when he refused to acquiesce in his plans, ruined any chance of successful co-operation, and the English general returned home, making his escape in disguise.
He was at once ordered to proceed with his division to Portugal, where he was to be under the command of Sir Hew Dalrymple and Sir Harry Burrard.
He met his reward, for when, in the excitement caused by the convention of Cintra, Dalrymple and Burrard were ordered home, Moore was left in command of the largest British army that had been employed since the commencement of the war.
Wellesley, who returned home with the other generals, showed his appreciation of Moore, and in an interesting letter (Wellington Despatches, Oct. 8, 1808) expressed his desire to use his own
About this time he formed an attachment for Caroline Fox (afterwards the wife of Sir William Napier), to whom, however, he did not offer marriage, fearing to " influence her, " by his high position and intimacy with her father, " to an irretrievable error for her own future contentment . "
