Lewis Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman.
Background
He was the third son of George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly. Born when his father was commander of the Garde Écossaise, he was named after Louis XIII of France, and brought up until the age of ten by his grandfather, George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly.
Career
From an early age, he showed himself to be a reckless romantic — while still a child, he stole some jewels and attempted to take ship to Holland, presumably to join the army. When he was thirteen, the First Bishops" War broke out, and the young nobleman sneaked out of Gordon Castle (one account says he climbed over the wall) and hurried to the Highlands, where he raised a brigade of clansmen from his father"s estates to fight the Covenanters. His first experience of war was at Megray Hill, where his Highlanders scattered in the face of enemy cannon fire.
Following the peace, Lord Lewis travelled to France, where he enlisted as an ordinary pikeman in an infantry regiment, in order to learn his soldiering from the ground up.
His reputation among historians has varied. He is the clearest hero in the Civil War narrative of his kinsman Patrick Gordon of Ruthven, while John Buchan regarded him as wild and headstrong to the point of insanity.