Kingston. He remained in garrison until late
July 1814 and subsequently accompanied Gen.
Gordon Drummondto the Niagara frontier.
On July 25, 1814, the 89th Regiment was one
of the units rushed into action during initial
phases of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane and in-
flicted heavy losses upon Gen. Winfield Scott’s
brigade. However, Morrison was struck down
by a bullet early on, and his regiment lost
nearly a third of its numbers in combat. After a
long convalescence, he saw no further service
and returned to England in 1815 with his sur-
viving soldiers.
Back home, Morrison rose to brevet
colonel of the 44th Regiment in 1821 and re-
sumed full-time activity. The following year
he was shipped off to India and stationed at
Calcutta, where he gained an appointment as
a local brigadier general and was ordered to
mount an expedition to Arakan against
Burmese forces gathered there. This cam-
paign was successfully concluded, but the hot
climate riddled the British soldiers with dis-
ease, and Morrison fell ill among them.
Shipped home in an attempt to improve his
health, he died at sea on February 15, 1826.
Morrison, unquestionably, was the most ac-
complished regimental-grade British officer
of the War of 1812.Bibliography
Chartrand, Rene.Canadian Military Heritage.2 vols.
Montreal: Art Global, 1994–2000; Elting, John R. Am-
ateurs to Arms! A Military History of the War of- Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina
Press, 1991; Graves, Donald E. Field of Glory: The
Battle of Crysler’s Farm.Toronto: Robin Brass Stu-
dios, 1999; Patterson, William. “A Forgotten Hero of
a Forgotten War.” Journal of the Society for Army
Historical Research78 (1990): 7–21; Stanley, George
F.G. The War of 1812: Land Operations.Toronto:
Macmillan of Canada, 1983; Suthren, Victor J.H. The
War of 1812.Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1999;
Way, Donald. “The Day of Crysler’s Farm.” Canadian
Geographic Journal 62 (1961): 184–217.
MURRAY, JOHN
Murray, John
(1737–February 25, 1809)
English Colonial Governor
A
political moderate by persuasion, Mur-
ray was the last royal governor of Vir-
ginia, and his actions did much to pre-
cipitate the American Revolution in that
colony. He tried deflecting political friction by
generating a successful Indian war but neg-
lected to shore up his support among Vir-
ginia’s political elite.
John Murray was born in Perthshire, Scot-
land, around 1737, a distant relative of the Stu-
art family. Intent upon a military career, he
joined the Third Foot Guards in 1749, eventu-
ally rose to captain, and later resigned his
commission to pursue politics. In 1756, he in-
herited his father’s title as Earl of Dunmore
and four years later was chosen as one of 16
Scottish peers to represent Scotland in the
House of Lords. In various and sensitive issues
dealing with the American colonies, he dis-
played moderate sensibilities. However, as the
father of 11 children, Murray sought greater fi-
nancial security; through the influence of his
brother-in-law, Earl Gower, he gained an ap-
pointment as governor of New York in 1770.
He arrived there that year, struck up cordial
relations with Sir William Johnson, and
quickly began engaging in land speculation to
enhance his fortunes. At length he procured
51,000 acres for himself near Lake Champlain,
but before he could enjoy the fruits of his