Washington’s main army to observe British
movements. As a final parting gesture, Howe
resolved to trap the young Frenchman and
take him back to England as a prisoner.
British forces then marched on the American
position at Barren Hill from the front, while
Grant was directed to conduct a circling
movement intended to catch the enemy from
behind. Inexplicably, once Grant positioned
his men behind Lafayette, the surprised Amer-
ican commander bluffed him into thinking he
was launching an attack. Rather than close
the door on the Americans, Grant remained
stationary while Lafayette skillfully side-
stepped the trap set for him. Howe was appre-
ciably furious, and during the march back to
Philadelphia many officers were so enraged
by Grant’s lethargy that they declined conver-
sation with him.
In June 1778 the new British commander,
Gen. Henry Clinton, decided to abandon
Philadelphia and march overland back to
New York. He specifically charged Grant
with protecting his rear guard if attacked by
Washington, who was known for sudden
strikes. When Washington did in fact attack
Clinton’s column at Monmouth on June 28,
Grant was unable to arrive in time. The bat-
tle was a draw, but Clinton decided to rid
himself of this fat, tardy general. Accord-
ingly, in December 1778 he dispatched Grant
with 5,800 men to capture and fortify the is-
land of St. Lucia in the West Indies. Grant
handled himself surprisingly well and later
defended the island against a determined at-
tack by Admiral d’Estaing.
The easygoing Grant then returned to En-
gland in 1779, where he was raised to major
general three years later. By 1787, he had re-
sumed his seat in Parliament, and in 1796 he
gained a promotion to general. Thus, Grant
was one of few men in the British army who
advanced very far by performing very little.
He died at Ballindalloch on April 13, 1806, im-
mensely fat and soon forgotten.Bibliography
Cannon, Opal C. “Lieutenant Colonel James Grant’s
Governorship of East Florida, 1764–1777.” Unpub-
lished master’s thesis, University of South Carolina,
1973; Frey, Sylvia P. The British Soldier in North
America: Social History of Military Life in the Rev-
olutionary Period. Austin: University of Texas
Press, 1980; Gifford, Edward S. The American Revo-
lution in the Delaware Valley.Philadelphia: Penn-
sylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution, 1976;
Grant, Allastair M. General James Grant of
Ballindalloch, 1720–1806.London: A. M. Grant,
1930; Jackson, John W. With the British Army in
Philadelphia.San Rafael, CA: Presidio Press, 1979;
May, Robin. The British Army in North America,
1775–1783.New York: Hippocrene Books, 1997;
Nelson, Paul D. General James Grant: Scottish Sol-
dier and Royal Governor of East Florida.
Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1993;
Rogers, George C. “The Papers of James Grant of
Ballindalloch Castle, Scotland.” South Carolina His-
torical Magazine77 (1976): 145–160; Tucker, Philip
C. “Notes on the Life of James Grant, Prior and Sub-
sequent to His Governorship of East Florida.”
Florida Historical Quarterly8 (1929): 111–119.GRANT, JAMES