Iraq, but when they tried to extend their hold on Mosul
(in modern northern Iraq) and Basra (in modern south-
ern Iraq, near the Persian Gulf ), his troops were thrown
back and could not hold either city. In another clash, he
took the city of Kandahar (also Qandahar, in modern
Afghanistan), but it was lost to the Uzbeks in 1630, a
year after Abbas’s death.
During his reign, Abbas was also known for his
numerous public works projects, most notably at the
Persian capital of Esfahan. He died in 1629 at the age
of either 58 or 59. His tomb at Kashan, located in the
Shrine of Habib ibn-Musa, is considered one of the mar-
vels of that age.
Modern historians remember Abbas not only for
his unification of Persia but for his skillful use of the
military to crush internal rebellion and meet external
threats. His drafting of two English brothers, the merce-
naries Sir Robert and Sir Anthony Sherley, to train the
Persian army in modern fighting methods unknown to
most of the Middle Eastern world, rank him as one of
the lesser-known but more important military leaders in
world history. Historian Tom Magnusson writes: “A re-
markable monarch, Abbas was intelligent and farsighted
but sometimes cruel and harsh; he was a skillful and
energetic administrator and general, and his reform of
the Persian army made it very nearly the equal of the
Ottoman army.”
References: Keegan, John, and Andrew Wheatcroft,
“Abbas,” in Who’s Who in Military History from 1453 to the
Present Day (London: Routledge, 1996), 1–2; Monshi,
Eskandar Beg, History of Shah 4 Abbas the Great—Tarike
4 alam ar aye 4 Abbas I, translated by Roger M. Savory (Boul-
der, Colo.: Westview Press, 1978); Sherley, Sir Anthony,
His Relation of his travels into Persia:... (London: Printed
[by Nicholas Okes] for Nathaniell Butter, and Joseph
Bagfet, 1613); Magnusson, Tom, “Abbas I the Great,” in
The Encyclopedia of Military Biography, edited by Trevor
N. Dupuy, Curt Johnson, and David L. Bongard (Lon-
don: I. B. Taurus, 1992), 2.
Abercromby, Sir Ralph (1734–1801) British
general
Sir Ralph Abercromby’s several important military victo-
ries were matched by his command of the British army,
in which he restored discipline and morale. Historians
Martin Windrow and Francis K. Mason write: “Al-
though his career was crowned by several notable victo-
ries, Abercromby is remembered more as the restorer of
high professional standards in the British Army than as
a master of tactics.”
Abercromby was born in the village of Tullibody,
in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, on 7 October 1734,
the eldest son of George Abercromby. He was edu-
cated at the prestigious Rugby school and later studied
law at the University of Leipzig and Edinburgh Uni-
versity. Entering into a military career, he was offered
a cornet’s commission in the 3rd Dragoon Guards in
March 1756. He saw action with this unit in the Seven
Years’ War (1756–63) and rose to become a lieutenant
colonel in 1773 and brevet colonel in 1780. In 1781,
he was named a colonel in the King’s Irish Regiment.
However, because he sympathized with the American
colonists fighting for independence, he felt it better to
leave the military than continue and possibly be forced
to fight in a war in which he did not believe. He retired
in 1783.
Abercromby decided to enter the political realm: He
was elected to a seat in Parliament from Clackmannan,
Scotland, but he quickly tired of his duties and left office;
he was succeeded by his brother Robert (1740–1827),
who also later served as a general in the British army.
When France declared war on England in 1793, Ralph
Abercromby again took up arms for England and was
named as commander of a brigade under the duke of
York, second son of George III. Serving for a time in Hol-
land, he saw action at La Cateau (16 April 1794) and was
wounded at Nijmwegen. He was in charge of the Brit-
ish withdrawal from Holland in the winter of 1794 and
conducted this duty so well that he was honored with a
Knighthood of the order of the Bath. In 1795, the king
named him to succeed Sir Charles Grey as commander in
chief of British forces in the West Indies.
In 1796, Abercromby once again went into battle,
seizing the islands of Grenada, Trinidad, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent, and the then-French settlements of Demerara
and Essequibo. He was then recalled to England, where
in 1797 he was appointed as head of the English army in
Ireland. However, the Irish government blocked his ef-
forts to reform the army. Abercromby resigned his com-
mission after less than a year in office. That same year,
1797, he was made second in command to the duke of
York, with whom he had previously served, in the En-
glish drive to retake Holland, which ended in disaster
and failure. AbeRcRomby, SiR RAlph