Major-General Sir Archibald Campbell of Inverneil and Ross KB, Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Madras, 1790

Oil on canvas by George Romney (1734-1802), 1790.

Campbell (1739-1791) was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1758. During the Seven Years War (1756-1763), he took part in expeditions to the coast of France and to the West Indies. From 1768 he was seconded to the East India Company as Chief Engineer in Bengal, where he reinforced the defences of Fort William, Calcutta (Kolkata). He also engaged in a number of private building ventures. Back in Britain in 1774, Campbell was elected MP for Stirling, a position that he held for six years.

In 1775 Campbell helped to raise the second battalion of the 71st Regiment of (Highland) Foot (Fraser's) for service in North America. He sailed with the regiment to Boston the following year, but, by the time they arrived, the city was in American hands. The unfortunate Campbell was immediately captured and imprisoned in conditions that even George Washington described as 'shocking to humanity'. Freed in 1778 in an exchange of prisoners, Campbell, now a brigadier-general, proved his skills as a shrewd tactician and bold leader. He led the force that captured Savannah, Georgia, and secured the frontier with South Carolina.

He was appointed Governor of Jamaica in 1781 and commissioned major-general the following year. In 1785, Major-General Sir Archibald Campbell was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Madras (Chennai), and made a Knight of the Order of the Bath. He resigned in 1789, returned to England, and the following year sat for this portrait which shows Fort St George, Madras in the background.