In 1720, Campbell married Lady Jean Boyle Mure, with whom he had two children. Seven years later, Campbell was appointed Groom of the Chamber by George II of Great Britain in recognition of his military accomplishments. Campbell took his seat in Parliament after running unopposed in the 1727 British general election. A steadfast Whig when in Parliament, Campbell continued to climb the British Army's ranks, being promoted to lieutenant-general in 1740.
Campbell was then sent along with the rest of his regiment to Europe, where they fought in the Battle of Blenheim on 13 August 1704, a decisive victory for the Grand Alliance (of which the Kingdom of Scotland was a part). In August 1706, Campbell was transferred again, this time to the Royal North British Dragoons at the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He then fought at the battles of Oudenarde and Malplaquet, both major Allied victories.[2]
Political career
In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed between the Grand Alliance and the Kingdom of France, bringing British involvement in the conflict to an end (the kingdoms of Scotland and England having been united into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707).[5] After the treaty was signed, Campbell started becoming involved in British political affairs, joining forces with his brother Hugh in supporting the Hanoverian Succession to Britain's Queen Anne.[2]
Campbell continued to serve in the British Army during this period, though as historian Henry Morse Stephens noted, the tenure of Walpole as British Prime Minister "prevented Campbell from seeing service for twenty-eight years" as Walpole was committed to a policy of non-interventionism. In 1735, Campbell was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and four years later in 1739 he was promoted again to the rank of Major-General.[2]
In 1738, Campbell was appointed to the position of Edinburgh Castle governor, succeeding Lord Ross.[2] His duties included supervising the castle's large garrison.[8] Campbell continued to hold this position until his death, being succeeded by Lord Mark Kerr.[9] During his tenure, a crow-stepped and classical residence for the governor, known as the Governor's House, was constructed inside the castle by army engineer Dugal Campbell in 1742.[10]
Later life and death
Allan Ramsay, Portrait of General Sir James Campbell of Lawers (1744)
In 1740, the War of the Austrian Succession broke out, and two years later the British government made plans to dispatch a military expedition to the continent, as Britain was a member of the anti-French Pragmatic Alliance.[11] Campbell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General and accompanied George II, who led the expedition himself, to the Continent as head of all British cavalry units present (including the Royal North British Dragoons).[2][12]
On 27 June 1743, a Pragmatic Alliance army encountered a French force at the village of Dettingen.[13] During the battle, Campbell led a cavalry charge against the Maison Militaire du Roi de France, the household troops of the French Army, which played a major role in securing a victory for the Pragmatic Alliance. After the battle, George II personally invested Campbell as a knight of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his performance during the battle.[2]
The Pragmatic commanders proved unable to agree on how best to exploit their victory, and ended up doing nothing but quartering in the Dutch Republic as the winter set in.[14] George II soon returned to England, though Campbell stayed, continuing to command the cavalry elements of the British expeditionary force.[2] In this, he was assisted by his aide-de-camp, fellow Scotsman John Forbes, who would later go on to serve in the French and Indian War.[15]
On 9 May 1745, a large French army under the command of Maurice de Saxeencountered a Pragmatic force near Antoing. Campbell, leading a large force of British and Hanoverian cavalry, successfully pushed French troops out of two hamlets the next day. His deputy, the Earl of Crawford, then recommended that infantry be used to clear a nearby forest, though the plan was soon abandoned when Dutch hussars were driven off by hidden French troops.[16]
On the next day, both sides formed up lines as the Duke of Cumberland ordered an infantry assault against French positions; meanwhile, Campbell led numerous unsuccessful cavalry charges against the French lines. As the day was nearing its end, Campbell was hit in the leg by a French cannonball, which tore it off. Campbell died of his wounds as he was being put into a litter; his corpse was transported to the city of Brussels, where it was buried.[1][2]
Personal life and family
During his time in Parliament, Campbell consistently supported the Whigs, which dominated the British political scene during the Georgian era.[7][17] In his political career, Campbell was held in high regard, even by his opponents. Due to Campbell's reputation, Craufurd's supporters in the 1741 general election spread propaganda that he was unwilling to stand for election in the first place, but had been pushed to become involved several outside parties; those alleged to be involved included his brother, Archibald Campbell, 1st Earl of Ilay and elements in the British royal court.[7]
As part of his military career, Campbell participated in numerous recruitment campaigns in both Scotland and England for the British Army. During these campaigns, Campbell would frequently be accompanied by his aides-de-camps who would provide assistance to him; together, they would occasionally make detours to take care of personal affairs, such as visiting tailors and frequenting coffeehouses. According to English historian John Oliphant, harmonious relations between officers in the British Army frequently "depended on affectionate relationships [such as] these."[18]
On 29 March 1720, Campbell married Lady Jean Boyle Mure, the eldest daughter of David Boyle, 1st Earl of Glasgow and his second wife, Lady Jean Mure. Together, the couple had at least two children, a boy named James who was born on 11 February 1726, and a girl named either Elizabeth or Margaret (as noted by Stephens, historical accounts differ) who was born on 17 May 1727. Mure died just nine years later in Lawers on 19 December 1729, and her body was interred in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire on 26 December; Campbell never remarried after her death.[2]
Campbell changed his son's surname to Mure-Campbell in 1729 in order for him to inherit the Rowallan estate near Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, which was an old family possession.[1] After Campbell died at Fontenoy, James succeeded to his father's estate at Lawers, and in 1782 became the fifth Earl of Loudoun after the death of the fourth earl in the same year.[2][19] He would only hold the peerage for four years, dying in 1786.[20] The peerage was succeeded by his only child, Flora Mure-Campbell, 6th Countess of Loudoun, who would go on to marry the Marquess of Hastings.[21]
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