# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Musgrave, Thomas (1737-1812)

​MUSGRAVE, Sir THOMAS (1737–1812), general, sixth son of Sir Richard Musgrave, bart., of Hayton Castle, Cumberland (d. 1739), by his wife, the second daughter of John Hylton of Hylton Castle, Durham, was born in 1737, and entered the army in 1754 as ensign in the 3rd buffs. He became lieutenant 21 June 1756, and captain in the 64th 20 Aug. 1759 ; a brevet-major 22 July 1772 ; major, 40th foot, December 1775 ; and lieutenant-colonel, 27 Aug. 1776, on the death of Lieutenant-colonel James Grant at Brooklyn (Flat Bush). He commanded his regiment (40th foot) in the expedition to Philadelphia, and greatly distinguished himself at Germantown, one of Lord Cornwallis's outposts in ​front of Philadelphia, when the American army in great force attacked the village on the morning of 4 Oct. 1777. Musgrave, with six companies of his regiment, threw himself into a large stone house, belonging to a Mr. Chew, which he defended with great resolution against repeated attacks, until he was reinforced and the Americans repulsed. The action was commemorated by a silver medal, which was at one time worn as a regimental order of merit (see Hastings, Irwin, and Tancred, works on medals). Chew's house is represented on the medal, and is the background of one of the engraved portraits of Musgrave in the British Museum Prints.
Musgrave went in 1778 to the West Indies as quartermaster-general of the troops sent from New York under Major-general James Grant (1720-1806) [q.v.], of Ballindalloch, to capture and defend St. Lucia. He left the West Indies sick, but afterwards returned as brigadier-general to America, and was the last British commandant of New York. He became a brevet-colonel in 1781, and on his return home at the peace was made aide-de-camp to the king, and lieutenant-general of Stirling Castle. Cornwallis mentions him as at the reviews at Berlin in 1785 with Ralph Abercromby and David Dundas (1735-1820) [q. v.] (Cornwallis Corresp. vol. i.) On 12 Oct. 1787 Musgrave was appointed colonel of the new 76th or 'Hindoostan' regiment (now 2nd West Riding), which then was raised for service in India, where it became famous. The rendezvous was at Chatham, and the recruits were chiefly from the Musgrave family estates in the north of England. Musgrave went out to India with it, and served on the staff at Madras for several years. He became a major-general, 28 April 1790. His hopes of a command against Tippoo Sultan were disappointed by Lord Cornwallis, who appears to have thought that Musgrave did not work harmoniously with the civil government of Madras (ib. i. 473-9). Musgrave's plan of operations is published in 'Cornwallis's Correspondence ' (ii. 8, 50). On his return Musgrave received many marks of attention from royalty. He was appointed lieutenant-general of Chelsea Hospital, but exchanged with David Dundas for that of Tilbury Fort, which did not require residence. He became a lieutenant-general 26 June 1797, and general 29 April 1802. He died in London on 31 Dec. 1812, aged 75, and was buried in the churchyard of St. George's, Hanover Square, in which parish he had long resided.
A portrait of Musgrave, painted by J. Abbott in 1786, was engraved and appeared in the 'British Military Panorama' in 1813 (Notes and Queries, 8th ser. v. 148).
[Foster's and Burke's Baronetages; Army Lists and London Gazettes; Beatson's Nav. and Mil. Memoirs, vols. iv-vi.; Cornwallis' s Corresp. vols. i-ii.; Biography of Musgrave in British Military Panorama, vol. iii. London, 1813.]
H. M. C.