Colin Campbell , 1st Baron Clyde Field Marshal Colin Campbell , 1st Baron Clyde ( 20 October 1792 – 14 August 1863 ) was a British Army officer from Scotland who led the Highland Brigade in the Crimea and was in command of the ‘ Thin red line ’ at the battle of Balaclava . He later commanded the relief army in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Early life . He was born Colin Macliver , the eldest of the four children of John Macliver , a carpenter in Glasgow , Scotland , and his wife Agnes Campbell . He was educated at the High School of Glasgow , but the age of ten , his mother ' s brother Colonel John Campbell placed him in the Royal Military and Naval Academy at Gosport . When he was only fifteen and a half , his uncle presented him to the Duke of York . The Duke enlisted the boy under the surname of Campbell , which he adopted for life . Military career . One year later , aged sixteen , he obtained an ensignancy in the 9th Regiment of Foot through the influence of his uncle . His first opportunity at active service soon came . He fought under Wellington at the Battle of Vimeiro . He later retreated with the rest of Sir John Moore ' s army to Corunna , and was present at the Battle of Corunna . He fought throughout the Peninsular War , and was severely wounded while leading a storming party in the attack on San Sebastián . He was again wounded at the passage of the Bidassoa and compelled to return to the United Kingdom , where his conspicuous gallantry was rewarded by promotion . Commands . Campbell served in Nova Scotia with the 7th Battalion , 60th Regiment in the War of 1812 . After the peace of 1815 , he devoted himself to studying military science . In 1823 , he quelled the slave rebellion in Demerara , and two years later bought himself a major ' s rank . In 1832 , he became lieutenant - colonel of the 98th Foot and rendered distinguished service in 1842 during the First Opium War . Campbell next saw action in India , in the Second Anglo - Sikh War of 1848 - 1849 , under Sir Hugh Gough . He was wounded at the battle of Chillianwala . At the decisive victory of Gujrat , his skill and valour contributed largely to the success of the British forces ; his " steady coolness and military precision " were highly praised in official despatches . He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1849 , and specially named in the thanks of Parliament . Crimean War . After further service in India , Campbell returned home in 1853 . The next year , the Crimean War broke out , and he accepted the command of the Highland Brigade , which formed part of the Duke of Cambridge ' s division . The brigade and its leader distinguished themselves very greatly at the Battle of Alma ; and with his " thin red line of Highlanders " he repulsed the Russia n attack on Balaclava . At the close of the war , Sir Colin was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Bath , and elected honorary D . C . L . of Oxford University . Commander - in - Chief of India . His military ability had been late in being recognised ; but his true worth was soon appreciated . In 1857 what started as a rebellion of sepoy soldiers in India spread to a general insurrection in the north of the areas of India controlled by the East India Company . The initial successes of the rebellion led Lord Palmerston to offer him the command of British forces there on July 11 , 1857 . On being asked when he would be ready to set out , Campbell replied , " Within twenty - four hours . " He left England the next evening , and reached Calcutta on August 13 . After spending over two months in the capital to organize his resources , he started for the front on October 27 , and on November 17 relieved Lucknow for the second time . Campbell , however , considered Lucknow a false position , and once more abandoned it to the rebels , retaking it in March 1858 . He continued in charge of the operations in Oudh until the embers of the revolt had died away . For these services he was raised to the peerage in 1858 as Baron Clyde , of Clydesdale in Scotland . After returning to the United Kingdom in the next year , he received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament and a pension of £2000 a year . He was promoted to Field Marshal in 1862 . Legacy and assessment . Despite lacking the dash which won Britain so many victories in India , Campbell was regarded as a brave soldier and a careful and prudent leader . The soldiers whom he led were devotedly attached to him ; and he commanded unvarying respect . Nicknames given by those who disliked his safety - first style of generalship , included ' Sir Crawling Camel ' and ' Old Slowcoach ' . Lord Clyde never married and the barony became extinct on his death in August 1863 , aged 70 . He was buried in Westminster Abbey . A statue was erected to him in his native town , ( see Glasgow ' s public statues ) from whom he had also received the Sword of Honour , one of many he received from throughout Britain . Another statue of him , by Carlo Marochetti , was erected in Waterloo Place , London , in 1867 . The town of Clyde , New Zealand was named after him in 1865 . The town of Campbellpore ( Campbellpur ) , Attock in present day Pakistan , was named after him in 1908 .