Sir Archibald Campbell , 1st Baronet General Sir Archibald Campbell , 1st Baronet GCB ( 12 March 1769 – 6 October 1843 ) was an officer of the British Army . From 1824 to 1826 , Gen . Campbell commanded the British forces in the First Anglo - Burmese War , the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history , that gave the British control of Assam , Manipur , Cachar , Jaintia , Arakan and Tenasserim . He became known as the " Hero of Ava " . From 1831 to 1837 , he was the administrator of the colony of New Brunswick , Canada . Early life . Archibald was born 12 March 1769 , at Glen Lyon , Perthshire . and educated at Tonbridge School Kent . He was the third son of Captain Archibald Campbell and his wife Margaret Small of Dirnanean , daughter of Captain James Small , factor of the forfeited estates of the Robertsons of Struan . Archibald was a descendant of the Robertsons through his maternal great grandmother , Magdalen Robertson , and also through his paternal grandmother , Janet Robertson . Archibald ' s great - grandfather on his father ' s side , Duncan Campbell 2nd Laird of Duneaves , Perthshire , was a first cousin of Robert Campbell , 5th of Glenlyon . One of Archibald ' s maternal great - uncles was Major - General John Small who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey . Archibald grew up at Carie , formerly part of the Robertson estate on the south shore of Loch Rannoch within the parish of Logierait . Military career . Early career . Campbell entered the army aged 18 , in 1787 as an ensign . The next year he and his regiment , the 77th Regiment of Foot , left for India , where he took part in the campaign against Tipu Sultan in 1790 . In 1791 he was promoted to Lieutenant . He served in the Mysore campaign and the first siege of Seringapatam . In 1795 , his regiment was ordered to reduce the Dutch garrison of Cochin on the coast of Malabar . In 1799 he took part of the reduction of the island of Ceylon . In 1799 he purchased the rank of captain in the 67th but exchanged into the 88th so that he could continue with his foreign service . However , he was required by ill - health to return home in 1801 . He was appointed major in the 6th battalion of reserve , stationed in Guernsey . In 1805 he moved to the 1st battalion which was leaving for Portugal . He fought in the battles of Rolica , Vimeiro and Corunna . In 1809 he was promoted to lieutenant - colonel and assisted General Beresford in organising the Portuguese army . In that capacity he was made full colonel and then brigadier . He was present through most of the fighting in the Peninsula . In 1813 Campbell was appointed to the rank of major - general in the Portuguese army . In 1816 he was given command of the Lisbon division . He returned to the service of Britain in 1820 , after a revolution in Portugal . Campbell was appointed colonel of the 38th Regiment of Foot ( in which post he was succeeded by Field Marshal Sir John Forster FitzGerald , GCB ) and went to India with it . For his Peninsula service , Campbell was awarded the Army Gold Cross with one clasp for the battles of Albuera , Vitoria , the Pyrenees , the Nivelle , and the Nive . First Anglo - Burmese War ( 1824 - 1826 ) . Battle of Yangon ( May – December 1824 ) . In India , Gen . Campbell was directed to take command of an expedition against the Burmese in the First Anglo - Burmese War . In May 1824 , Campbell led a British naval force of over 10 , 000 men ( 5000 British soldiers and over 5000 Indian sepoys ) to Yangon ( Rangoon ) , and took the deserted city with little resistance on 11 May 1824 . After fortifying the Shwedagon Pagoda compound , Campbell launched attacks on Burmese lines , and by July 1824 , had successfully pushed the Burmese towards Kamayut , five miles from the Shwedagon , and successfully repelled Burmese efforts to retake the city in September . In December 1824 , Gen . Campbell and his 10 , 000 men decisively defeated the 30 , 000 strong Burmese forces led by Gen . Maha Bandula in the final battle of Yangon . Thousands Burmese soldiers were cut down under British gunfire and exploding Congreve rocket fire . Only 7000 of the 30000 survived . The Burmese retreated to their rear base at Danubyu in the Irrawaddy delta , 60 miles from Yangon . Occupation of Lower Burma ( March – December 1825 ) . In late March 1825 , Campbell ordered a 4000 strong British force , supported by a flotilla of gun boats , to take Danubyu . The fort , defended by 10 , 000 Burmese , fell after Bandula was killed by a mortar shell on 1 April 1825 . After Danubyu , the British forces took Pyay ( Prome ) , the traditional boundary between Upper and Lower Burma , and went on to consolidate gains in Lower Burma throughout the monsoon season of 1825 . In November and December 1825 , Campbell ' s forces , consisted of 2500 British and 1500 Indian sepoys , successfully repelled the last - ditch efforts by the Burmese forces led by their new commander - in - chief Gen . Maha Ne Myo to retake Pyay . March to Upper Burma and Victory ( January – February 1826 ) . With the Burmese army in disarray , Campbell marched north to Upper Burma , and took the ancient capital of Pagan in early February 1826 . After Campbell ' s forces took the village of Yandabo , about 50 miles from the capital Ava ( Innwa ) , on 16 February , the Burmese finally agreed to full British demands " without discussion " . As the chief commander of British forces , Gen . Campbell was the lead signatory of the Treaty of Yandabo on the British side . The Burmese agreed to cede to the British Assam , Manipur , Arakan and Tenasserim ; stop all interference in Cachar and Jaintia ; and pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling . The treaty ended the longest and most expensive war in British Indian history . Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died , together with an unknown ( but almost certainly higher ) number of Burmese . The campaign cost the British five million pounds sterling ( roughly 18 . 5 billion in 2006 dollars ) to 13 million pounds sterling that led to a severe economic crisis in British India in 1833 . After the war . Campbell received the thanks of Parliament , the governor - in - council and the British East India Company gave him a gold medal and a pension of £1000 per annum for life . In 1839 he was made Commander - in - chief in Bombay but did not enjoy the post for long due to ill - health . Lieutenant - governor . Campbell had returned to England in 1829 . In 1831 he was made lieutenant - governor of New Brunswick , where he stayed for six years . Campbell was concerned for the safety of New Brunswick . For this reason he began the construction of a road , known as the " Royal Road " , from Fredericton to Grand Falls , so as to improve the movement of troops into the northern part of the colony where the Americans had become a threat . The Canadian city of Campbellton in the province of New Brunswick was named in his honour . Family . Archibald Campbell married Miss Helen McDonald , a sister of John MacDonald of Garth . She was also the sister of Mrs William McGillivray , née Magdalen MacDonald . The Campbells were the parents of two sons and three daughters . Archibald Campbell and his wife both spoke Gaelic . The family ' s primary residence was Garth House near Fortingall , Perthshire , Scotland . After his service in Bombay , Campbell retired . He died in Edinburgh on 6 October 1843 , and was buried in the churchyard of the Church of St John the Evangelist , Edinburgh . Sir Archibald ' s son , Sir John Campbell , 2nd Baronet succeeded to the baronetcy upon his death .