Sir William Erskine , 1st Baronet Lieutenant - General Sir William Erskine , 1st Baronet ( 1728 – 19 March 1795 ) was a British Army commander and the 1st Baronet of the Erskine of Torrie creation . Background . Erskine was the son of Colonel the Honourable William Erskine of Torrie , Deputy Governor of Blackness Castle , Linlithgowshire , and grandson of David Erskine , second Lord Cardross . Erskine first married Magdalen Myrton , daughter of Robert Myrton of Gogar , and then Frances Moray , daughter of James Moray of Abercairny . His eldest son by his second wife , Frances , William , the 2nd baronet was a cavalry officer who committed suicide in Spain in 1813 after a mental breakdown . He had another son , James , who was an officer in the 133rd ( Fraser ' s ) Foot , and became baronet on his elder brother ' s death . His third son John , also became baronet , on the death if his brother James . Erskine joined his father ’ s regiment the 7th Dragoons in 1742 and served in the War of the Austrian Succession , seeing action at the Battle of Fontenoy , then in the 7 Years War . By March 1759 he was in Germany with the rank of Major in the 15th Light Dragoons , and was promoted Lieutenant - Colonel commanding the same regiment in 1762 . Erskine performed exceptionally on the field at the Battle of Emsdorf and was able to present King George III with 16 colors captured by his regiment . For his prowess , Erskine was knighted . American War of Independence . Erskine was posted to America in 1776 as a Brigadier staff officer under Clinton , seeing action in the New York campaign and commanding the 7th Brigade at Long Island 27 August 1776 . In 1777 he was Quartermaster - General to Lord Cornwallis . Erskine is credited with advising Cornwallis on the occasion of the Battle of the Assunpink Creek ( also known as ' Five Mile Run ' ) not to put off attacking the Continental Army on the night of 2 January 1777 . The Continental forces moved away by night , fighting the Battle of Princeton on 3 January . Erskine was made Colonel of the 80th Foot on 4 March 1777 . Now a Brigadier - General , Erskine accompanied British forces as second in command under General William Tryon with the assistance of General James Agnew on an inland raid against Patriot supply depots in Danbury , Connecticut . After successfully destroying Patriot supplies , the British forces engaged and defeated Continental Army Generals David Wooster , Benedict Arnold , and Gold S . Silliman and Patriot militiamen in the Battle of Ridgefield . Erskine served in the Philadelphia campaign and then , in 1778 , was made Quartermaster - General by Henry Clinton . Erskine went on to lead troops at the Battle of Monmouth and after that campaign was given command of the eastern district of Long Island . Erskine ' s last active duty in North America was commanding five infantry battalions and a cavalry squadron in pursuit of the Continental Army which was thought to be moving to Virginia in November 1778 . Promoted Major - General on 19 February 1779 , Erskine sailed for London the same year . Wars of the French Revolution . He became Colonel - in - Chief of the 26th Foot ( Cameronians ) in 1782 . On 28 September 1787 he was promoted Lieutenant - General . He became a baronet in 1791 . After the declaration of war with revolutionary France he served on the staff of the Duke of York in the Flanders Campaign from late 1793 . He was present with York at the Siege of Dunkirk from 25 August to 10 September , and commanded the retreat to Furnes after the Battle of Hondschoote . Erskine was given command of the army during York ’ s absence through the Winter of 1793 / 1794 . At the opening of the Spring campaign he was given command of York ’ s right wing in April 1794 . He drove the French from Prémont on 16 April , but was unable to join York to complete the victory at Vaux . He commanded a column sent by Coburg to reinforce Clerfayt after the French breakthrough on 26 April , then commanded a 16 - squadron cavalry reserve under York at the Battle of Tourcoing on 17 – 18 May . He again fought at Tournai soon after . Erskine commanded the 2nd ( British ) Line Corps in August . Erskine died on 19 March 1795 , aged 67 , and is buried at Torryburn , Fife . In the army he was nicknamed “ Woolly ” Erskine .