James Inglis Hamilton General James Inglis Hamilton , ( before 1742 – 27 July 1803 ) was a Scottish soldier . He enlisted the British Army in 1755 and he commanded several regiment s . He was the only colonel of the 113th Regiment of Foot . During the Seven Years ' War ( 1756 – 1763 ) , Hamilton fought in the Siege of Fort St Philip , the Raid on St Malo , and the Capture of Belle Île . In the American War of Independence ( 1775 – 1783 ) , Hamilton fought in the Invasion of Canada and the Battle of Freeman ' s Farm , commanding the middle column during the latter . He was in the Convention Army , imprisoned in Cambridge , Massachusetts after its surrender following the Battles of Saratoga . While a prisoner of war , he adopted James Hamilton , the son of a non - commissioned officer in the British Army . After his brother ' s death , Hamilton took over Murdostoun , where he renovated the castle extensively . Under the 15th Regiment of Foot , Hamilton participated in Battle of Martinique as well as the Invasion of Guadeloupe in the French Revolutionary Wars . He died on 27 July 1803 at Murdostoun and is buried at Kirk O ’ Shotts graveyard . His adopted son took over Murdostoun before dying at the Battle of Waterloo . Early life . Very little is known of Hamilton ' s early life . He was the third son of Alexander ( died 1768 ) and Margaret Hamilton ( died 1742 ) . His two older brothers were Alexander ( died 1783 ) and Gavin Hamilton ( 1723 – 1798 ) , the latter a painter and archeologist in Rome . Inglis was added to the family name in 1719 as a condition of the will by which Alexander Inglis bequeathed Murdostoun to his nephew Alexander Hamilton , James ' s father . Seven Years ' War . Hamilton enlisted in the British Army on 28 February 1755 and was stationed at Portsmouth . He first saw action in June 1756 at the Siege of Fort St Philip , part of the Seven Years ' War . Assigned to the 34th Regiment of Foot , he was one of the 2 , 800 British soldiers fighting under the command of William Blakeney against 15 , 000 Frenchmen under the Duke de Richelieu and Roland - Michel Barrin de La Galissonière . The French sailed to Fort St . Philip and forced the British to surrender . During the siege , Admiral John Byng sailed there with a relief group , hoping to save the island for the British , but was unsuccessful . The French killed or wounded 400 British in the French victory . Hamilton fought in the Raid on St Malo in June 1758 . The British landed near St Malo , at first planning to attack the town . However , they decided to destroy shipping first and attack the town later . Finding that to occupy the town would require a full siege , for which they had insufficient troops , they occupied St Servan , where they burned over one hundred vessels including thirty privateers . British ships retreated after seeing a large French force , but sailed around the coast for a few weeks seeking another place to attack . Even though the Raid on St Malo was small and little damage was done , it is considered a British victory . In 1761 , Hamilton took part in the Capture of Belle Île as one of the 5 , 000 British troops led by Studholme Hodgson . The first attempt by the British was unsuccessful and lost approximately 500 troops . With reinforcements , a second attempt succeeded on 7 June 1761 . On 17 October 1761 , while holding the rank of major , Hamilton became major commandant ( colonel ) of the 113th Regiment of Foot . It was formed from independent companies and served as a depot for sending drafts to Highland regiments serving overseas . The regiment disbanded in 1763 , and Hamilton retired on half pay . He became a lieutenant - colonel on 25 May 1772 . American War of Independence . In 1774 , Hamilton commanded the 21st Regiment of Foot in the American War of Independence ; General John Burgoyne said that he " was the whole time engaged and acquitted himself with great honor , activity , and good conduct . " Early in 1776 , while in the 21st Regiment , Hamilton accompanied General Guy Carleton in the British response to the Continental Army ' s 1775 invasion of Quebec . On 15 September 1776 he was appointed temporary commander of the 1st Brigade when Brigadier General Nesbit fell ill . Upon Nesbit ' s death , Hamilton was promoted to brigadier . He was assigned to the 2nd Brigade , which consisted of the 34th , 53rd , 62nd , and 20th Regiments of Foot . It was originally intended to include Hamilton ' s 21st Regiment of Foot in the brigade , but it was replaced by the 53rd . Saratoga campaign . Hamilton helped General Burgoyne organize troops for his campaign to divide the rebellious provinces . He was assigned to the 1st Brigade , comprising the 9th , 47th , and 53rd Regiments of Foot . Later , when Henry Watson Powell transported the 62nd Regiment to Fort Ticonderoga , the 1st and 2nd Brigades were amalgamated . On 19 September 1777 , in Stillwater , New York , Hamilton commanded 1 , 100 men of the centre column , consisting of the 9th , 20th , 21st , and 62nd Regiments of Foot , which attacked the heights at the Battle of Freeman ' s Farm . His column was arrayed with the 21st on the right , the 20th on the left , the 62nd in the middle , and the 9th in reserve . To his left , Friedrich Adolf Riedesel commanded the 47th Regiment of Foot and some German troops . To Hamilton ' s right , Simon Fraser commanded the 24th Regiment of Foot along with light infantry and grenadier s . Even though Hamilton was considered the commander , Burgoyne led the attack . The centre column migrated toward the southwest to meet up with the right column . During the battle , Colonel Daniel Morgan of the United States led a charge , but Hamilton ' s men turned it back and the British won the battle . Burgoyne had gained the field of battle , but suffered nearly 600 casualties , mostly in Hamilton ' s centre column , where the 62nd was reduced to the size of a single company and three quarters of the artillery men were killed or wounded . American losses were nearly 300 killed and seriously wounded . In the next battle , the Battle of Bemis Heights , Hamilton was not as engaged as he was at Freeman ' s Farm : he was the guard of the camp near the heights . He was in the Convention Army that surrendered after the battle , among about 5 , 900 troops that surrendered at Saratoga . The prisoners arrived at Cambridge , Massachusetts on 8 November 1777 . William Phillips commanded the Convention Army until he was exchanged for American General Benjamin Lincoln in 1780 ; then Hamilton became the commander . While a prisoner of war , Hamilton adopted a boy named Jamie Anderson ( 1777 – 1815 ) , the son of Sergeant Major William Anderson of the 21st Foot . Hamilton name was " signed to the parole given by the officers . . . in December " . The Convention Army had to move to Charlottesville , Virginia and arrived around January 1779 . Hamilton was released on 3 September 1781 , subject to the condition that he could not travel to America until the war was over . Later life . After his exchange , Hamilton returned to Britain , where he funded his adopted son ' s education at Glasgow University . Because of his high rank , Hamilton was able to obtain a commission for his son , who became a cornet in 1792 . The boy changed his name to James Hamilton when he enlisted in the British Army . Around 1790 , Hamilton made various renovations to Murdostoun : filling the turret staircase and the old dungeons , adding a parapet running round the roof - line , and changing the original courtyard . On his brother Galvin ' s death in 1798 , Hamilton took over Murdostoun . He came to be considered as one of the most influential freeholders in Lanarkshire . Hamilton was the colonel of the 15th Regiment of Foot from 22 August 1792 to 1794 , during which he took part in the 1790s West Indies Campaign . The 15th Foot was awarded the battle honour Martinique 1794 ( 5 February – 25 March ) . During the battle , the 15th Foot was a part of the First Brigade , which consisted of the 39th and 43rd Regiment of Foot and was led by Sir C . Gordon . The regiment also saw service at Guadeloupe ( 12 April ) the same year . He was colonel of his old regiment , the 21st Foot , from 1794 to 1803 . While with them he was promoted to lieutenant - general on 26 January 1797 and to full general on 29 April 1802 . Hamilton died on his estate in Scotland on 27 July 1803 . On 18 August 1803 , his son , who was his only heir , took over Murdostoun . James was killed while commanding the Royal Scots Greys at the Battle of Waterloo .