serviceyears branch relations death_date allegiance nationality birth_date rank article_title name
& ndash ; 1760 british army charles -rrb- john hay , 4th marquess of tweeddale -lrb- brother hay -rrb- , 3rd marquess of tweeddale -lrb- father 1 may 1760 kingdom of great britain british c. 1700 major-general lord charles hay
 lord charles hay
lord charles hay

lord charles hay -lrb- c. 1700 -- 1 may 1760 -rrb- was a soldier of the british army who saw service in the anglo-spanish war , the wars of the polish and austrian successions , and the seven years ' war .
he combined this with a political career , sitting for a time as a member of parliament .
born into the nobility , the younger son of a marquess , hay entered the army and rose through the ranks , seeing action in some of the european campaigns of the anglo-spanish war and the war of the polish succession .
he won particular renown during the war of the austrian succession , when he commanded some of the regiments involved in the fighting .
he saw action at the battles of dettingen and fontenoy , distinguishing himself in the latter with an encounter with a french regiment , that was later remarked upon by voltaire .
his political career was also turbulent , at times spent in opposition to the administration .
it ended after a period of apparent mental instability , and he did not seek re-election .
further military promotions nevertheless followed .
hay was appointed to an important command early in the seven years ' war , to be part of a force sent to capture louisbourg , but the commanders vacillated and hay became discontent .
he was overheard making opprobrious remarks about the conduct of the campaign , and was arrested .
he spent some time waiting for a ship to be able to return to england , and on arriving there , demanded a court-martial to investigate the facts .
the court-martial referred its decision to the king , but hay died suddenly in 1760 , before it could be announced .
