19th-century Scottish soldier and writer
Thomas Hamilton
FRSE
(1789 – 7 December 1842)
[1]
was a Scottish soldier and author.
Life
[
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]
He was born in
Pisa
,
Tuscany
, the second son of
William Hamilton
(1758?1790), professor of anatomy and botany at
Glasgow
. He was the younger brother of metaphysician
Sir William Hamilton
(1788?1856). Their father died a few months after Thomas was born.
After preliminary education at Glasgow, he was placed in 1801 as a pupil with the Rev. Dr. Home, in
Chiswick
, England, and some months later with the Rev. Dr. Scott,
Hounslow
, also in England. For several months in 1803, he was with Dr. Sommers at
Mid Calder
,
Midlothian
, preparatory to entering
Glasgow University
, where he matriculated the following November. He studied there for three years, proving himself an able if not very diligent student. His close college companion, of whom he saw little in later life, was
Michael Scott
, the author of
Tom Cringle's Log
.
Hamilton's bias was towards the army, and in 1810, after fully showing his incapacity for business in Glasgow and Liverpool, he got a commission in the 29th regiment. Twice on active service in the
Peninsula
, he received a serious wound in the thigh from a musket bullet at the
Battle of Albuera
. He was also in
Nova Scotia
and
New Brunswick
with his regiment, which at length was sent to France as part of the army of occupation.
About 1818, Hamilton retired, as a captain, on half-pay, fixing his headquarters at Edinburgh. He became a valued member of the
Blackwood's Magazine
writers. He was specially complimented in the song of personalities in the
Noctes Ambrosianae
for February 1826 (Noctes, i. 89).
James Hogg
in his
Autobiography
credits him with a considerable share in some of the "ploys" led by
John Gibson Lockhart
.
Hamilton married in 1820 Annette Montgomery Campbell, daughter of late Archibald Montgomery Campbell, Esq, of Upper Wimpole Street, private Secretary to
Governor Campbell
, and for several summers he and his wife lived at Lockhart's cottage of Chiefs wood, near
Abbotsford House
, Sir
Walter Scott
finding them very congenial neighbours and friends. In 1829, Captain and Mrs. Hamilton went to Italy, and at the end of the year Mrs. Hamilton died and was buried at Florence.
Some time after his return, Hamilton visited America, bringing back materials for a book on the Americans. Marrying a second time, the widow of Sir
Robert Townsend Farquhar
, bart., governor of the Mauritius, he settled at
John Wilson's
former house, Elleray, and saw much of
Wordsworth
, whom he was one of the first Scotsmen to appreciate. Visiting the continent with his wife, Hamilton was seized with paralysis at
Florence
, and he died at Pisa of a second attack 7 December 1842. He was buried at Florence beside his first wife.
Works
[
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]
Hamilton's novel
Cyril Thornton
appeared in 1827. It is partly autobiographical, with Hamilton's early impressions of Scottish university life and Glasgow citizens when he could call
Govan
"a pretty and rural village", and his military experiences. The book went through three editions in the author's lifetime, and was one of
Blackwood's Standard Novels
.
In 1829, Hamilton published
Annals of the Peninsular Campaign
. His
Men and Manners in America
appeared in 1833.
Craig Lamont has placed Thomas Hamilton within a "Glasgow School" of early nineteenth century Scottish novelists, along with
John Galt
and
Michael Scott
.
[3]
References
[
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]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain
:
Bayne, Thomas Wilson (1890). "
Hamilton, Thomas (1789-1842)
". In
Stephen, Leslie
;
Lee, Sidney
(eds.).
Dictionary of National Biography
. Vol. 24. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Further reading
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]
External links
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