Page:Dictionary of National Biography, Second Supplement, volume 3.djvu/240

 as puisne judge of the high court of Agra, North-West Provinces. His grandfather, also Alexander Ross, went to India as a writer in 1795, and died in 1856 after holding the appointments of resident at Delhi, governor of the Agra presidency, president of the supreme council, and deputy-governor of Bengal. Of his three brothers, Justin George, lieutenant-colonel of the royal (Bengal) engineers, C.M.G., LL.D. of Edinburgh University, was some time inspector-general of irrigation in Egypt; William Gordon, lieutenant-colonel of the royal (Bengal) engineers, retired in 1880, and George Edward Aubert was a barrister-at-law practising at Allahabad.

Ross was brought to England in infancy, and after education at private schools in Scotland proceeded to the Edinburgh Academy, where he took many prizes and whence he passed to Edinburgh University. In 1857 his father, while at home on furlough at the outbreak of the Mutiny in India, procured a cadetship for his son, who accompanied him to Calcutta at the end of that year. On arriving in India Ross was attached to the 35th foot, and served with that corps at the attack on Arrah in 1858, receiving the Mutiny medal. On the formation of the Bengal staff corps in 1861 he was posted to the first Sikh infantry of the Punjab frontier force, and served in that regiment in every capacity until his death in 1910, when he was its colonel-in-chief.

In 1867 Ross, then a lieutenant, was selected to raise and equip a mule train for service in the Abyssinian expeditionary force under Sir Robert Napier, afterwards Lord Napier of Magdala [q. v.]. Ross was present at the capture of Magdala and was honourably mentioned in despatches, receiving the medal for the campaign. Ten years later he served throughout the Jowaki expedition on the north-west frontier of the Punjab, first as second-in-command of the 1st Sikhs, and when its commandant, Major Rice, was severely wounded, he assumed command of the regiment. Here again he was mentioned in despatches and received the medal with clasp. He commanded the 1st Sikhs in the Afghan war of 1878-9, including the capture of Ali Musjid, again being mentioned in despatches and receiving the Afghan medal with Ali Musjid clasp. In the campaign against the Mahsud Waziris in 1881 Ross was second-in-command of the 1st Sikhs, and in the Zhob valley expedition in 1890 he commanded the Punjab frontier force column; in both expeditions he was mentioned in despatches.

Ross, who was promoted lieutenant-general in 1897, was created C.B. in 1887 and K.C.B. in 1905. After his retirement he lived at 19 Hamilton Road, Ealing, where he died on 22 June 1910; he was buried in Ealing cemetery. He married on 1 Oct. 1870, at Simla, his first cousin, Emma Walwyn, daughter of Lieutenant-general George Edward Gowan, C.B., colonel commandant of the royal (Bengal) horse artillery. An only child, Alexander William, joined the Indian Forest Department.

 ROSS, JOHN (1829–1905), general, son of field-marshal Sir Hew Dalrymple Ross [q. v.] by his wife Elizabeth Margaret, daughter of Richard Graham of Stone House, near Brampton, Cumberland, was born at Stone House on 18 March 1829. He entered the army as second lieutenant of the rifle brigade on 14 April 1846. In 1847 he proceeded to Canada with his regiment, being promoted lieutenant on 29 Dec. 1848. Returning home in 1852, he was promoted captain on 29 Dec. 1854. He accompanied the rifle brigade to the Crimea in 1854; was present at the battles of Alma and Inkerman and siege of Sevastopol, and remained at the seat of war until Feb. 1855. He was mentioned in despatches and received the medal with three clasps, the brevet of major (6 June 1856), the Turkish medal and the fifth class of the Medjidie. He was nominated A.D.C. to Major-general Lawrence at Aldershot in 1856. Proceeding to India in July 1857, he served throughout the Mutiny. He took part in the action of Cawnpore, and the siege and capture of Lucknow, where he helped to raise the camel corps (10 April 1858), consisting of volunteers chiefly from the rifle brigade. Joining Sir Hugh Rose's force in central India, he commanded the corps at the actions of Gowlowlie and Calpi (23 May 1858), in the operations in Central India, and at Jugdespore (20 Oct.). The camel corps was finally disbanded at Agra in April 1860, after having marched over 3000 miles (cf. Despatches, Lond. Gaz. 25 May 1858, 22 Feb., 18 April, and 9 Sept. 1859). Ross was awarded the medal with two clasps, a brevet of lieut.-col. (20 July 1858), and the C.B. (28 Feb. 1861). In the campaign on the north-west frontier of India (1863-4) Ross served with the rifle brigade, and was in the action of Shubkuddar (2 Jan. 