The Honourable Alexander Leslie was born in 1731, the son of the 5th Earl of Leven, a Scottish nobleman. His mother was Elizabeth Moneypenny, the Earl’s second wife. Alexander was commissioned into the 3rd Foot Guards (Scots Guards) in 1753. In 1766 he transferred to the 64th Regiment as lieutenant-colonel. He most notably served as a commander in the American War of Independence, at the battle of Long Island, the landing at Kip’s Bay, the battle of White Plains, The battle of Harlem Heights, the battle of Princeton and the siege of Charleston. He was also responsible for the destruction of the colonists’ magazines at Chesapeake Bay in 1780.
In 1760 he married Mary Tullidelph but she died in childbirth the following year. The child, Mary Ann Leslie, survived and lived to the age of 84. He was appointed Colonel of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment on 2 Jan 1782 and exchanged to the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment on 5 July 1788. Lieutenant-General Hon. Alexander Leslie remained as Colonel of the 9th until his death on 27 Dec 1794. He had become very ill on his way back to Edinburgh and died at Beechwood House. The portrait is by Thomas Gainsborough.
