Irvine, Charles (1756-1819) to Alexander Irvine
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01450.023.11 Author/Creator: Irvine, Charles (1756-1819) Place Written: Staten Island, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 14 May 1782 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 22.5 x 18.5 cm. Order a Copy
Written to his brother in Aberdeen, Scotland. Discusses letters received and sent. Informs him that he has finally been able to purchase a promotion and is now a captain in the 57th Regiment. States the price he paid was astonishing but he would not have gotten another chance and would have been a subaltern for years. He paid 2300 pounds and had to do the transaction quietly because there were many older lieutenants in the army who would have given more. He considers himself lucky given his short time in the army. Gives love to family and friends. Post script states he sent the letter home with Captain Balfour and that if Alexander ever meets him, please receive him as a friend. Charles Irvine was a soldier in the British army during the Revolutionary War.
Charles Irvine served in the British Army for fifteen years before going on half pay. But he soon returned, and eventually rose to the rank of major general.
Alexander Irvine was the Eighteenth Laird of Drum. He was involved in a number of financial squabbles during his early life.
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