Origins William Norman Ramsay, born in 1782, was the eldest son of Captain David Ramsay, of the Royal Navy (died 1818), and belonged to the family of the Ramsays of Balmain in
Kincardineshire. He entered the Royal Military Academy as a cadet on 17 January 1797, was commissioned as second lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 27 October 1798, became first lieutenant on 1 August 1800, and second captain on 24 April 1806. He served in the
Egyptian campaign, 1800–1.
The Peninsular War : ''Norman Ramsay at Fuentes d'Onores'' (1922) In 1809 Ramsay was posted to
I Troop (Bull's) of the Royal Horse Artillery, and went with it to Portugal. It was engaged at
Busaco in 1810, and was specially thanked by
Sir Stapleton Cotton, for its zeal and activity in covering the subsequent retreat to
Torres Vedras. A drawing of this incident, by
Richard Beavis, later entered the collection of the
Royal United Service Institution. In 1812 the troop took part in the
Battle of Salamanca, and in the advance on
Burgos and retreat from it, distinguishing itself in the action of
Venta de Pozo on 23 October. Major
Bull was wounded during the retreat, and had to leave the army. The command of the troop fell temporarily to Ramsay; and, though Major
Frazer assumed it in the beginning of 1813, his appointment to command the whole of the Horse Artillery three months afterwards left I Troop in Ramsay's hands throughout the campaign of 1813. At
Vittoria (21 June 1813) the troop was attached to
Graham's corps, and contributed largely to the capture of
Abechuco, by which the French Army was cut off from the Bayonne road, its best line of retreat. Ramsay rode a couple of
six-pounders over a hedge and ditch, to get them up in time to act against the retreating enemy. Frazer wrote that 'Bull's troop (which I have no hesitation in saying is much the best in this country) had, under Ramsay's command, been of unusual and unquestionable service.'For this alleged disobedience Wellington put Ramsay under arrest. There was a strong feeling in the army that he was hardly used, but Sir Thomas Graham's intercession on his behalf only irritated Wellington. A distorted account of this affair is given in
Lover's
Handy Andy. Ramsay was soon released, but was not recommended for promotion.
Family Ramsay married, on 14 June 1808, Mary Emilia, eldest daughter of Lieutenant-general
Norman McLeod, twentieth chief of
McLeod; she died on 10 August 1809. Of his two brothers, one (Lieutenant Alexander Ramsay, of the Royal Artillery) was killed in the
attack on New Orleans on 1 January 1815; and the youngest (Lieutenant David Ramsay, of the Royal Navy) died at Jamaica on 31 July of the same year. == See also ==