Gordon was
commissioned into the
66th Regiment of Foot in 1783. He was appointed Assistant Adjutant General in
Ireland in 1795 and in 1801 under Colonel
William Henry Clinton commanded the
85th Regiment of Foot in
Madeira following its capture. Later the same year he became Deputy Adjutant-General in the
West Indies. He was given the colonelcy of the
85th (Bucks Volunteers) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) from 1815 to 1823 and of the
23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) from 1823. He was promoted full general on 23 November 1841. Gordon died at his residence in the
Royal Hospital Chelsea in 1851 from a severe attack of
bronchitis. His body was subsequently taken by railway and buried in the family vault at
Knighton on the Isle of Wight. , Isle of Wight ==Honours==