Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Ross, Alexander George
ROSS, Sir ALEXANDER GEORGE (1840–1910), lieutenant-general, born at Meerut in the East Indies on 9 Jan. 1840, was eldest of four sons of Alexander Ross of the Bengal civil service (1816–1899) by his wife Mary Anne, daughter of Captain Thomas Growan, some time of the 33rd regiment, a connection of the old Irish family of MacCarthy of Carrignavan. The father was a descendant of the Rosses of Auchlossin, a branch of the ancient Nairnshire family of Kilravock; he retired from the Bengal civil service after serving 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.
[Holland and Hozier, Official History of the Abyssinian War; Official History of the Second Afghan War; Paget and Mason, Record of Expeditions against the North-West Frontier Tribes.]