Nisbet Balfour

Who was Nisbet Balfour?

Major-General Nisbet Balfour was a British soldier in the American War of Independence and later a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament.

He was born in Dunbog, in the county of Fife, Scotland in 1743. Joining the 4th Regiment of Foot as ensign in 1761, he rose to become one of Cornwallis' most trusted officers during the American Revolution. He fought and was severely injured in the Battle of Bunker Hill and also participated in battles in Elizabethtown, Brandywine, and Germantown, and was made Lieutenant-Colonel in 1778. He accompanied Cornwallis to Charleston where he was sometimes commandant. He was promoted to Major General in 1793 and served in the war with France. He died in October 1823 in Dunbog, Scotland.