Claimant to a defunct Scottish title, William Alexander was one of the more important divisional commanders in the Continental army. He was born into affluence in New York. Before the Revolutionary War (1775-83), Alexander worked as a merchant and married into the prominent Livingston family. He was well educated and exceptionally capable in mathematics and astronomy. In 1756 he traveled to Great Britain, staying there until 1761. During this trip he filed suit to claim the title of sixth earl of Stirling as the descendant of the brother of the first earl. Although the House of Lords rejected the claim, for the rest of his life Alexander was known as Lord Stirling.

Alexander was a man of enthusiasms. On a personal level he often ate and drank to excess, and he spent money extravagantly, though he had grand plans for increasing his fortune. After he moved to Basking Ridge, New Jersey, in 1762, he lived like a country gentleman and became involved in a variety of financially unsuccessful schemes. By the eve of the Revolutionary War he had amassed huge debts. Despite his supposed title and aristocratic tastes, in 1775 he declared his support for the revolutionary cause. Since Alexander never did things by half measures, he joined New Jersey's revolutionary committee of safety and became a colonel in the militia. In March 1776 the Second Continental Congress appointed Alexander a brigadier general.

Alexander had a mixed military career. He was an excellent and brave divisional officer, but somehow things never quite worked out when he acted independently. Typically for him, his great shining moment was during the Battle of Long Island (August 27-30, 1776), when he had command of the right wing of revolutionary forces and put up a gallant defense. After Lord Cornwallis's flanking maneuver, Alexander personally led the rear-guard action as most of his men withdrew to Brooklyn Heights. This act of bravery earned him the admiration of George Washington and the British, but it also led to his capture during the battle. Fortunately, he was soon exchanged and participated in much of the campaigning in fall 1776.

Alexander also fought in the Battle of Trenton, and he was promoted to major general in 1777. He served under General John Sullivan at the Battle of Brandywine (September 11, 1777) and commanded the reserves at the Battle of Germantown (October 4, 1777). He was at Valley Forge (1777-78) and, being intensely loyal to Washington, helped to expose the Conway Cabal. He commanded the left wing at the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778), earning distinction for driving back a flanking attack and for his deployment of artillery. When given an independent command to lead an expedition against Staten Island in January 1780, he was beaten back by the British. In the closing years of the war, Alexander was in charge of the northern department, preparing for an invasion from Canada that was never launched. A sufferer of gout, he died in Albany on January 15, 1783, while still serving in the Continental army.

Bibliography:

Paul David Nelson, William Alexander, Lord Stirling (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1987)

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