James Hope

General Sir James Archibald Hope, GCB (14 April 1786 – 30 December 1871) was a senior officer in the British Army.

He was born the son of Lieutenant-colonel Erskine Hope of the 26th (Cameronian) Regiment of Foot. In January 1800 he joined the Army himself as an ensign in the 26th Cameronians, then stationed at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

He became lieutenant in the regiment in 1801 and captain in 1805. He served with the regiment in Hanover in 1805–06 and was a deputy assistant adjutant-general under Lord Cathcart at Copenhagen in 1807. He then served on the staff of Sir John Hope in Sweden in 1808, in Spain in 1808–09, including the actions at Lugo and Corunna, and in the ill-fated Walcheren campaign. He was aide-de-camp to General Graham at Barossa, and brought home the despatches and the ‘eagle’ captured by the 87th Regiment of Foot. He was afterwards with Graham at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz.

When General Graham went home on sick leave during Wellington's advance against the forts of Salamanca, Hope was appointed an assistant adjutant-general, in which capacity he was present at Salamanca, Burgos, Vittoria, Siege of San Sebastián, and the passage of the Bidassoa. He was afterwards selected, while attached to the 7th division, to act as assistant adjutant-general and military secretary to Marshal Beresford, who was in command of an army corps of three divisions. With this army corps Hope made the concluding campaigns, including the actions of the Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, and the Battle of Toulouse.

He was made a brevet-major in 1811 and Lieutenant-colonel in 1813, and was promoted on 25 July 1814 to be captain and lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Foot Guards (now the Scots Guards). In that regiment he served twenty-five years, retiring on half-pay unattached in 1839. He became brevet-colonel in 1830, a major-general in 1841 and was employed as major-general on the staff in Lower Canada from 1841 to 1847.In 1833 he published his memoirs in The military memoirs of an infantry officer, 1809-1816

He was appointed Colonel for life of the 9th Regiment of Foot in 1848, was made lieutenant-general in 1851, and promoted full general on 12 June 1859. He was awarded GCB in 1861.

He died at home in Balgowan House, Cheltenham in 1871, aged 86 and was buried in St Peters churchyard, Leckhampton. He was married to Christiana Elizabeth and had three children.