y bearer of the
name Gordon. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that the
practice of his nearest relations, as well as the traditions of his
race, marked out Charles Gordon for a soldier's career.

Passing over an uncertain connection with the General Peter Gordon,
who rose high in the Russian service under Peter the Great, the
nearest direct ancestor of whom we can speak with absolute confidence
was Charles Gordon's great-grandfather David Gordon, who served as a
lieutenant in Lascelles' regiment of foot--afterwards the 47th
Regiment--at the battle of Prestonpans. Although the majority of the
clans were still loyal to the Stuarts, it seems from this that some of
them had entered the Hanoverian service probably in that most
distinguished regiment, the First Royal Scots, which a few years
before Culloden had fought gallantly at Fontenoy. At Prestonpans David
Gordon had the bad fortune to be made prisoner by the forces of
Charles Edward, and he found on the victorious side the whole of the
Gordon clan, under the command of Sir William Gordon of Park, a
younger son of the Earl of Huntly. As he was able to claim kindred
with Sir William, David Gordon received better treatment than he might
have expected, and in a short time was allowed to go free, either on
an exchange of prisoners or more probably on his parole. This incident
is specially interesting, because, after making every allowance for
the remoteness and vagueness of the old Highland custom of cousinship,
it seems to bring Charles Gordon's ancestry into sufficiently close
relationship with the main Gordon stem of the Huntlys. After his
release David Gordon does not appear to have taken any further part in
the war which terminated at Culloden, and he emigrated shortly
afterwards to North America, where his death is recorded as having
taken place at a comparatively early age at Halifax in the year 1752.

That he came of gentle blood is also proved by the fact that the Duke
of Cumberland stood sponsor to his son, who bore the Duke's names of
William Augustus. This second Gordon, of the particular branch that
has interest for us, also entered the army, and held a commission in
several regiments. The most memorable event in his life was his taking
part in Wolfe's decisive victory on the heights of Abraham. In 1773 he
married a lady, Miss Anna Maria Clarke, whose brother was rector of
Hexham in Northumberland, and by her had a family of four daughters
and three so