Portrait of General James Inglis Hamilton (before 1742-1803), half-length, in a red jacket, holding a rifle

General James Inglis Hamilton was the third son of Alexander Hamilton, who inherited the estate of Murdostoun, Lanarkshire, Scotland from his uncle, Alexander Inglis in 1719, adopting Inglis as a family name from this point onwards. Hamilton enlisted in the British Army in 1755 and went on to serve in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence. He was taken prisoner during the latter conflict after the Battle of Bemis Heights in 1777 and released in 1781, on the condition that he would leave America and not return until the war was concluded. During this period he adopted Jamie Anderson (1777-1815), the son of a fellow officer who had succumbed to his wounds. Jamie later changed his surname to Hamilton and went on to command the Royal Scots Greys, dying at the Battle of Waterloo. Despite his military prowess, the present portrait, dateable to circa 1756-60 on stylistic grounds, depicts Hamilton as a sportsman rather than a soldier. Though Reynolds Pocket Book for 1756 is lost, it is possible that one or more of the entries in 1757, 1758 or 1759 for 'Capt. Hamilton' may refer to Inglis Hamilton rather than Sir William Hamilton, as is usually assumed (see D. Mannings, op. cit., pp. 237-8).