Alexander Grant (British Army officer)
| Sir Alexander Grant | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1775 |
| Died | 1827 (aged 51–52) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1804–1826 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit |
2nd West India Regiment Royal African Corps |
| Commands held | St Mary's Island |
| Awards | Knight Bachelor |
Sir Alexander Grant (1775–29 September 1827) was a British Army officer who served as the first Commandant of St Mary's Island from 1816 to 1825. He is noted for having founded Bathurst (now Banjul) and Georgetown (now Janjanbureh), as well as negotiating the purchase of St Mary’s Island (now Banjul Island), MacCarthy Island, and the Ceded Mile.
Grant joined the army in 1804 and was posted to the 2nd West India Regiment. He was immediately given the option of serving with the Royal African Corps, which he took up, and remained in Africa until 1825.
Following the Treaty of Paris in 1814, which ended the war with France and the War of 1812 with the United States, the British evacuated Gorée. This meant the Gambia once again assumed an importance as the nearest harbour and colony to Britain that was situated on the West African coast. It, therefore, became necessary that the British rebuilt their forts and make other arrangements to accommodate the influx of troops and officials from Gorée.
Sir Charles MacCarthy, the Governor of Sierra Leone, despatched Captain Alexander Grant, who at the time was an officer with the 2nd West India Regiment and was attached to the Royal African Corps. Grant took a 75-strong detachment of Royal African Corps soldiers to examine the possibility of establishing a military stronghold at the Gambia River. At first, it was intended that Grant would rebuild Fort James, but the lack of room on the island led to Grant being asked to explore other options. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brereton, the Governor of Senegal, approved the sandy pit at the extreme point of Banjulo, “probably more from a strategic view than a sanitary one” as it was battered by the Atlantic waves, had a mangrove swamp behind it, but also commanded the main entrance to the Gambia River.
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