William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt

The Earl Harcourt
The Earl Harcourt
Born	20 March 1743
Died	17 June 1830 (aged 87) St Leonard's Hill, Berkshire
Buried at	Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1759–1811
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	16th Light Dragoons
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Field Marshal William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt, GCB (20 March 1743 – 17 June 1830) was a British nobleman and British Army officer. He served as an aide-de-camp to Lord Albemarle for the expedition to Havana during the Seven Years' War. He also commanded his regiment at the Battle of White Plains and then captured General Charles Lee at Basking Ridge during the American Revolutionary War. After that he commanded the British Cavalry at the Battle of Willems during the Flanders Campaign. He succeeded the Duke of York as commander during that campaign and oversaw the British retreat and their final evacuation from Bremen. His last main military role was as Governor of the Royal Military College at Great Marlow.

Born the younger son of Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt and Rebecca Harcourt (née Samborne Le Bas), Harcourt was commissioned as an ensign in the First Regiment of Foot Guards on 10 August 1759. He became a captain in the 16th Light Dragoons, a regiment which had been raised at his father's expense and was had been known as "Harcourt's Black Horse", on 27 October 1759. He transferred to the 3rd Dragoons on 30 June 1760 and was subsequently sent to Mecklenburg-Strelitz (with his father) to escort the consort-elect of King George III to England. In recognition of this mission he was appointed an equerry to the Queen Consort later that year.