ELPHINSTONE, HARRY [SSNE 4229]
- Surname
- ELPHINSTONE, ELFINGTUM
- First name
- HARRY
- Title/rank
- CAPTAIN
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Social status
- OFFICER
Text source
Harry Elphinstone was a captain in Swedish service who was in Samuel Cockburn's [SSNE
4219] regiment from 1609-1612.
He was an officer in Samuel Cockburn’s [SSNE
4219] regiment of foot in Swedish service during the 1611-1612 campaign in Russia. The company commanders in this regiment included the following (with the nationality of the company in brackets) - Samuel Cobron’s company (English); Richard Band’s company (English & Scots) – captain captured by Muscovites in winter 1612 near Staraja Russia; Harry Elfingtum’s [Elphinstone] company (English & Scots) – captain killed in action in the winter of 1612 near Staraja Russia; Jacob Frensham’s company (English & Scots); Nicholas Gent’s company (English & Scots); Robert Kinnard’s company (English & Scots); Robert Moore’s company (English & Scots); Oliver Popler’s company (English & Scots). This man was named lt.colonel and was killed in action in winter the winter of 1612 near Staraja Russia [SSNE
6042] ; Robert Popler’s company (English & Scots) [SSNE
6043]
All those companies we part of de la Gardie’s army in Russia. In March 1611 the regiment took part in the of relief of Ladoga, which was then besieged by Muscovites. In July these British soldiers were part of an assault group captured Novgorod. In September all companies were part of Evert Horn’s expedition to capture Pskov. Harry Elfingtum led the first, failed, assault on city and was blamed by Horn for the failure of the attack - Horn accused him of cowardice. In winter 1612 companies of Band, Elfingtum and Oliver Popler were destroyed near Staraja Russa, In March 1612 rest of British units under Horn were able to avenge their fallen comrades, beating Mikajlovic’s pulk.
Other British units/commanders that were part of de la Gardie corps in that time:
- Patrick Rutven’s cornet of horse (Scots) [SSNE
3413]
- John Wacop’s cornet of horse (Scots) – probaby it’s Wauchop {SSNE 4220]
- Daniel Hepburn [SSNE
6871] was an officer in charge of de la Gardie’s German Livfänika (guard company)
…………………………The source for most of the above text was provided by Michal Paradowski and was drawn from Sveriges Krig 1611-1632, volume I, appendix 8. See also
G. Arteus, Till Militärstatens Förhistoria: Krig, professionalisering och social förändring under Vasasönernas regering (Stockholm, 1986), p.144; T. Fischer, The Scots in Sweden (Edinburgh, 1907), Supplement, pp.215-267.
Service record
- SWEDEN, SAMUEL COCKBURN
- Arrived 1609-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1612-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY