Robert Calder Campbell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Calder Campbell
Born	1798 Ardersier, Scotland
Died	13 May 1857 (aged 58/59) London, England
Allegiance	East India Company
Service/branch	Madras Army
Years of service	1818–1839
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	First Anglo-Burmese War
Awards	Indian War-Medal

Soldiers from the Madras Army in the 1800s.

Major Robert Calder Campbell (1798–1857) was a British soldier and a writer. He joined the East India Company's army in 1817 as a young officer. He served in Burma and later became a Major before he retired in 1839. After his time as a soldier, he became a writer, publishing many poems and stories.

A Soldier's Life

Robert Calder Campbell was born in Scotland in 1798. His father was a minister named Rev. Pryce Campbell. In 1817, when he was about 19, Robert joined the East India Company. This company was a powerful British trading company that also had its own army in India.

Robert became a lieutenant in the Madras Army on October 2, 1818. This was one of the three armies of the East India Company in India. He was promoted to captain on October 3, 1826, during the First Anglo-Burmese War. He fought in this war from 1826 to 1827 and received a special Indian war-medal for his service.

In 1831, Robert had to leave active duty because of his health. This is called being "invalided out." Even though he was no longer fighting, he was promoted to major in 1836. He officially retired from the army in 1839.

A Writer's Life

After returning home from India, Robert Campbell moved to London. He met famous artists and writers like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Michael Rossetti through a sculptor friend, Alexander Munro. Robert became good friends with them.

He started writing short stories, articles, and poetry. His work appeared in many different magazines and newspapers of the time. He even helped with a magazine called The Germ in 1850, which was important for a group of artists and writers called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Robert contributed a poem to this magazine.

Robert Calder Campbell passed away in London on May 13, 1857. A well-known magazine called The Athenæum wrote about him, saying he was a "graceful writer" and a "kind-hearted scholar and gentleman."

Robert Campbell's Books

Here are some of the books Robert Calder Campbell wrote:

• Lays from the East. Published in London in 1831.
• The Palmer's Last Session, and Other Short Poems. Published in London in 1838.
• Rough Recollections of Rambles at Home and Abroad, in three parts: Volume I, Volume II, Volume III. Published in London in 1847.
• Winter Nights. Published in London in 1850.
• The Three Trials of Loïde. Published in London in 1851.
• Episodes in the War-life of a Soldier, with Sketches in Prose and Verse. Published in London in 1857.