Duncan Cameron (British Army officer)

Duncan Cameron
General Sir Duncan Cameron
Born	(1808-05-20)20 May 1808 Thorncliffe, Hampshire
Died	8 June 1888(1888-06-08) (aged 80) Kidbrook, Kent
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1825–1875
Rank	General
Commands held	Royal Military College, Sandhurst British forces in New Zealand Commander-in-Chief, Scotland Highland Brigade 42nd Regiment of Foot
Battles/wars	Crimean War Battle of Alma Battle of Balaclava Siege of Sevastopol New Zealand Wars Second Taranaki War Invasion of the Waikato Tauranga Campaign
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Order of the Medjidie, Third Class (Ottoman Empire)
Relations	Lieutenant-General Sir John Cameron (father) Lieutenant-General John Cameron (brother)

General Sir Duncan Alexander Cameron, GCB (20 May 1808 – 8 June 1888) was a British Army officer who fought in the Crimean War and part of the New Zealand Wars. He was later a governor of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

Born into a family with a military tradition, Cameron joined the British Army in 1825. Commissioned into the 42nd Regiment of Foot, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant-colonel by 1854 and was a battalion commander. He served in the Crimean War and fought in the Battle of Alma. Afterwards, he assumed command of the Highland Brigade and led it through the Battle of Balaclava and the Siege of Sevastopol. He finished the war as a temporary major-general and received several honours for his service. He then held a series of educational and advisory posts with the British Army before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Scotland in 1860.

The following year, Cameron was appointed commander of British forces in New Zealand, which was dealing with the ongoing New Zealand Wars. At the time, the Colonial Government was engaged in a conflict with the Māori in the Taranaki region. However, by the time Cameron arrived in the Taranaki, a truce had been arranged. Two years later, he suppressed a further outbreak of fighting in the area and then led the invasion of the Waikato to deal with the King Movement, a Māori resistance that threatened British sovereignty in the country. He commanded a series of mostly successful engagements with the Kingites, followers of the King Movement, but none were decisive. By March 1864, he had advanced in the Waikato heartland and had pushed the Kingites into the King Country. At Gate Pā in April 1864, his forces suffered a major defeat. By this stage, Cameron was becoming disillusioned with the conduct of the war. Against his wishes, in early 1865 he commanded a campaign against Māori in the southern Taranaki. Coming under political pressure to wage a war he felt was inappropriate, he tendered his resignation and left New Zealand in August 1865.

In 1868, Cameron was made a lieutenant-general and was appointed as governor of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He remained in this post until 1875, at which time he retired from military service with the rank of general and as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. He died in 1888 at the age of 80.