Lt. General James Douglas

Lt. General James Douglas, son of James, 2nd Earl of Queensberry (d. 1671) was originally an advocate, but became Lieutenant-General, commander in chief the 'Scotch' army, and then transferred his allegiance to King William, fighting at the Battle of the Boyne.

He succeeded the Earl of Linlithgow as Colonel of the foot Guards in 1684. He was ordered to pursue the rebels at the battle of Bothwell Bridge, and received a grant of forfeiture to him for his services.

He superseded Claverhouse in his command against the 'Western fanatics', who defeat him, with the loss of two of his men, and an officer of his staff, and would have been shot himself "had not the Whig's carbine misgiven, whereupon Douglas pistolled him presently". He also superseded Claverhouse as Commissioner of Justiciary in the Southern and Western shires.

He was supported in his rivalry with Claverhouse for the command of the army in Scotland, by Queensberry and Secretary Earl Moray, and promoted to Brigadier, with his commission dated two days prior to Claverhouse's commission to the same rank, at the instigation of Moray. He was then promoted to be Lieutenant-General, over Claverhouse as Major-General, and placed in command of the Scottish army, when ordered to England to meet the Dutch invasion, Claverhouse commanding the cavalry under his orders.

However, immediately turns traitor, being among the first to desert his Sovereign, and proposes " to my Lord Dundee to betray, and carry in his regiment" of horse to the invader, as told to Balcarres by Dundee himself. He duly sends over to William of Orange a battalion of his own regiment of Guards. Balcarres daid of him, that "none in all the Revolution acted a blacker part".

Lt General James Douglas subsequently commanded 10,000 men in support of King William at the Battle of the Boyne, in 1690. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Boyne

He died in 1691.