GRAHAM, ROBERT [SSNE 2525]
Text source
Robert Graham was a Scottish officer in Swedish service serving from at least 1630. His uncle, Hugh Mowatt [SSNE 800] noted that he has served served in the Royal Guard (Cohorte Praetoria) under Leonard Torstensson, and afterwards under David Drummond [SSNE 2396], his relative (who died in March 1638). Graham thereafter served as a captain in Robert Stuart's [SSNE 529] recruited infantry regiment in 1638 and in 1639 he was captain in Alexander Cunningham's [SSNE 2115] recruited regiment.
Graham returned to Scotland to serve in the British Civil Wars though in which theatre is yet to be established. He was certainly in the Covenanter Army under the command of Alexander Leslie [SSNE 1]. Just prior to the demise of the Solemn League and Covenant in 1647, plans were afoot by Leslie to send part of his army over to Germany in Swedish service. Thus Graham had been sent to Sweden from Scotland in November 1646 not only as a letter-bearer for Mowatt, but also offering to supply troops for Swedish service, as they were being decommissioned in Scotland. It is from the Mowatt letter that we learn much of Graham's service prior to 1638. From 1647-1648 Graham was in correspondence with Carl Gustav Wrangel. He is almost certainly the same man as 'Reinhold Graham' suggesting he had been promoted to Major in the Swedish Army.
Sources:
Swedish Krigsarkiv, Muster Roll, 1638/23; 1639/19-21; 1640/14,17; An example of his name on a muster roll from 1638 can be seen here: https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/A0053366_00217
Swedish Riksarkiv, Oxenstiernskasamlingen, E583, Hugh Mowatt to Axel Oxenstierna, 9 November 1646; Riksarkivet, Skoklostersamlingen I: Carl Gustav Wrangels Arkiv, RA/780795-010 E8365, 7x letters of R. Graham to Carl Gustav Wrangle 1647-1648; Riksarkivet de la Gardiska samlingen (RA/720222.006) E1469 for Major Reinhold Graham, December 1648.
Possibly the same man as [SSNE 2526].
Bishops Wars
British Civil Wars
English Civil Wars
Service record
- SWEDEN, DAVID DRUMMOND
- Departed 0000-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, ROBERT STUART
- Departed 1638-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SWEDEN, ALEXANDER CUNNINGHAM
- Departed 1640-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- SCOTLAND, SWEDEN, GERMANY
- Departed 1648-05-17
- Capacity OFFICER, AGENT, purpose DIPLOMATIC