and since famous as the 88th or Connaught rangers. His appointment was dated 13 Sept. 1793, and his name was at first spelt in the army list MacGregor. He served with the
regiment in Flanders, and in the winter retreat to Bremen in 1794-5, in which his health suffered severely. When the 88th was at Southampton soon after its return, Lieutenant-colonel William Carr Beresford, afterwards Marshal Beresford [q. v.], was
appointed to the command of the regiment.
Beresford quarrelled with McGrigor, laying
on him the hlame of the highly insanitary
condition of the regiment, although the regimental infirmary was admitted to be in excellent order, and, among other arbitrary acts, insisted on his attending all parades. McGrigor protested against this treatment,
and applied, without success, for exchange
to another regiment, but a better understanding prevailed after Beresford voluntarily made a very favourable report of McGrigor's
services. Later in the year (1795) the regiment was ordered to the West Indies.
Mistaking a sailing-signal, the transport in
which McGrigor had embarked started off
and reached Barbados alone, long in advance
of the other troops. She was supposed to
be lost, and McGrigor's place in the regiment was filled up. McGrigor accompanied
a detachment of the 25th regiment to Grenada, where the negroes were in revolt (see
Higgins, Hist. Bee. 25th Begt. chap, xii.),
but was shipwrecked on the way. Meanwhile the 88th had embarked with Admiral
Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian [q. v.], but the
transports were shattered and dispersed in
the great storm of November 1795. Only
two companies of the 88th reached 'the
West Indies, with which, after serving in
Grenada and St. Vincent, McGrigor came
home in the autumn of 1 796. In May 1799 he
landed with the 88th at Bombay, proceeding with it afterwards to Ceylon, and in 1801
was appointed superintending surgeon of the
force of eight thousand European and Indian
troops sent up the Red Sea to join the army
in Egypt, under Major-general David Baird
[see Baird, Sir David]. McGrigor received
a commission from the East India Company,
so that he might take control of the Indian
details. Baird's force landed at Kosseir in
May-June 1801, and after crossing the
desert to Kenneh, descended the Nile to
Rosetta. There McGrigor had to deal with
a fatal outbreak of the plague among the
troops. When the army evacuated Egypt,
McGrigor crossed the desert to Suez, and returned to Bombay with two companies of his
regiment. The rest of the regiment returned
to England, whither McGrigor followed, narrowly escaping capture by French privateers
on the renewal of the war with France.
McGrigor was transferred to the royal
horse guards (blues), and did duty with them
at Canterbury and Windsor, where he was
noticed by George HI and Queen Charlotte.
Lord Melville [see Dundas, Hbnky, first
Viscotot Melville], when at the board of
control, had made a fruitless proposal to create
a fourth presidency, which should include
the eastern islands, and to place McGrigor
at the head of the medical board. He proceeded M.D. at Marischal College 20 Feb.
1804, and on 27 June 1805 was made one of
the new deputy inspectors-general of hospitals, and placed in charge of the northern
district (headquarters York), where he introduced many improvements, and, as in
after years, stimulated the zeal of the officers
under him by his unfailing courtesy, friendly
criticism, and advice. His talents attracted
the notice of the Duke of York, who transferred him to the south-western district (headquarters Winchester), subsequently placing
tne Portsmouth district and Isle of Wight
and a part of the Sussex district under him
as well. At this time McGrigor had in medical charge the counties of Sussex, Hants,
Dorset, Wilts, Somerset, Gloucester, and
Worcester, and South Wales ; the medical
organisation of numerous expeditions despatched from Portsmouth at this period was
also entrusted to him. Once on the return
of the troops from Corunna, carrying fever
with them wherever they went, he declared
the difficulties of the situation to be 'unsurmountable.' Nevertheless, he surmounted them.
McGrigor's reputation now stood very high. His old chief, Beresford, applied for his services as principal medical officer of the Portuguese army, but before the arrangement could be maae McGrigor was ordered to Walcheren, where the British camping-grounds were underwater and three thousand men down with malarial fever. He. was wrecked in H.M.S. Venerable, 74 guns, at the mouth of the Scheldt, and after long delay was rescued with others, in a state of great exhaustion, by the boats of the fleet from Flushing. Sir Eyre Coote the younger [q. v.], who had succeeded to the command, testified to the important services rendered by McGrigor, who was himself stricken with the fever. McGrigor was promoted to the rank of inspector-general of hospitals 25 Aug. 1809. After his return he resumed his duties at Portsmouth, and married. On 13 June 1811 he received the sinecure post of physician of Portsmouth garrison, and soon afterwards was appointed chief of the medical
