Biography Courtesy of Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd. http://www.berryhillsturgeon.com/NapWar/Gibraltar/1813-Aug-27-Campbell.html
'Colin entered the army as an ensign in the 71st regiment in March 1771, and was promoted lieutenant in 1774. He accompanied the 71st to America; was promoted captain in 1778 and major into the 6th on 19 March 1783. While stationed in New York he married Mary, eldest daughter of Colonel Guy Johnson, who lost most of his property by remaining a sturdy loyalist. In 1786 his regiment was ordered to Nova Scotia, and remained there until the outbreak of the war with France, when it formed part of Sir Charles Grey's expedition to the West Indies, and distinguished itself both at Martinique and Guadeloupe. Campbell was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 6th on 29 April 1795, and returned from the West Indies in July. In February 1796 he was ordered with his regiment to Ireland, where he was actively employed till 1803, and gained his reputation. Throughout 1798 he was employed in putting down the various attempts at rebellion in his neighbourhood, in which he was uniformly successful; he made it a rule never to separate his companies. He was present at the battle of Vinegar Hill and the defeat of the French at Ballynahinch. On 1 Jan. 1798 he was promoted colonel, and on 1 Jan. 1805 he was promoted major-general and given the command of the Limerick district. In January 1811 he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar (the Duke of Kent being the nominal governor) at the most critical period of the Peninsular war. During Soult's occupation of Andalusia he insisted on keeping Gibraltar well garrisoned, even in spite of Wellington's repeated requisitions; he insisted on regarding Tarifa as an integral part of his Gibraltar command, and thus deprived Soult of a port to which he could import supplies from Morocco; he did all in his power to help the armies in Spain with supplies, in spite of perpetual hindrances from the Spanish junta and even of Wellington himself, who at last did him full justice.
Campbell was promoted lieutenant-general on 4 June 1811, but he died at Gibraltar on 2 April 1814 from yellow fever. His son, Colonel Guy Campbell, C.B., who was wounded at Echalar and commanded the 6th, his father's old regiment, at the battle of Waterloo, was created a baronet on 22 May 1815, with remainder to the heirs male of General Colin Campbell, in recognition of his father's eminent services.
He was known for several things during his tenure at Gibraltar. He was instrumental in the defence of the city against the French, launched an abortive but spectacular counter attack at Malaga and was particularly instrumental in the garrisoning and defence of Tarifa, the southernmost point on the Iberian Peninsula being determined not to give Marshal Soult an easy port with which to re-supply across to North Africa. Although Colonel Skerrett received the initial accolades for the defense of Tarifa in December of 1811, it was largely because Campbell had withdrawn Skerrett's escape transports in order to strengthen his backbone. Although it created quite a stir at the time, it was Campbell who was ultimately vindicated and Skerrett put on the bench, which came to further justification during Skerrett's embarrassing performance in the campaign in the Pyrenees later in the war. With Spain and Britain becoming allied against France, shortly after Campbell's arrival in November of 1809, he ordered the removal of the Spanish forts of San Felipe and Santa Barbara, located on the northern boundary of the neutral ground. Fearing that the forts might fall into French hands and be used against them, Lieutenant General Sir Colin Campbell instructed Royal Engineers to blow the forts up. Such a task was carried out on February 14, 1810 together with the demolition of the rest of fortifications of the Spanish Lines. '
