{{Short description|British general}} {{for|the American pioneer, businessman, and territorial legislator|Alexander J. Irwin}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} Lieutenant-General '''Alexander Irwin''' (or '''Irvine'''; died 1752) was a British Army officer.
On 1 October 1689 he entered the Army as an ensign in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Foot.<ref name="dalton3">Charles Dalton, ''English Army Lists and Commission Registers'', [https://archive.org/details/englisharmylists03dalt vol. III] (1896) pages 47-48, note 31.</ref> He was made adjutant of the 1st Battalion on 22 May 1694<ref>Charles Dalton, ''English Army Lists and Commission Registers'', [https://archive.org/details/englisharmylists04dalt vol. IV] (1898) page 22.</ref> and promoted to captain on 2 October 1695, when serving with the regiment before Namur;<ref name="dalton4">Dalton (1898) page 70, note 12.</ref> his commission was renewed in 1702.<ref name="dalton3"/> In 1704 he was wounded at the Battle of Schellenberg,<ref name="dalton3"/> and he was promoted to major on 3 August that year.<ref>Charles Dalton, ''English Army Lists and Commission Registers'', [https://archive.org/details/englisharmylists05dalt vol. V] (1902) page 51.</ref> Irwin served as a brigade-major at the Battle of Blenheim, where he was again wounded, and was later present at Ramillies and Malplaquet.<ref name="dalton5">Dalton (1902) Part II, pages 2 and 7, note 48.</ref> He was granted brevet rank as a colonel on 1 March 1711.<ref>Charles Dalton, ''English Army Lists and Commission Registers'', [https://archive.org/details/englisharmylists06dalt vol. VI] (1904) page 196.</ref>
On 27 June 1737, after nearly forty-eight years' service in various parts of Europe, Irwin was appointed colonel of the 5th Regiment of Foot,<ref name="cannon"/> and following promotion to brigadier-general on 1 January 1743<ref name="dalton5"/> and major-general on 24 February 1744,<ref name="cannon"/> he held important commands on the staff in Ireland,<ref name="dnb">{{cite DNB|first=Arthur Irwin|last=Dasent|wstitle=Irwin, John|volume=29}}</ref> where he was also Lieutenant-Governor of Kinsale. He was promoted to lieutenant-general in 1748.<ref name="cannon">Richard Cannon, ''[https://archive.org/details/cihm_48494 Historical Record of the Fifth Regiment of Foot, or Northumberland Fusiliers]'' (1838) page 112.</ref>
Lieutenant-General Irwin may have been of the family of the Irvines of Drum.<ref name="hop">John Brooke, [http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/irwin-%28irwine-irvine%29-john-1728-88 IRWIN (IRWINE, IRVINE), John (c.1728-88).] in ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790'' (1964). Online version accessed 6 September 2012.</ref> By his wife Catherine he had an only son, General Sir John Irwin.<ref name="dnb"/><ref name="hop"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Alexander}} Category:1752 deaths Category:British Army lieutenant generals Category:Royal Scots officers Category:Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officers Category:English military personnel of the Nine Years' War Category:British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Category:Year of birth unknown