Ross was born hereabouts in 1766. His first victory as a commander was in 1799 at Helder. Thereafter he fought in the protracted campaigns against Napoleonic France. These battles included Alexandria 1804, Heida 1806, Corunna 1809, Victoria, Orthes and the Pyrennes, 1813. He campaigned the following year at Bladensburg and later in the same year fell at Baltimore, America where the English were nevertheless victorious.

He is remembered for having set fire to the White House. But the English campaign in America is not remembered fondly by either side.  In that final year most of the Library of Congress also was destroyed by fire set by English troops. In September a U.S. naval force defeated and captured a British squadron on Lake Champlain in the Battle of Plattsburgh. The planned British invasion of America from Canada had to be abandoned.

In the early days of the New Year, the British were finally defeated at the Battle of New Orleans, where they lost 700 men.