Richard Mansergh St. George may have brought his spaniel with him to America. Some British officers kept dogs as reminders of home and as comfort from the labors of campaign. In 1777, General Sir William Howe, the commander of British forces in America, owned a dog that ran away to the American Army after the Battle of Germantown. Upon learning that the dog’s collar was marked with General Howe’s name, George Washington returned the pet to its rightful owner.
Detail from Richard St. George Mansergh-St. George
Painted by Thomas Gainsborough
1776
Oil on Canvas
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1992