 Charles , Earl Cornwallis was a military officer born into an aristocratic family . His family had a distinguished record of public and military service , and Cornwallis was no exception . Eager for action , he served with the British Army in Europe during the Seven Years ' War , rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel . During those years he also served first in the House of Commons of Great Britain , and then , upon his accession to the title of Earl of Cornwallis in 1762 , in the House of Lords . He was politically aligned with the Whigs , and was sympathetic to the complaints of the British colonists in North America , voting against the 1765 Stamp Act . When it was repealed the following year , he was one of a few voters against the Declaratory Act , in which Parliament continued to claim authority over the colonies . Also in 1766 , he was given the colonelcy of the 33rd Regiment of Foot . In the following years he continued to argue politically in support of the colonists even as tensions rose between them and the Parliament . When the North ministry rose to power in 1770 , Cornwallis adopted a less active voice in politics , and avoided seeking political appointments . 
