From Nairn to the Source of the Nile
In the annals of Victorian exploration, few names resonate with the same quiet dignity as James Augustus Grant. Born on 11 April 1827 in the Highland town of Nairn, this Scottish soldier and explorer would play a pivotal role in solving one of geography's greatest mysteries - the source of the Nile. Whilst his companion John Hanning Speke garnered much of the acclaim, Grant's unwavering loyalty, scientific contributions, and remarkable endurance under the most harrowing circumstances established him as one of Britain's most distinguished African explorers.
Grant was the youngest of four sons born to Reverend James Grant, the minister of Nairn, and his wife Christian, daughter of John Mackintosh. Growing up in a minister's household in the Scottish Highlands, young James received a solid education that would serve him well throughout his life. He attended Nairn Academy and Aberdeen Grammar School before matriculating at Marischal College, Aberdeen, where he studied chemistry, mathematics, natural history, and botany - subjects that would prove invaluable during his later travels through uncharted African territories.
A Soldier's Life in India
At the age of nineteen, Grant embarked upon a military career that would span more than two decades. On 8 June 1846, he received his commission in the 8th Bengal Native Infantry of the Indian Army, beginning a career that would test his courage and resilience repeatedly. His baptism of fire came during the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848-1849, where he distinguished himself at both sieges of Multan and at the decisive Battle of Gujrat. These experiences forged the iron constitution and unflappable demeanour that would characterise his later explorations.
In 1853, Grant was appointed adjutant of his regiment, a position of considerable responsibility that he held until the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny in 1857. When his own regiment mutinied, Grant found himself attached to the 78th Highlanders during the operations to relieve Lucknow. It was here, whilst commanding two companies forming part of the army's rearguard, that he sustained serious wounds. After recovering in India, he returned to England in 1858 on sick leave, having established a reputation as a brave and capable officer with a particular aptitude for leadership under extreme conditions.
The Call to Africa
Grant's life took a momentous turn in 1860 when his old friend and comrade from India, John Hanning Speke, invited him to join an expedition to settle one of the great geographical questions of the age. Speke had previously journeyed to East Africa with Richard Burton, during which he had discovered a vast lake he named Victoria Nyanza. Speke was convinced this lake was the principal source of the White Nile, but Burton vehemently disputed this claim. The Royal Geographical Society, eager to resolve the controversy, commissioned a second expedition under Speke's leadership, and he chose Grant as his second-in-command.
On 27 April 1860, Speke and Grant departed from Portsmouth, arriving in Zanzibar by October. Their expedition of over two years would traverse thousands of miles through regions where Arab slave traders had created an atmosphere of profound distrust towards any foreigners. The two Scotsmen, lacking the military force employed by some expeditions, relied instead on diplomacy, gifts, and infinite patience as they negotiated passage through the territories of various African kingdoms.
Trial by Fire - The Journey to Lake Victoria
The expedition proved extraordinarily demanding from the outset. Both men suffered repeatedly from tropical diseases, including malaria and dysentery, which periodically left them prostrate and unable to walk. The greatest trial, however, came in December 1861 when Grant reached the Kingdom of Karague on the western shore of Lake Victoria. Here, after months of recurring fevers, his right leg became severely inflamed above the knee in what he described as an "unaccountable state" that caused intense pain.
For three months, Grant endured a nightmare of abscesses, multiple incisions, and copious discharge from his leg. His knee became stiff and alarmingly bent, rendering walking impossible. When he needed to travel, he was carried on a wicker stretcher by four Baganda tribesmen, who bore him along at six miles per hour, "jostling and paining my limb unmercifully," as he recorded in his journal. The bearers insisted on carrying him head-first rather than feet-first, preventing him from seeing the country through which they passed. Despite the best efforts of local healers and his own stoicism, Grant's condition remained critical for months.
Modern medical historians believe Grant's affliction was likely Mycobacterium ulcerans infection, now known as Buruli ulcer. His detailed account in "A Walk Across Africa" represents what may be the first clinical description of this tropical disease in medical literature. Grant's illness had profound consequences for the expedition, as it prevented him from accompanying Speke to the precise point where the Nile flows out of Lake Victoria - the culmination of their entire journey.
Loyalty and Scientific Achievement
In July 1862, as Speke prepared to reach Lake Victoria's northern shore, Grant remained behind in the Kingdom of Unyoro, detained by the suspicious King Kamrasi and still recovering from his debilitating illness. Speke invited Grant to accompany him, but Grant himself later declared that "his own state of health alone prevented him from accompanying Speke." On 28 July 1862, Speke reached the Ripon Falls and confirmed that the White Nile did indeed flow from Lake Victoria. Grant rejoined Speke shortly afterwards, and together they continued their journey northward.
Throughout the expedition, Grant demonstrated remarkable forbearance and scientific rigour. Whilst Speke focused primarily on geographical observations and mapping, Grant devoted himself to collecting botanical specimens, documenting the customs and daily lives of the African peoples they encountered, and maintaining detailed meteorological records. His collections of dried plants were eventually deposited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where they remain an important scientific resource. His observations of local cultures, economies, and social structures provided invaluable ethnographic data about East African societies during a period of immense historical transition.
In February 1863, the expedition reached Gondokoro in southern Sudan, where they encountered Samuel Baker and his companion Florence von Sass. After enduring nearly two and a half years in the African interior, with its diseases, dangers, and diplomatic frustrations, Speke and Grant finally returned to England in June 1863, where they were welcomed as heroes.
Literary Contributions and Scientific Recognition
Upon his return, Grant set about publishing his account of the expedition. In December 1864, he released "A Walk Across Africa," a title suggested by Prime Minister Lord Palmerston's genial remark to the author: "You have had a long walk, Captain Grant." Unlike Speke's more technical geographical treatise, Grant's book focused on "the ordinary life and pursuits, the habits and feelings of the natives" and the economic potential of the regions they had traversed. Filled with personal anecdotes and keen observations, the work was dedicated to the memory of Speke, who had died tragically in a shooting accident in September 1864, just before a scheduled debate with Richard Burton over the Nile's source.
Grant also contributed a paper entitled "Botany of the Speke and Grant Expedition" to the Transactions of the Linnean Society in 1864, cementing his reputation as a capable naturalist. In recognition of his services to geographical science, he was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1864, along with medals from Pope Pius IX and King Victor Emmanuel of Italy. In September 1866, he received the Companionship of the Order of the Bath for his role in discovering the source of the Nile.
The Abyssinian Campaign and Retirement
Grant's African adventures were not yet complete. In 1868, he returned to military service as a lieutenant-colonel in the intelligence department during the British expedition to Abyssinia under Lord Napier. This punitive campaign against Emperor Tewodros II required careful planning and intelligence gathering, tasks to which Grant's experience in difficult terrain proved invaluable. For his services, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Star of India and awarded the Abyssinian medal.
On 7 May 1868, following the successful conclusion of the Abyssinian campaign, Grant retired from active military service with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. On 25 July 1865, he had married Margaret Thompson Laurie, daughter of Andrew Laurie of Edinburgh and great-niece of Sir Peter Laurie. The couple settled in Grant's beloved hometown of Nairn, where they raised five children - two sons and three daughters.
Later Years and Family Legacy
Grant spent his retirement years in Nairn as a respected member of the community, maintaining correspondence with fellow explorers and contributing occasional articles to learned journals. His physical presence remained imposing - he stood six feet two inches tall with a broad, powerful frame that testified to the strength and endurance that had carried him through Africa's most challenging environments. Contemporaries described him as possessing "one of the most loyal, charming characters in the world, perfectly unselfish, and always ready to give to his companion in travel all the honour for the expedition."
Grant's influence extended to the next generation. His eldest son followed in his father's footsteps, becoming attracted to African exploration and accompanying Joseph Thomson on his expedition to Lake Bangweolo west of Lake Nyassa, where he reached and mapped the headwaters of the Congo and Zambesi rivers. Tragically, Grant's younger son, Alister, serving as a lieutenant in Lord Roberts's Horse, died from wounds received during the advance towards the relief of Kimberley in the Second Boer War on 11 February 1900.
A Lasting Legacy
James Augustus Grant died at his home in Nairn on 11 February 1892, at the age of sixty-four. In recognition of his contributions to geographical science and exploration, he was buried with full honours in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral in London, where a brass memorial tablet commemorates his achievements. A portrait of Grant by the renowned artist George Frederic Watts, along with a marble bust by Davidson, passed into his widow's possession.
Perhaps the most enduring tribute to Grant's memory is Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti), one of the largest and most handsome gazelles in Africa. Named by naturalist Victor Alexander Brooke in 1872, this elegant antelope was identified from specimens and sketches that Grant had sent back to the Zoological Society of London during the expedition. The species continues to roam the East African plains that Grant traversed with such dedication and courage.
Today, whilst John Hanning Speke's name is more widely remembered in connection with the discovery of the Nile's source, historians increasingly recognise Grant's indispensable contributions to the expedition's success. His scientific collections, ethnographic observations, and unwavering loyalty under the most trying circumstances exemplify the best qualities of Victorian exploration. Grant's ability to forge friendships with African peoples, his meticulous documentation of their cultures and environments, and his modest refusal to claim glory for himself set him apart from many of his contemporaries. From the Highland town of Nairn to the shores of Lake Victoria, James Augustus Grant lived a life of remarkable achievement, courage, and scientific contribution that continues to inspire students of African exploration and Scottish history alike.
