He began his career during the Franco-Dutch War and served with the Scots Brigade, part of the Dutch States Army, which accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution.

Ramsay fought in the Jacobite rising of 1689 in Scotland before returning to Flanders in 1690 during the Nine Years War, being promoted Brigadier General in March 1691, then Colonel of the Scots Guards in September.

[1] He married Anna Boxel, the daughter of a Dutch army officer, whose mother took as her second husband Sir Charles Graham, who later succeeded Ramsay as Colonel of the Third Scottish Regiment of the Scots Brigade.

[10] It proved impossible to replace losses from battle and disease, while service in the French military was extremely unpopular; of 500 men recruited for one regiment in 1678, 213 deserted within two months.

[14] James went into exile on 23 December after his army deserted him and on 4 January 1689, William appointed the Scots Brigade senior officer Hugh Mackay, commander in Scotland.

Ramsay's regiment went with Mackay and after James landed in Ireland on 12 March, another former Scots Brigade officer, John Graham, Viscount Dundee, launched a Scottish rising in his support.

Despite their victory at Killiecrankie in July, Dundee's death and lack of reinforcements prevented the Jacobites exploiting it; after their defeat at the Battle of Cromdale in May 1690, the campaign largely focused on minor policing actions, carried out by locally-raised troops.

[18] This meant Ramsay was transferred to Flanders, where he spent the rest of the Nine Years War; in March 1691, he was promoted Brigadier-General, and commanded a brigade containing six battalions of British foot.