Military officer; born in
Lancashire, England, in 1725; was sent to
Canada in 1773 as brevet-colonel of the 7th Foot.
On the capture of
Montreal, late in 1775,
Prescott, who had the local rank of brigadier-general, attempted to escape to
Quebec with the
British troops, but was compelled to surrender.
He was exchanged the following September for
General Sullivan, and was soon afterwards made colonel of his regiment.
On the capture of
Rhode Island, late in 1776, he was placed in command there, and made his quarters at a farm-house a short distance from
Newport.
His
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conduct had become very offensive to the
Whigs, and to the inhabitants generally, who wished to get rid of him.
Lieutenant-Colonel Barton, with thirty-eight picked men, in four whale-boats, accompanied by a negro named
Prince, crossed Narraganset Bay from
Warwick Point at 9 P. M. on July 10, 1777, to accomplish the task.
Barton divided his men into small parties, and to each assigned a special duty.
Misleading the sentinel at the gate of the house, belonging to
Samuel Overton,
Barton entered.
Prescott was sleeping in an upper room.
Ascending to it,
the negro burst in a panel of the door, through which
Barton entered, seized the general, bade him be perfectly silent, and, hurrying him to one of the boats, thrust him in, and there allowed him to dress.
He was taken to
Warwick Point, and from thence he was sent to
Washington's headquarters in
New Jersey.
He was finally exchanged for
General Lee; went back to
Rhode Island, and remained in command there until it was evacuated, Oct. 25, 1779.
He was made major-general in 1777, and lieutenant-general in 1782.
He died in
England in October, 1788.