Military officer; born in New York City, May 19, 1767; son of
Augustine Prevost; entered the
British army in youth, and served with distinction in the military operations in the
West Indies, especially at
St. Lucia.
In January, 1805, he was made a major-general, and in November a baronet.
He was second in command at the capture of
Martinique (1808), and the same year he became governor of
Nova Scotia.
He was made lieutenant-general in 1811, and in June of that year he succeeded
Sir James Craig as governor of
Canada, which office he retained until his return to
England, in 1814.
He ably defended
Canada in the
War of 1812-15.
With a large force of
Wellington's veterans, he invaded New York in September, 1814, and was defeated in battle at
Plattsburg on the 11th.
The cause of the sudden panic of the
British troops at
Plattsburg, and their precipitous flight on the night of the battle there (see
Plattsburg, battles at), was inexplicable.
The Rev. Eleazar Williams declared that it was the result of a clever trick arranged by him (
Williams), as commander of a secret corps of observation, or “spies,” as they were called in the Western army.
Governor Chittenden, of
Vermont, restrained the militia of his State from leaving it. A few days before the battle an officer (
Colonel Fassett) from that State assured
Macomb that the militia would cross the lake in spite of the governor.
After the officer left,
Williams suggested to
Macomb that a letter from
Fassett, declaring that a heavy body of militia were about to cross the lake, sent so as to fall into the hands of the
British general, would have a salutary effect.
Macomb directed
Williams to carry out the plan.
He went over to
Burlington, and received from
Fassett a letter to
Macomb, in which he said
Chittenden was marching with 10,000 men from
St. Albans, that 5,000 men were marching from
St. Lawrence county, and that 4,000 from
Washington county were in motion.
This letter
Williams placed in the hands of a shrewd Irishwoman at
Cumberland Head, who took it to
Prevost just after the battle at
Plattsburg had ended.
Prevost, who was naturally timid, was greatly alarmed by the “intercepted” letter, and at a little past midnight his whole army were flying in haste towards the
Canada frontier.
He died in
London,
England, Jan. 5, 1816.
