following year he gained
further distinction by or-
chestrating the capture of
Martinique. Prevost then
continued on back at Hal-
ifax, where on February
14, 1811, his good con-
duct landed him an ap-
pointment as governor-
general of Lower Canada.
Prevost’s appointment
coincided with a period
of increasing tension
with the United States
over the issues of im-
pressments at sea and In-
dian unrest at home. It
was hoped his Franco-
phone skills would de-
fuse a large, potentially
hostile French popula-
tion and secure their sup-
port for Britain in the
event of war. In these
matters he succeeded where few British gov-
ernors had. Through a deft combination of
deference and patronage, he placated both
the Canadian political elite and the Roman
Catholic hierarchy. He induced the provincial
assembly to strengthen existing militia laws
and to provide a form of paper currency, or
army bills, that would be redeemed at full
value and not be susceptible to inflation. He
also oversaw the creation of two uniquely
Canadian formations, the Glengarry Light In-
fantry Fencibles and the French-speaking
Canadian Voltigeurs, both of whom rendered
excellent service during the war.
As a geographic entity, the province of
Canada was large, sparsely populated, and gar-
risoned by only 5,600 British troops. Several
thousand indigenous militia were present, but
they were initially judged to be of dubious
value—and loyalty. Prevost thus assumed that
Canada, in the face of a more numerous in-
vader, would be almost impossible to defend.
Early on he adopted an extremely cautious,
highly defensive strategy predicated upon sac-
rificing large tracts of
Upper Canada to the
Americans in order to
defend the strategic
cities of Quebec and Mon-
treal. Such a stance gen-
erally annoyed offensive-
minded subordinates like
Gen. Isaac Brock, gover-
nor of Upper Canada, who
felt that a series of local
offensives would keep the
enemy off-balance long
enough for reinforce-
ments to arrive from Eu-
rope. Prevost discreetly
demurred, however, feel-
ing that successful British
attacks on American soil
would serve only to unify
a badly divided enemy be-
hind the war effort.
No sooner had war
erupted in June 1812
than Prevost dispatched his envoy, Col. Ed-
ward Baynes, to negotiate a truce. Both sides
were buoyed by the recent British repeal of
the Orders in Council, which authorized the
search and seizure of American ships at sea
and was a major cause of the war. Brock,
meanwhile, disregarded orders, captured De-
troit, and was on the verge of attacking the
strategic naval base at Sackets Harbor, New
York, when word of the cease-fire arrived.
Brock suspended hostilities and watched
helplessly while the Americans mobilized a
large army along the Niagara frontier under
Gen. Stephen Van Rensselaer. This force
came to grief at Queenston Heights in Octo-
ber 1812, where Brock was killed. But Upper
Canada had been preserved for the time
being, and British forces gained a badly
needed respite.
The following spring, naval affairs on the
Great Lakes passed into the hands of the
British Admiralty, who dispatched Capt. Sir
James Lucas Yeo as overall commander.
Prevost ventured to Kingston, Upper Canada,PREVOST, GEORGE
George Prevost
National Archives of Canada