governor-general for rushing Downie’s fleet
into action at Plattsburgh. Consequently, Pre-
vost was recalled to England to withstand a
court-martial. The debate was heated and in-
conclusive, but Prevost, who had been ill for
some time, died suddenly in London on Janu-
ary 5, 1816, before a verdict could be ren-
dered. The general consensus of historians
ever since is that, whatever his failing as a
battlefield commander, Prevost’s defensive-
minded conduct throughout the War of 1812
was essentially correct. By declining to take
risks, even seemingly attractive ones, he won.
Bibliography
Cruickshank, David A.G. “The Plattsburgh Campaign,
September, 1814.” Unpublished master’s thesis,
Queen’s University, 1971; Everest, Allan S. The War
of 1812 in the Champlain Valley.Syracuse, NY:
Syracuse University Press, 1981; Fitz-Enz, David G.
Plattsburgh, The Final Invasion: The Decisive Bat-
tle of the War of 1812.New York: Cooper Square
Press, 2001; Heinrich, Waldo. “The Battle of Platts-
burgh, 1814: The Losers.” American Neptune 21
(1961): 42–56; Hitsman, J. McKay. “Sir George Pre-
vost’s Conduct of the Canadian War of 1812.” Cana-
dian Historical Association Report(1962): 34–43;
Keller, Alan. “The Battle of Lake Champlain.” Ameri-
can History Illustrated12, no. 9 (1978): 4–9, 47–48;
Lewis, Dennis M. British Naval Activity on Lake
Champlain During the War of 1812.Plattsburgh,
NY: Clinton County Historical Association, 1994;
Mahon, John K. “British Command Decisions in the
Northern Campaigns of the War of 1812.” Canadian
Historical Review 46 (1965): 219–237; Stanley,
George F.G. The War of 1812: Land Operations.
Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1983; Wilder, Patrick.
The Battle of Sacket’s Harbor.Baltimore: Nautical
and Aviation, 1994.PRICE, STERLING
Price, Sterling
(September 20, 1809–September 9, 1867)
Confederate General
P
ortly and commanding, “Old Pap” was
an important figure of the Civil War
west of the Mississippi River. But de-
spite his repeated best efforts, he proved un-
equal to the cherished goal of conquering Mis-
souri for the Confederacy.
Sterling Price was born in Prince Edward
County, Virginia, on September 20, 1809, the
son of wealthy, slave-owning planters. He
briefly attended Hampden-Sidney College and
studied law before migrating to Missouri in
1830 with his parents. In time Price estab-
lished himself as a prosperous tobacco planter
and merchant. Drawn to politics, he served
several terms in the state legislature before
winning a seat in the U.S. House of Represen-
tatives in 1844. Two years later, following the
onset of war with Mexico, he resigned from
Congress and hurried home to accept an ap-
pointment as colonel of the Second Missouri
Volunteers. In this capacity he accompanied
Gen. Stephen Watts Kearney and fellow Mis-
sourian Col. Alexander William Doniphan
from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on an expedi-
tion to Santa Fe, New Mexico. With that settle-
ment subdued, Kearney marched west to Cali-
fornia while Doniphan continued southward
into Mexico, and Price became military gover-
nor. His lax approach to discipline made him a
favorite among his men, who christened him
“Old Pap.” In February 1847, when restless-
ness among the Pueblo Indians erupted into a
rebellion, Price commanded a small body of
volunteers that subdued 1,500 rebels at Santa
Cruz and hanged their leaders. The following
year, chafing under inactivity, he led an expe-
dition of his own to capture Chihuahua, Mex-
ico, defeating a small party of Mexicans at