CHARACTERS

Lieutenant-General George Prevost

George Prevost took command of the British forces in North America on July 4, 1811. He was shortly thereafter sworn in as the head colonial administrator of Canada. The bilingual Prevost promptly won the support of French-Canadians, but this approach alienated some of Quebec's English-speaking elite.

The war led Prevost to adopt a defensive strategy. His assumption was that since the Orders in Council had been repealed and Americans could now resume trade with Europe without fear of impressment that the war would be over quickly. Thus one of his first moves was to negotiate a truce with the American commander-in-chief, Major General Henry Dearborn. Even after the trust, he order his commanders not to take any aggressive action.

Until 1814, this approach was very successful but the American dream of conquering Canada was no closer to reality than it had been before the war. Once Napoleon however, was defeated in Europe, Wellington's troops began pouring into North America. London instructed Prevost to become more aggressive.

Ordered to take Plattsburg, Prevost invaded the United States with an army of close to 10,000 men in September of 1814. He stopped short of the lightly defended town . . . mostly to avoid, according to his instructions, avoid presenting the Prince Regent another Saratoga. We waited while his Lake Champlain fleet commander, Captain George Downie, attacked the American Navy anchored in Plattsburg Bay. The battle ended in disaster for the British. The Americans, fighting in the manner and place of their own choosing, destroyed the British fleet.

Prevost had promised Downie a simultaneous land attack, but didn't order the assault until the naval battle was almost over. As soon as he learned the British fleet had lost, Prevost ordered a general retreat. He withdrew against the advice of his senior officers, who felt Plattsburg was still within easy grasp.

Prevost's career in Canada ended in a shroud of disappointment. He was recalled to England and a naval court of inquiry blamed him for the defeat at Plattsburg. Hoping to clear his name, he asked for another hearing but died shortly before it was to convene .