Augustine Prévost
| Augustine Prévost | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Mather Brown
|
|
| Born |
22 August 1723 Geneva, Switzerland |
| Died | 4 May 1786 (aged 62) East Barnet, England |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | 60th Regiment of Foot |
| Battles/wars | Siege of Savannah |
Major General Augustine Prévost (b. 22 August 1723 Geneva, Switzerland – d. 4 May 1786 East Barnet, England) was a Swiss-born British soldier who served in the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence.
Prévost was born to a French Huguenot family that was originally from Poitou, France.
Like his younger brother Mark Prevost, Prévost joined the 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot as a major on 9 January 1756 at the regiment's establishment. He fought in the French and Indian War, during which he suffered a wound.
By the summer of 1776, Prévost, then a colonel, was in charge of a contingent of the 60th stationed in St. Augustine, the capital of British East Florida.
In the winter of 1778, following a proposal of Lord George Germain, Prévost, now a brigadier-general, was given orders by General Sir Henry Clinton to invade Georgia. Prévost dispatched two units north: one under the command of lieutenant-colonel Lewis V. Fuser and the other under his younger brother Mark. Prévost arrived at Savannah, Georgia, on 17 January 1779 which was protected by British Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. Prévost assumed command but also sent the message to General Clinton that he wished to resign, believing that a younger man should take his place. His forces launched an unsuccessful raid against Charles Town, South Carolina, whose indiscriminate looting antagonized ally and enemy alike. The major engagement of the affair was the Battle of Stono Creek, a British victory.
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Wikipedia