Major General Augustine Prévost (born Augustin Prévost) (b. 22 August 1723 Geneva, Republic of Geneva – d. 4 May 1786 East Barnet, England) was a Genevan-born British soldier who served in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754– ...

and the American War of Independence. Prévost was born to a family that was originally from Bossy near

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situ ...

and settled in Geneva in the 14th century.Prévost (Prevost) (GE)
in the

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland that aims to take into account the results of modern historical research in a manner accessible to a broader audience. The encyclopedia is publish ...

Seven Years War

Like his younger brother

Mark Prevost James Marcus or Mark Prevost (born Jacques-Marc Prévost; 1736 – 1781) was a British Army officer. After being commissioned in Europe, he commanded troops of the British Army in North America and the West Indies, including during the French an ...

, 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 The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

, during which he suffered a wound. In 1763 he briefly acted as the interim military Governor of

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

American War of Independence

By the summer of 1776, Prévost, then a colonel, was in charge of a contingent of the 60th stationed in

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

, the capital of British

East Florida East Florida ( es, Florida Oriental) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of Spanish Florida from 1783 to 1821. Great Britain gained control of the long-established Spanish colony of ''La Florida'' in 1763 as part of ...

. 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 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. 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 Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, 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 Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint ...

, whose indiscriminate looting antagonized ally and enemy alike. The major engagement of the affair was the

Battle of Stono Creek The Battle of Stono Ferry was an American Revolutionary War battle, fought on June 20, 1779, near Charleston, South Carolina. The rear guard from a British expedition retreating from an aborted attempt to take Charleston held off an assault by p ...

, a British victory. In September 1779 Brigadier General George Garth was sent to replace him, travelling from New York on HMS ''Experiment''. Garth was, however, captured before he could reach Savannah and Prévost remained to defend the town from a combined French and Continental force in an action that came to be known as the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

Family

Augustine was married to Anette (Ann) Grand and father of Sir

George Prévost Sir George Prévost, 1st Baronet (19 May 1767 – 5 January 1816) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who is most well known as the "Defender of Canada" during the War of 1812. Born in New Jersey, the eldest son of Genevan Au ...

, and of Major Augustine Prevost (b. 29 August 1744 Geneva – d. 17 January 1821 Greenville, NY). Major Prevost retired to manage his wife's family estate (Croghan Estates) and died as a citizen of the United States. Descendants of Prévost settled in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

References

*''A regimental chronicle and list of officers of the 60th, or the King's, royal rifle corps'' by Nesbit Willoughby Wallace *''Notices généalogiques sur les familles-genevoises'' by Jacques Augustin Galiffe, Eugène Ritter, Louis Dufour-Vernes, 1833, p. 277. *"The American Revolution in the Southern Colonies" by David Lee Russell {{DEFAULTSORT:Prevost, Augustine 1723 births 1786 deaths British Army generals 18th-century military personnel from the Republic of Geneva British military personnel of the French and Indian War British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal American Regiment officers