He was appointed brigade major in 1813 for his relative Major General Robert Brereton, Lieutenant-Governor of St. Lucia. 1814 he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Senegal and Gorée and was present during the  tragedy. 1815 he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal African Corps.
In 1813, he received a promotion to brigade major on behalf of Major General Robert Brereton, who was in charge of St. Lucia at the time. Two years later, in 1814, he took over as Lieutenant-Governor of Senegal and Gorée, where he experienced the devastating event. By 1815, he had risen through the ranks to become Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal African Corps.