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.
He received a promotion in 1813 as brigade major for Major General Robert Brereton, who managed St. Lucia. Two years later, in 1814, he took charge as Lieutenant-Governor of Senegal and Gorée, where he encountered the tragedy. By 1815, he had advanced to become Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal African Corps.