Huske's active military career ended with the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle; while he remained colonel, he did not accompany his regiment when it was sent to Minorca in 1755. Along with the rest of the garrison, in June 1756 the 23rd surrendered to the French in the opening battle of the Seven Years' War, a defeat that led to the execution of Admiral John Byng. A 1757 investigation noted the poor state of the island's defences, with crumbling walls and rotten gun platforms; over 35 senior officers were absent from their posts, including the colonels of all four regiments in its garrison, one being Huske.