He was wounded in the Battle of Carillon in the French and Indian War and, on his recovery, was appointed major of the King's 17th Regiment of Foot, later the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, and now the Royal Anglian Regiment. In February 1762, he became a lieutenant colonel and commanded the 17th Foot in the expedition against Martinique and Havana. He became lieutenant colonel and commanding officer of the West Middlesex 57th Regiment of Foot on 1 May 1773 and was stationed in Ireland with his regiment, which was mostly Irish. In December 1775, the regiment departed Cork with several other regiments to fight in the American Revolution.