 He became Inspector General of Infantry in April 1861.He was despatched to Canada in 1862 to take command of the 2nd Division as the British Government took steps to strengthen its military forces as a result of tensions created by the Trent Affair.Promoted to major-general on 9 November 1862, he went on to command the troops in the North British District, a role that he had taken up by 1868 and retired from in 1873.