Jeffery Amherst, Baron Amherst (1717-1797), was commanding general of the British forces in North America and then governor general of British North America.

Born on Jan. 29, 1717, at Riverhead, Kent County, England, Jeffery, or Jeffrey, Amherst became a page to the 1st Duke of Dorset. Entering the army in 1731, he served as an aide to Gen. John Ligonier in the War of the Austrian Succession and participated in the battles of Dettingen, Roucoux, and Fontenoy. On Dec. 25, 1745, he became lieutenant colonel of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, and as an aide to the Duke of Cumberland he was present at the Battle of Laffeldt in 1747. Promoted to the colonelcy of the 15th Regiment of Foot, he accompanied Cumberland as commissary at the Battle of Hastenbeck.

Amherst was recalled to England in January 1758 and was given the rank of major general and command of an army of 14,000 men. His...