Born in Seaforde, County Down, he was the seventh son of Irish parliamentarian Mathew Forde.
He was badly supported by a local ally Anandraz but still managed to rout the French force at the Battle of Condore and overrun their camp, before laying siege to Masulipatem itself.
Despite these twin victories, Forde's brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel was not initially ratified by the East India Company.
In 1769, he was sent out as part of a three-man committee, with Henry Vansittart and Luke Scrafton, to investigate the East India Company's practices.
The vessel left the Cape of Good Hope on 27 December 1769, but the ship disappeared en route to India and he was believed drowned with the rest of the passengers and crew.