[1] He was commissioned as a Captain in the North Hampshire Militia on 24 April 1779, during the American War of Independence.
He was later promoted to Major (14 April 1788) and Lieutenant-Colonel (24 May 1793) at the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War, retaining the position until his death.
Spencer intended giving up his interest at Okehampton at the next election and made this clear to Minchin in the autumn of 1787 allowing him to keep the seat until the dissolution.
[1] At the 1790 general election Minchin was returned for Bossiney, a seat that its patron Lord Mount Edgcumbe put at the disposal of government supporters.
Minchin had given his support to Pitt and in return constantly bothered him throughout the Parliament for an Irish peerage, which never materialized.