During the French and Indian War, he served as a commodore in the Great Lakes region and was active during much of the Ontario and Quebec campaigns.

Held as a prisoner in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia for several months, he was eventually released and was made a captain on 19 December 1757 [1] on HMS Squirrel.

Transferred to Lake Ontario, he commanded the advance guard at the Battle of the Thousand Islands while accompanying Field Marshal Jeffrey Amherst with his thrust against Montreal in August 1760.

However the Loring Genealogy suggests this was not a decision made lightly nor in advance: "He decided after serious consideration and consultation with friends, "the whole night through."

Their home and property in Jamaica Plain, used as a hospital by the rebels during the siege of Boston, were confiscated by the state in 1779 and sold at auction.