Servicio militar
He was appointed as a Captain RN. In September 1814 he was the Commodore of a Royal Naval Squadron on Lake Champlain.
He was building HMS Confiance (37 guns) but was pressured by the Governor General (Sir George HMCS Prevost) to sail before the British vessels were ready.
He was defeated by Captain Thomas Macdonough USN who dropped preprepared anchors nd spring lines to force his vessels around to preent his unused broadside batteries to bear. Downie was forced to surrender to Macdonough and Prevost marched his troops back to Canada.
Referencias
Kemp, Peter [ed.] (1976)
