Editing Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst (section)

==Commander-in-Chief==
===American War of Independence===
{{Main|American Revolutionary War}}
[[File:Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst.jpg|thumb|''[[Portrait of Jeffery Amherst (Gainsborough)|Portrait of Jeffery Amherst]]'' by [[Thomas Gainsborough]], 1780. Amherst was [[Commander in Chief of the Forces|Commander-in Chief]] during the response to threatened invasion by the [[Armada of 1779]] during the [[American War of Independence]].]]
Amherst was raised to the [[peerage]] on 14 May 1776, as Baron Amherst, ''of Holmesdale in the County of Kent''.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11665|page=2|date=11 May 1776}}</ref> On 24 March 1778 he was promoted to full [[general]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11859|page=1|date=21 March 1788}}</ref> and, in April 1778, he became [[Commander-in-Chief of the Forces]], which gave him a seat in the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]].<ref name=heath25/>

In 1778, when the British commander in North America, [[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|William Howe]], requested to be relieved, Amherst was considered as a replacement by the government: however, his insistence that it would require 75,000 troops to fully defeat the rebellion was not acceptable to the government, and [[Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)|Henry Clinton]] was instead chosen to take over from Howe in America.<ref>Hibbert. ''Redcoats and Rebels'' p. 211</ref> Following the British setback at [[Battles of Saratoga|Saratoga]], Amherst successfully argued for a limited war in North America, keeping footholds along the coast, defending Canada, [[East Florida|East]] and [[West Florida]], and the [[West Indies]] while putting more effort into the war at sea.<ref>Hibbert. ''Redcoats and Rebels''. p209</ref> On 7 November 1778 [[George III of the United Kingdom|the King]] and [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Queen]] visited Amherst at his home, [[Montreal Park]], in [[Kent]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11924|page=1|date=3 November 1778}}</ref> and on 24 April 1779 he became colonel of the [[Horse Grenadier Guards|2nd Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11972|page=2|date=20 April 1779}}</ref>

A long-standing plan of the French had been the concept of an invasion of Great Britain which they hoped would lead to a swift end to the war if it was successful: in 1779 Spain entered the war on the side of France, and the increasingly depleted state of British home forces made an invasion more appealing and Amherst organised Britain's land defences in anticipation of the invasion which never materialised.<ref name=odnb/>

===Gordon Riots===
{{Main|Gordon Riots}}

In June 1780, Amherst oversaw the British army as they suppressed the anti-Catholic [[Gordon Riots]] in London.  After the outbreak of rioting Amherst deployed the small London garrison of Horse and Foot Guards as well as he could but was hindered by the reluctance of the civil magistrates to authorise decisive action against the rioters.<ref>Mansel, page 126</ref> 

Line troops and [[militia]] were brought in from surrounding counties, swelling the forces at Amherst's disposal to over 15,000, many of whom were quartered in tents in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], and a form of [[martial law]] was declared, giving the troops the authority to fire on crowds if the [[Riot Act]] had first been read. Although order was eventually restored, Amherst was personally alarmed by the failure of the authorities to suppress the riots.<ref>Hibbert ''King Mob''. p. 102</ref> 

In the wake of the Gordon Riots, Amherst was forced to resign as Commander-in-Chief in February 1782 and was replaced by [[Henry Seymour Conway|Henry Conway]].<ref name=heath25/> On 23 March 1782 he became captain and colonel of the [[2nd Troop of Horse Guards]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12280|page=1|date=19 March 1782}}</ref>