Which British officer led the 1759 expedition that captured Fort Niagara?

The British officer who led the 1759 expedition that captured Fort Niagara was John Prideaux.

Prideaux was a British Army brigadier general selected by General Jeffery Amherst to command the expedition against the French fort. The operation was part of Britain’s broader 1759 strategy to cut French communications through the Great Lakes and support the campaign against Quebec.

Prideaux’s force included British regulars, provincial troops, and Iroquois allies led by Sir William Johnson. The army reached Niagara in early July and began a siege. Prideaux did not live to see the surrender: on July 19, he was killed by a shell fragment while inspecting a mortar being test-fired.

Johnson then took command and oversaw the final stages of the operation. This creates a frequent source of confusion: Johnson commanded the force when the fort actually capitulated, but Prideaux was the expedition’s appointed leader. Jeffery Amherst authorized the campaign, while James Wolfe led the separate British expedition against Quebec.