Americans had cited as one of the causes of the war. Baynes went to Albany, New York, under a flag of truce to negotiate an armistice with Major General Henry Dearborn, commanding the United States' armies in the north. Dearborn agreed to local armistices while the United States government considered Prévost's approach. However, the government were in no mood to negotiate and fighting resumed. During a visit to Kingston in Upper Canada in May 1813, Prévost and Commodore Sir James Lucas Yeo, commanding the British naval units on Lake Ontario, became aware that there was an opportunity to capture and destroy Sackets Harbor, New York. The American ships and Dearborn's army were based there, but both were absent at the western end of the lake. The available British troops were hastily embarked aboard Yeo's squadron. On 26 July, light winds and a scare caused by the sighting of unknown sails, which might have been the American squadron returning, caused the landing to be postponed. When it resumed on 28 July, Prévost delegated command of the troops to Baynes. The British troops successfully landed near Sackets Harbor and put American militia and volunteers to flight, but were unable to dislodge American regulars from buildings at the edge of the town and dockyards. Baynes recommended to Prévost that they withdraw. Prévost concurred, but the repulse damaged his and Baynes's reputations. On 1 May 1814, Baynes was once again sent to negotiate an armistice as an extension of a prisoner exchange. At Champlain, New York, Brigadier General William Henry Winder claimed to have no authority to agree to any pact, and the British government subsequently disavowed the negotiations. Large numbers of British troops were arriving in Canada. In June, Prévost secured Baynes's promotion to major general. This was resented by many of the recently arrived British commanders, who had seen far more fighting in the Peninsular War than Baynes had experienced during his career. Baynes was Adjutant General of the division which Prévost led in an invasion of New York State in September 1814. The British turned back after their ships were defeated in the Battle of Lake Champlain, making it impossible for the British to secure their lines of communication. Most of the British commanders considered that Prévost and his staff (including Baynes) had planned and executed the operation badly. Later life After the War of 1812 ended, Baynes returned to England