During the War of 1812, Reid commanded privateer General Armstrong and in 1814 at Fayal, Azores, engaged gunboats from British men-of-war en route to Jamaica and New Orleans. Although eventually forced to scuttle and abandon his ship, Reid's action delayed the British squadron and aided General Andrew Jackson's defense of New Orleans.
Reid was appointed master in the Navy in 1844 and died at New York, 28 January 1861.
