John Vaughan (General)

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Sir John Vaughan KB (* 1747 or 1748 ; † June 30, 1795 in Martinique ) was a British nobleman and lieutenant general .

Life

He was the second son of the Irish nobleman Wilmot Vaughan , 3rd Viscount Lisburne , from his marriage to Elizabeth Watson.

He began his military career in 1746 as a Second Lieutenant in the 9th Regiment of the Royal Marines . In 1748 he moved as Cornet to the 10th Dragoon Regiment and rose there to Lieutenant in 1751 , Captain-Lieutenant in 1754 and Major in 1759 . During the Seven Years' War he first fought in Germany and took part in the conquest of Martinique in 1762 . After the war he was used in North America and Ireland. In 1760 he was Lieutenant-Colonel in command of the 94th Infantry Regiment and in 1762 of the 16th Infantry Regiment. In 1772 he was promoted to colonel and was in command of the 46th Infantry Regiment from 1775 until his death.

Parallel to his military service he was from 1774 until his death he was a member of the British House of Commons for Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland , and from 1776 to 1783 also a member of the Irish House of Commons for St Johnstown in County Longford . When he stormed Fort Montgomery in 1777, he stood out so much that Clinton wanted to rename the fort Fort Vaughan .

On the occasion of the American War of Independence he returned to North America in 1776 and was promoted to major-general there in 1777 . He fought in 1776 in the Battle of Long Island and in the Battle of Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery . Returned to England in 1779, he was immediately given high command on the Leeward Islands . On December 16 and 17, 1780, his attempt to take the island of St. Vincent with 4,000 men failed due to the stubborn resistance of the outnumbered French, who were able to push the landing forces back onto their ships (including the Régiment d'Auxerrios ). In February 1781 he took the Dutch island of St. Eustatius together with Admiral Rodney .

Promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1782, Vaughan retired from active service after the war. At the outbreak of the French Revolutionary War he was reactivated and appointed Commander in Chief on the Windward Islands . On August 15, 1792 he was knighted as Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath . His ceremonial inauguration was postponed due to the war and was finally canceled when he suddenly died on June 30, 1795 in Martinique.

He remained unmarried and childless.

Literature and web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 174.
personal data
SURNAME Vaughan, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Lieutenant General
DATE OF BIRTH 1747 or 1748
DATE OF DEATH June 30, 1795
Place of death Martinique