Lieutenant-General Sir John Vaughan KB (c. 1731 – 30 June 1795), styled The Honourable from 1741, was a British soldier and a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

in both the

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and

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Parliaments. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

he served in both the American and West Indies theaters.

Background and early career

Vaughan was the second son of the 3rd Viscount Lisburne. He began his military career as an officer in the

9th Marines The 9th Marine Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Formed during World War II, it served until 1994, when it was deactivated during the post Cold War drawdown. Battalions of the Ninth Marine Regiment, but not the ...

, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1746; but he transferred to the

10th Dragoons 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

as a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a so ...

in 1748, being promoted to lieutenant in 1751, captain-lieutenant in 1754 and Major in 1759. In 1760 he became a Lieutenant-Colonel in the

94th Foot The 94th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised as the Scotch Brigade in October 1794. It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802 and disbanded in December 1818. The regiment was reformed in Decemb ...

, and held the same rank in the

16th Foot The Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment was the final title of a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was originally formed in 1688. After centuries of service in many conflicts and wars, including both the First and Second World ...

from 1762. He served in both

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and

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during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

, leading a division of

grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

with great distinction at the capture of Martinique. In 1772 he was promoted to colonel, and from 1775 until his death was Colonel of the

46th Foot The 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881, b ...

Member of Parliament

He entered the British Parliament in 1774 as member for

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census re ...

, holding the seat for the remaining twenty years of his life. From 1776 to 1783, he was also a member of the Irish Parliament and represented St Johnstown (County Longford). He was appointed

Governor of Fort William The Governor of Fort William was a British Army officer who commanded the garrison at Fort William in Inverness-shire. The office became a sinecure and was abolished in 1833. Governors of Fort William * 1725: Charles Sibourg * 1733: George Wade ...

in 1779 and then, in 1780, as Governor of Berwick, also holding this post until his death, although it did not interfere with his active military career. He was a reliable supporter of the government when in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

, but of course could not attend while he was absent on active service: at the 1780 election the government's election managers considered trying to replace him temporarily as Berwick's MP by someone who would be able to attend and vote, but the borough's patrons would have none of it and he was returned unopposed.

American War of Independence

Following the outbreak of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Vaughan returned to North America as a

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, serving from 1776 until 1779. He led the grenadiers at the

Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yor ...

, and was wounded in the thigh; he commanded a column in the

Battle of Short Hills The Battle of Short Hills (also known as the Battle of Metuchen Meetinghouse and other names) was a conflict between a Continental Army force commanded by Brigadier General William Alexander ("Lord Stirling"), and an opposing British force comm ...

, New Jersey, in July 1777, and he commanded a column during the successful assault on

Fort Clinton Fort Clinton was an American Revolutionary War fort erected by the Continental Army on the west bank of the Hudson River in 1776. Protecting the chain It was one of a pair of fortifications which straddled the confluence of Popolopen Creek, st ...

and Fort Montgomery, where his horse was killed under him. In 1779, he returned to England but was immediately appointed Commander-in-Chief in the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean Sea North Atlantic Ocean , co ...

Fourth Anglo-Dutch War

Vaughan served in the West Indies from 1779 until 1782, taking a leading part in Rodney's Capture of St Eustatius in 1781, a successful campaign aimed at neutralizing the Dutch port which was used to store and send supplies to the American colonists during their Revolutionary War. Later in the year he was accused of embezzling the property confiscated at St Eustatius, and was forced to defend himself against Burke's attack in Parliament, stating that he had not profited by a shilling and had always acted in the national interest rather than his own. He was promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

in 1782. Jameson, 1903, pp. 683–708

Later life

1792, he was knighted as a

Knight of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...

(KB). In 1795 he was appointed once more to command in the Leeward Islands, but died later the same year at Martinique.

Citations

Sources

* * Concise Dictionary of National Biography (1930) *Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807

* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790'' (London: HMSO, 1964) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, John 1730s births 1795 deaths 10th Royal Hussars officers 46th Regiment of Foot officers British Army generals British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Connaught Rangers officers Irish MPs 1776–1783 Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Longford constituencies Younger sons of viscounts British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War Royal Marines officers British Governors of Martinique British military personnel of the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War