John Vaughan (East India Company officer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Vaughan
Born	1778 Gloucestershire
Died	1 November 1830 (aged 52)
Buried	Calcutta South Park Street Burial Ground
Allegiance	United Kingdom East India Company
Service/branch	Bengal Army
Years of service	1795–1830
Rank	Colonel
Unit	2nd Regt Bengal Native Infantry 21st Regt Bengal Native Infantry
Commands held	1st Bn. 4th Reg. Bengal N. I. Regimental Lt-Col. 18th Reg. Bengal N. I. Col. 37th Reg. Bengal N.I.
Other work	Assistant Adjutant General Town and Fort Major, Fort William, India

Colonel John Vaughan (1778–1830) was an important British officer. He served in the East India Company's army. During his time, he fought in several major wars. These included the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the Second Anglo-Maratha War, and the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

Early Life and Joining the Army

John Vaughan was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1778. When he was seventeen, he moved to India. He joined the East India Company's Bengal Army. This was the start of his long military career.

Military Adventures

In 1797, John Vaughan became a lieutenant. He joined the 2nd Regiment of Native Infantry. His unit was part of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799). They fought in important battles, including the Battle of Seringapatam.

When the Second Anglo-Maratha War began in 1803, Lieutenant Vaughan got a special job. He was asked to create a new group of soldiers called sepoys. This group became the 1st Battalion of the 21st Bengal Native Infantry. They served with Lord Lake's army throughout the war.

In 1807, the commander, General Lord Gerard Lake, praised Vaughan's regiment. He thanked the officers of the 21st Native Infantry for their important help during the war. On November 19, 1807, Vaughan was promoted to captain.

Later, in 1815, Captain Vaughan had another important task. He was trusted to bring special awards from London to India. These awards were for senior officers who had been made Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

Serving in Key Wars and Roles

During the Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819), Captain Vaughan joined the General Staff of the Bengal Army. He worked as an Assistant Adjutant General. This meant he helped manage the army's daily operations. He traveled with the Governor-General, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, during the entire campaign. On February 1, 1818, he was promoted to major.

In 1822, Major Vaughan received a new staff position. He became the Town and Fort Major of Fort William, India in Calcutta. He held this important job until he died in 1830.

He also served as an Aide-de-Camp to the acting Governor-General, John Adam, in 1823. When the new Governor-General, Lord Amherst, arrived, Major Vaughan was part of the group sent to welcome him.

On July 11, 1823, Vaughan was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. He was given command of the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment Native Infantry. After some army changes in 1824, he became the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 18th Regiment Native Infantry.

In November 1824, Lieutenant-Colonel Vaughan was chosen for a special court. This court investigated the first sepoy mutiny at Barrackpore.

He continued to rise in rank. In 1828, he became Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant. He also served again as an Aide-de-Camp to the acting Governor-General, William Butterworth Bayley. From April 1828 until his death, he commanded the 37th Regiment of Native Infantry. He was also appointed Aide-de-Camp to the new Governor-General of India, General Lord William Bentinck.

In early 1829, Vaughan traveled with Lord William Bentinck to Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. On June 5, he was promoted to colonel. In July 1830, Colonel Vaughan joined General the Earl of Dalhousie, the commander of the Bengal Army, on a trip to China.

Later Life and Passing

Colonel John Vaughan never married. He was the brother of Captain Thomas Vaughan and uncle to Amelia Vaughan Jones Woollett. In 1825, he became a member of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta.

Colonel Vaughan passed away on November 1, 1830, in Fort William, India, in Calcutta. He was 52 years old. His obituary mentioned his important roles as Colonel of the 37th Regiment, Town and Fort Major of Fort William, and Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General.

Sources

• A sketch of the services of the Bengal native army, to the year 1895, Francis Gordon Cardew, Office of the Adjutant General, India 1903
• Alphabetical list of the officers of the Bengal army; with the dates of their respective promotion, retirement, resignation, or death whether in India or in Europe from the year 1760 to the year 1834 inclusive, corrected to 30 September 1837, Dodwell, Edward; Miles, James Samuel, London, Longman, Orme, Brown and co., London 1838
• Memoir of the life and military services of Viscount Lake, baron Lake of Delhi and Laswaree, 1744–1808, by Hugh Wodehouse Pearse, W. Blackwood and sons, 1908
• The Asiatic Annual Register, […] for 1807, Vol. 9, London 1809
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 1, Jan-June 1816, London 1816
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 5, Jan-June 1818, London 1818
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 6, June-Dec 1818, London 1818
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 13, Jan-June 1822, London 1822
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 16, July-Dec 1823, London 1823
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 20, July-Dec 1825, London 1825
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 28, July-Dec 1829, London 1825
• The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany/Register, Vol. 5, New Series, May-Aug 1831, London 1831
• The Calcutta Magazine and monthly register, Volumes 7-9, 1830, Calcutta, 1830
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 1, Jan-April 1824, London 1824
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 2, May-Aug 1824, London 1824
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 4, Jan-March 1825, London 1825
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 9, April–June, 1826, London 1826
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 18, July-Sept 1828, London 1828
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 19, Oct-Dec 1828, London 1828
• Oriental Herald and Colonial Review, Edited by J. S. Buckingham, Vol. 21, Apr-June, 1829, London 1829
• The Oriental magazine, and Calcutta review, Vol. 2, July-Dec 1823, Calcutta 1823
• Tulsi leaves and the Ganges water: the slogan of the first sepoy mutiny at Barrackpore 1824, Premansukumar Bandyopadhyay, K.P. Bagchi & Co., 2003