(Born R. I., Ap’d R. I.)
John Rogers Vinton: Born June 16, 1801, Providence, RI.
Cadet of the Military Academy, May 4, 1814, to July 17, 1817, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to Third Lieut., Corps of Artillery, July 17, 1817.
Second Lieut., Corps of Artillery, Oct. 31, 1817. Served: on the Survey of the Northern Boundary of the United States, (First Lieut., Corps of Artillery, Sep. 30, 1819) 1818 – 1821; in garrison at Charleston harbor, S. C., 1821 – 1822; on Ordnance (First Lieut., 4th Artillery, in Re-organization of Army, June 1, 1821), (Transferred to 3d Artillery, Dec. 5, 1821) duty, Aug. 20, 1822, to Aug. 1, 1823; in garrison at Ft. Nelson, Va., 1823 – 1824,
Fort Monroe, Va. (Artillery School for Practice), Apr. 5, 1824, to Mar. 1, 1825; as Aide-deâ•ŒCamp to Major-General Brown, Mar. 1, 1825, to May 24, 1828; in Adjutant-General’s Office at Washington, D. C., 1828; in garrison at Ft. Wolcott, R. I., 1828 – 1829; on
(Bvt. Captain, Sep. 30, 1829, For Faithful Service Ten Years in one Grade) Special duty at Boston, Mas., 1829 – 1830; in garrison at Ft. Wolcott, R. I., (Captain, 3d Artillery, Dec. 28, 1835) 1830 – 1832, – and Fort Preble, Me., 1832 – 1836; on Recruiting service, 1836; in the Florida War against the Seminole Indians, 1837 – 1838, and 1838 – 1842, being engaged in the Defense of Ft. Mellon, Feb. 8, 1837; in garrison at New Orleans, La., 1842; in garrison at St. Augustine, 1842 – 1843, – Augusta Arsenal, Ga., 1843, – Ft. Macon, N. C., 1843 – 1844, 1844, – and Augusta Arsenal, Ga., 1844 – 1846.
In the War with Mexico, 1846 – 1847, as Major of Artillery Battalion of the “Army of Occupation,” Aug. 21, 1846, to Feb. 14, 1847, being engaged in the Battle of Monterey,
(Bvt. Major, Sep. 23, 1846, for Gallant Conduct at Monterey) Sep. 21â•Œ23, 1846, and Siege of Vera Cruz, Mar. 9 – 22, in the approaches to which, by the wind of a shell, he was
Killed, Mar. 22, 1847.
Buried, Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI.
Bill Thayer’s Note:
The article in Cullum’s Register does not do the man justice. John Rogers Vinton was a good painter, primarily of landscapes, whose works are still sought after today; and something of a polymath, or at least he would be considered so today. (He also kept a diary, of which at least three notebooks survive, covering among other things the social and political scene in Washington.)
He was the father of Francis L. Vinton.
For What They Gave on Saturday Afternoon 