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The military career of John Rogers Vinton spanned three decades of American conflict and expansion, from the War of 1812 to the War with Mexico. Entering West Point at the age of twelve, he went on to serve in sensitive positions in the War Department, survived six years of service in Florida during the Second Seminole War, and gave his life in the siege of Veracruz.
Yet John Rogers Vinton was more than a career army officer. A committed Christian, he longed to enter the ministry, but circumstances prevented it. A member of one of Rhode Island's leading families, he suffered through the agony of being an absent single parent while fighting the Indians of Florida. He is also remembered for his life-like and vivid artwork, much of it detailing the Florida frontier and his Seminole adversaries.
Working from an extensive collection of military journals and family correspondence, award-winning historians John and Mary Lou Missall open a fascinating window into the life of a dedicated s
About the author
John and Mary Lou Missall are authors of The Seminole Wars: America's longest Indian Conflict, Hollow Victory: A Novel of the Second Seminole War, and Elizabeth's War: A Novel of the First Seminole War. They are editors of This Miserable Pride of a Soldier: The Letters and Journals of Col. William S. Foster in the Second Seminole War and This Torn Land: Poetry of the Second Seminole War. They are also editors-in-chief of the State of Florida s Seminole Wars Heritage Trail Guide.
