General John Vincent (1764–1848) was the British commanding officer of the Niagara Peninsula in Upper Canada when the United States attacked in the spring of 1813.
Due to illness he was replaced by General Phineas Riall, though of the several officers of the 49th Regiment who reached high command during the War of 1812, Vincent was the longest-serving of them.
He was born in Ireland, the son of John Vincent (1734–1779) of Mardyke, County Limerick, Sheriff of Limerick, by his first wife, Catherine (d.1768), daughter and co-heiress of John Love (d.1750), of Castle Saffron (later renamed Creagh Castle),[1] near Doneraile, County Cork, great grandson of Sir Philip Perceval.
After being promoted to Major in 1795, he was ordered back to England for his health, but the vessel on which he sailed was captured by a French frigate and he was detained a prisoner in France for one year.
Vincent performed various garrison duties at York (Toronto), Fort George (Niagara-on-the-Lake) and Kingston, Ontario for the next ten years or so.
On the outbreak of war, Vincent led a detachment of the 49th from Lower Canada to Kingston, Ontario, and was commander of this post during the winter of 1812 to 1813, being promoted to brigadier general.
Although his British and Canadian regulars made a determined defence, Vincent realised that he was about to be outflanked and surrounded, and ordered a rapid retreat.