2. EXPELLED FROM RUGBY WHICH HE
FOUND DISAPPOINTING AND
DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF AS A MILITARY
COMMANDER IN BRITISH COMPANYS
ARMY AND LATER BRITISH ARMY
• March 2022
• DOI:
• 10.13140/RG.2.2.11318.98889
• Project:
• MILITARY HISTORY
• Agha H Amin

4. EXPELLED FROM RUGBY FOR BEING
DRUNK AND FEARLESSLY COUNTERING
THE LEGENDARY DR. ARNOLD WITH THE
STATEMENT THAT SIR “YOU ARE DRUNK”
. UNABLE TO BUY A BRITISH COMMISSION
, WAS FORCED TO JOIN AN INDIAN
INFANTRY BATTALION OF THE BRITISH
COMPANY . RAISED 21ST
BENGAL NATIVE
INFANTRY TO HIGHEST STANDARDS IN
INDIA – COMMANDED 5TH
PUNJAB
INFANTRY FOR TEN YEARS
OUTSTANDINGLY IN 1857-59 BATTLES AND
FRONTIER EXPEDITIONS- ROSE TO
GENERAL RANK BUT SADLY PASSED
OVER FROM DIVISIONAL COMMAND IN
AFGHAN WAR AS LACKED THE REQUIRED
PUSH AND PULL- SERVED AS TIMES WAR
CORRESPONDENT IN SECOND AFGHAN
WAR – ONE OF LAST SURVIVING PIFFER
OFFICERS in 1911- THE PATHAN COMPANY
OF 5th
PUNJAB INFANTRY UNDER HIS
COMMAND KILLED THE FAMOUS REBEL
LEADER SUBEDAR BAKHT KHAN-
ALTHOUGH SECOND TO COMMAND HIS
BATTALION , THE UNIT WAS NAMED

5. VAUGHAN’S RIFLES AS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIS
OUTSTANDING COMMAND.
John Luther Vaughan, the fourth son of the
Rev Edward Vaughan, of Leicester, was
born on 6 March 1820 and was educated at
Rugby, from where he was expelled for
boldly countering the famous Dr. Arnold,
“Sir you are drunk” , when asked by Arnold
why Vaughan was drunk !
Unable to afford a British commission
Vaughan joined British Company’s Bengal
Army’s 21st
Native Infantry at Moradabad in
mid 1841 , when he was offered a
commission. Although initially most
unhappy Vaughan groomed 21st
into finest
battalions of the company’s army . Such
was Vaughan’s influence that this battalion
survived the rebellion and was the only
battalion allowed to retain arms during the
rebellion at Peshawar. Sadly this battalion,
renumbered 1st
Bengal Native Infantry later

6. 1st
Brahmans and finally 4/1 Punjab was
most unjustly later disbanded by the British
in 1931.
Vaughan saw action at Maharajpore in 1843
as a staff officer. He was posted to 2nd
Punjab Infantry st Kohat as second in
command in 1850 ,which he soon
temporarily commanded and led into action
against Wazerees in protecting the salt
mines at Nuree.
Vaughan introduced “CLASS COMPANIES”
for the first time in history while serving in
5th
Punjab Infantry as he felt that separate
and conflicting diet of Hindus , Sikhs and
Muslims , necessitated clear division at
company level.
In 1851 Vaughan was promoted to command
the 5th
Punjab Infantry at Dera Ghazi Khan.In
1855 while on furlough he volunteered for
Crimean war and commanded Ottoman
troops which were most unjustly employed
as coolies by the British.Later his Ottoman
battalion was deployed at Kerch.

7. He rejoined the 5th
Punjab Infantry at Kohat
in early 1857. He was ordered to secure
Attock with 5th
Punjab Infantry and relieve
the rebellious 55th
Native Infantry. From here
he was ordered to Mardan where Colonel
Spottiswoode who committed suicide
shooting himself through the head squarely
blamed Vaughan’s rash conduct as the main
reason for his suicide.
5th
Punjab Infantry was retained in Punjab in
1857 and employed against the Hindustani
fanatics at Sitana in 1857. 5th
Punjab Infantry
was finally sent to Lucknow after its fall and
participated in pacification of Oudh.Its most
famous action was killing Subedar Bakht
Khan on 13th
May 1859 by Naik Habibullah
and Sepoy Faqir Shah from its 100 percent
Pathan Company at Koronia Sota Pass in
Nepal’s Rapti River valley.Vaughan made no
mention of this in his memoirs but the
incident was mentioned in 5th
Punjab
Infantry history and the history of FF Rifles.

8. 5th
Punjab Infantry was ordered back to
Punjab in January 1860 and later to Kohat
and finally to DI Khan in 1861.
The 1857 expedition against Hindustani
fanatics had been a failure as they had re-
established themselves in the same area. In
1863 5th
Punjab Infantry under Vaughan’s
command took part in Ambeyla expedition
of 1863 where the British Indian Army
suffered one of highest casualties in history
of all expeditions including the much
exaggerated Tirah expedition.The reason for
this was the resistance of all Pashtun tribes
around Ambeyla to allow the army passage
which was considered a disgrace to
Pashtun tribal traditions. This REFUTES
Maulana Ghulam Rasul Mehr’s ethnically
biased FALSE ALLEGATIONS that the
Pashtun’s of Bunner and Indus Valley
betrayed the Hindustanis.
In 1868 Vaughan was promoted brigade
commander but was not earlier given
command of Punjab Frontier Force as Wilde
was more well connected. As brigade

9. commander he took part in the 1868
expedition against Black Mountain.
In January 1869 posted to command Gwalior
district with rank of Brigadier
general.Promoted major general in 1870
Vaughan commanded Allahabad division as
acting GOC.Unhappy with the ham handed
treatment and short of money , Vaughan
returned to England. Vaughan joined the
railway for some time as a general manager.
He also submitted articles to London
newspapers but was ignored.
Meanwhile Second Afghan War broke out in
1878 and Vaughan expected a divisional
command but was ignored in favour of the
more well connected Roberts. His
application was accepted by the Times
newspaper to cover Second Afghan War as
a war correspondent instead.
Lord Lytton Viceroy of India strongly
advised General Roberts to be tactful with
Vaughan and Roberts was known for his
masterly manipulation of the press.

10. Vaughan interviewed Cavagnari shortly
before he was murdered.
Vaughan’s major recognition came when 5th
Punjab Infantry was named Vaughan’s
Rifles in 1903 reorganization.He was
promoted to the rank of full general in 1905
and died on 2nd
January 1911.
Major A.H Amin (Retired)