Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Rimmington, Samuel
RIMMINGTON, SAMUEL (1755?–1826), lieutenant-general, royal artillery, was born about 1755, and was appointed second lieutenant in the royal artillery on 15 March 1771, first lieutenant 7 July 1779, captain 1 Dec. 1782, lieutenant-colonel 1 Jan. 1798, colonel 25 April 1808, major-general 4 June 1811, and lieutenant-general 19 July 1821. His name appears in the ‘Army Lists’ as Remington and Rimington. In April 1771 he embarked for Quebec, went thence to Montreal, and in August proceeded with a detachment to Niagara. In June 1773 he returned to Quebec and embarked for England. In December 1775 he went on the recruiting service. In March 1776 he sailed with four companies of artillery for Quebec, and was on the staff. He was present at the affair of the Three Rivers, Canada, under Lord Dorchester, on 4 June of the same year; and he commanded one of the gunboats at the attack on the American fleet on Lake Champlain on 11 Oct. In July 1777 he crossed the lake with the army under General Burgoyne, and was appointed commissary of horse by General Philips. He was present at Freeman's Farm on 19 Sept., as well as at the later actions, until the army surrendered as prisoners by convention. In 1781 he was transferred to the artillery at New York, and commanded a detachment of artillery at Poleshook and Kingsbridge until the peace took place, when in 1783 he received orders to dismantle these posts, and send the guns and ammunition on board the transports. In October of the same year he received a warrant from Lord Dorchester to proceed to Bermuda to inspect and disband the garrison battalion, which took place in May 1784. He then returned to England, but in 1787 left for Canada, where he remained till, in February 1791, he was appointed to command the artillery in Scotland. In 1802, owing to ill-health, he was allowed to retire to the invalid battalion of the royal artillery at Woolwich, where he died on 26 Jan. 1826.
[Army Lists; Gent. Mag. 1826, i. 274.]
