Smith was born at Brighton, Sussex, England, on 22 February 1754. There is no record of who his parents were. His first wife, Mary Leigh, died in childbirth, and he married second Grace Weatherall at Chatham, Kent on 17 April 1782, with whom he had five children in total.[2]
With the start of the French Revolutionary Wars, Smith was appointed second in command of the artillery intended to accompany Lord Moira's expedition to France. However, in October 1795 he was ordered instead to the West Indies with Sir Ralph Abercromby. He was present at the British occupation of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent in 1796, and commanded the artillery at the capture of Trinidad from the Spanish in February 1797. Command of all thirteen companies of the Royal Artillery serving in the West Indies then fell to him, and on 27 August 1797 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel. Unfortunately, he became sick soon after, and had to return to England.[2]
^ abcdefgR. H. Vetch, Alastair W. Massie (January 2008). "Smith, Sir John (1754–1837)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 December 2010.