His father and mother, John W. and Rebecca (Merritt) Robinson, were natives of Connecticut and had two sons, the only brother of Colonel Robinson being Andrew N. The father was a lieutenant in the War of 1812 and fought at Sackets Harbor, Plattsburgh and Stone Mill, being severely wounded in the last.
He was lieutenant and later captain in the local militia during the War of 1812 and fought at the Battle of Châteauguay and at Plattsburgh.
Rice's father Captain Alpheus Royce (who was born Alpheus Rice and changed his name in middle age) led a company of Vermont militia in the War of 1812 at the Battle of Plattsburgh.
While a student in the law offices of a relative, Israel Putnam Richardson (the father of Civil War General Israel Bush Richardson), Origien joined the Army and participated in the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812.
Battle of Waterloo | Battle of Britain | Battle of the Somme | Battle of the Bulge | Battle of Gettysburg | Battle Creek, Michigan | Battle of France | Battle of Trafalgar | Battle of Hastings | Battle of Antietam | battle | Battle of Shiloh | Battle of Midway | Battle of Belleau Wood | Battle of the Alamo | Battle of Leipzig | Battle of Agincourt | Battle of Verdun | Battle of Thermopylae | Battle of the Plains of Abraham | Battle of Vienna | Second Battle of the Marne | Second Battle of El Alamein | Battle of the Nile | Battle of the Boyne | Battle of Stalingrad | Battle of Austerlitz | The Last Battle | Kathleen Battle | Battle of Vitoria |
The combined light infantry force formed part of a brigade under Major General Thomas Brisbane during the Battle of Plattsburgh, where the British army retreated after its supporting naval squadron was destroyed.
In 1814, it was used as the headquarters for Major-General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane during the Battle of Plattsburgh.