American soldier, born in Black River, Lorain County, OH, on the 28th of February 1825. He graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1849; was assigned to the engineers; served three years at Hampton Roads; appointed instructor at West Point, and later treasurer and quartermaster at the Academy, in which capacity he was serving at the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1856 he was promoted first lieutenant in the engineering corps; was appointed captain in 1861; engineer-in-chief of the Port Royal expedition under General Sherman; brevetted lieutenant-colonel United States army, in 1862. While on sick leave he assisted in organizing and forwarding to the front no fewer than sixty regiments of New York volunteers. He was assigned to important commands in Kentucky the same year; brevetted colonel in 1863; in June was given command of the Department of the South; a month later, of the Tenth Army Corps; was brevetted brigadier-general, and then made major-general of volunteers. He directed the operations against Fort Sumter, Fort Wagner and Battery Gregg; planted and operated the famous “Swamp Angel” on Morris Island, and won the praise of General Halleck for his scientific work. In 1864 he commanded the Tenth Army Corps on the James River; later commanded two divisions of the Nineteenth Army Corps, in the defense of Washington; and in 1865 was again in command of the Department of the South. Subsequently he was appointed engineer-in-chief of the fortifications and harbor and river improvements on the Atlantic coast south of New York. In 1863 he was promoted major; in 1874, lieutenant-colonel, and in 1883, colonel. He was the author of several works on engineering, etc. He died in Brooklyn, NY, on the 7th of April 1888.
