Quincy Adams Gillmore
Encyclopedia
Quincy Adams Gillmore was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...

, author, and a general in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. He was noted for his actions in the Union victory at Fort Pulaski, where his modern rifled artillery readily pounded the fort's exterior stone walls, an action that essentially rendered stone fortifications obsolete. He earned an international reputation as an organizer of siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...

 operations and helped revolutionize the use of naval gunnery.

Early life and career

Gillmore was born and raised in Black River (now the City of Lorain
Lorain
-Places:* Lorain, Ohio* Lorain, Pennsylvania* Lorain, Wisconsin* Lorain County, Ohio** Lorain County Community College* Lorain Township, Minnesota-Organizations:* Lorain City School District* Lorain Correctional Institution* Lorain County Transit...

) in Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, its population was 301,356. an increase from 284,664 in 2000...

. He was named after the president-elect at the time of his birth, John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...

.

He entered the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...

, in 1845. He graduated in 1849, first in a class of 43 members. He was appointed to the engineers and was promoted to first lieutenant in 1856. From 1849 until 1852, he was engaged in constructing the fortifications at Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...

 in coastal Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. For the next four years, he was instructor of Practical Military Engineering at West Point and designed a new riding school.

Beginning in 1856, Gillmore served as a purchasing agent for the Army in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. He was promoted to captain in 1861.

Civil War

With the outbreak of the Civil War in early 1861, Gilmore was assigned to the staff of Brig. Gen.Thomas W. Sherman
Thomas W. Sherman
Thomas West Sherman was a United States Army officer with service during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War....

 and accompanied him to Port Royal, Virginia
Port Royal, Virginia
Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primary as a port on a navigable portion of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's...

. After being appointed as a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

, Gillmore took charge of the siege operations against Fort Pulaski. A staunch advocate of the relatively new naval rifled guns, he was the first officer to effectively use them to knock out an enemy stone fortification. More than 5,000 artillery shells fell on Pulaski from a range of 1,700 yards during the short siege, which resulted in the fort's surrender after its walls were breached.
Although he was one of the best artillerists and engineers in the army he was not well respected by his men.

After an assignment in New York City, Gillmore traveled to Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

, where he supervised the construction of Fort Clay on a hilltop commanding the city. He was then assigned to replace Maj. Gen. Ormsby M. Mitchel
Ormsby M. Mitchel
Ormsby MacKnight Mitchel was an American astronomer and major general in the American Civil War....

 in charge of the X Corps
X Corps (ACW)
X Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served during operations in South Carolina in the Department of the South, and later in Benjamin Butler's Army of the James, during the Bermuda Hundred and Petersburg Campaigns.-History:...

 after that officer's death from yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....

. In addition, Gillmore commanded the Department of the South, consisting of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, with headquarters at Hilton Head
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...

, from June 12, 1863, to May 1, 1864. Under his direction, the army constructed two earthen forts in coastal South Carolina—Fort Mitchel and Fort Holbrook, located in the Spanish Wells area near Hilton Head Island.

He commanded forces that occupied Morris Island
Morris Island
Morris Island is an 840 acre uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War.-History:...

, Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner
Fort Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston harbor...

, and Fort Gregg
Fort Gregg
Fort Gregg was a Confederate fort located near Petersburg, Virginia.The battle for Fort Gregg occurred on April 2, 1865, in Dinwiddie County near the outskirts of Petersburg.-External links:* at the Historical Markers Database...

, and also participated in the destruction of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...

. On July 18, 1863, during the siege of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, Gillmore launched a major assault on Fort Wagner. The troops who assaulted Ft. Wagner were primarily from the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which included only African-Americans in its complement. Gillmore had ordered that his forces be integrated and that African-Americans were not to be assigned menial tasks only, such as KP or latrine duty, but instead they were to carry arms into battle. They and their assault on Ft. Wagner were the subject of the 1989 Civil War movie Glory, which starred Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick. "So shortly after 6:30 p.m., on July 18, 1863, the Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. He was killed in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina...

 (played by Matthew Broderick) readied the 600 men of the 54th Massachusetts regiment for an assault on Ft. Wager. Shaw was the 25 year old son of Boston abolitionists, was white, as were all his officers. Again, all the regiment's enlisted complement were black, i.e. African-American." [from the History Net, African American History, 54th Massachusetts Regiment].

Although he does not received attribution for his command in the credits, the African American troops in the movie "Glory" were in fact under General Gillmore's command and were engaged in battle because of his orders ordering that they be allowed to do so. Prior that time, a 1792 law forbade African Americans from participating in the military, i.e., it forbade "persons of color from serving in the militia". However, his troops were unable to seize Charleston. In February 1864, Gillmore sent troops to Florida under the command of General Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour
Truman Seymour was an a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. He commanded the Union troops at the Battle of Olustee, the largest Civil War battle fought in Florida.-Early life and career:Seymour...

. Despite orders from Gillmore not to advance into the interior of the state, General Seymour advanced toward Tallahassee, the capitol, and fought the largest battle in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, the Battle of Olustee
Battle of Olustee
The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on 20 February 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war.-Background:In February 1864, Major General Quincy A...

, which resulted in a Union defeat.

In early May, Gillmore and the X Corps were transferred to the Army of the James
Army of the James
The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia.-History:...

 and shipped to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. They took part in the Bermuda Hundred operations and played a principal role in the disastrous Drewry's Bluff
Battle of Proctor's Creek
The Battle of Proctor's Creek, also known as Drewry's Bluff or Fort Darling, was fought May 12–16, 1864, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, during the Bermuda Hundred Campaign of the American Civil War...

 action. Gillmore openly feuded with his superior, Benjamin F. Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....

 over the blame for the defeat. Gillmore asked for reassignment and left for Washington, D.C., On July 11, 1864, Gillmore organized new recruits and invalids into a 20,000-man force to help protect the city from a threat by 10,000 Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...

 under Jubal A. Early, who had reached the outer defenses of the Union capital.

Gillmore was breveted
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 as a major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...

 of volunteers and a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 of engineers in the regular army. In mid-May 1865, Gillmore ordered all remaining slaves in the territory under his command to be freed; later that month he imposed martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...

 to enforce his orders.

With the war over, he resigned from the volunteer army on December 5, 1865.

Postbellum career

Gillmore returned to New York City and became a well known civil engineer, authoring several books and articles on structural materials, including cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...

. He was involved in the reconstruction of fortifications along the Atlantic coast (including, ironically, some that he had destroyed as a Union general). He served on the Rapid Transit Commission that planned the elevated trains and mass public transportation, as well as leading efforts for harbor improvements and coastal defenses. He was a prominent member of the University Club of New York.

His first wife died (date unknown for this post). He is reported to have married the widow of General Braxton Bragg, sometime after Bragg dropped dead in New Orleans in 1876. One of General Gillmore's sisters, Sophia, married a Civil War officer named Daniel Seth Leslie; Leslie was from the same area near Lorain, OH, as Gillmore. Three descendants of Daniel Seth Leslie were named in General Gillmore's honor, i.e. "Quincy Gillmore Leslie", his son "Quincy Charles Leslie" and his son, "Quincy Gilmore Leslie". In light of General Gillmore's association with African American troops under his command, Daniel Leslie was assigned some responsibilities for African American veterans after the Civil War. His name (Daniel Seth Leslie) is reported to appear on a monument to African American troops in the Washington, DC area.

Some African Americans carried the Gillmore and Leslie names forward. The Traveling Secretary for the Negro Leagues Kansas City Monarchs was named Quincy "J." Jordan Gilmore. (note the change from two LL's in Gilmore). He was nicknamed "Sect" and held that position from 1920 to 1925, with the Monarchs winning the Negro League World Series in 1924. He was born in Gary, IN, on June 29, 1882, died Feb 2, 1952. A baseball card has been published in his honor, by "Phil Dixon, 1987". Also, there are at least two contemporary (1990's to 2007) African American's named Quincy Leslie, one of whom is a Sergeant in the US Air Force.

General Gillmore died at Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 63. His son and grandson, both also named Quincy Gillmore, were also generals in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

.

In memoriam

A coal schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

 named in his honor, the General QA Gillmore, sank in 1881 in Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

 about 45 miles west of Lorain
Lorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....

, near Kelley's Island. The shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....

 remains in the shallow waters of the lake.

A second ship was launched bearing his name, called the "Q. A. Gillmore". It was a steam powered tugboat "Hull #24" built for the Great Lakes Towing Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and launched around 1912-13. She also sailed on the Great Lakes and participated in rescues of ships in the famous and infamous Great Lakes storm of 1913. She was later sold and renamed the Reiss, which was a line of Great Lakes ore and commodity carriers, but which went out of business in the 1970s or so; one such ship was the Richard Reiss. The tug Q. A. Gillmore, now named the Reiss, is still afloat, anchored and located off of Tower Marine in Saugatuk, Michigan, and about 100 yards from the retired cruise ship S.S. Keewatin. Saugatuk is on the shores of Lake Michigan.

According to the owner of Tower Marine, R.J. Peterson of Saugatuk, as of the winter of 2007, her engines were still operational. The Reiss was owned by the Saugatuk Marine Museum and they donated the vessel to the Northeastern Maritime Historical Foundation of Duluth, Minnesota, sometime around May 2004. However, she is stuck in a mud bank out in the harbor and has not moved in recent years.

Books

  • The Siege and Reduction of Fort Pulaski (1863) (ISBN 0939631075)
  • The Strength of the Building Stones of the United States (1874)
  • A Practical Treatise on Roads, Streets, and Pavements (1876)
  • Limes, Hydraulic Cements, and Mortars (ISBN 1933998245)

See also

  • List of American Civil War generals
  • Battle of Fort Pulaski
    Battle of Fort Pulaski
    The Battle of Fort Pulaski was fought April 10–11, 1862, during the American Civil War. Union forces on Tybee Island and naval operations conducted a 112-day siege, then captured the Confederate-held Fort Pulaski after a 30-hour bombardment. The battle is important for innovative use of rifled guns...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK