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General Montgomery C. Meigs: Civil War Hero
"...without the services of this eminent soldier, the National cause must either have been lost or deeply imperiled in the late civil war."
-- Secretary of State, William H. Seward, May 28, 1867
A career U.S. Army officer, General Meigs played a pivotal role in the Civil War, helping to secure victory and save the Union. Appointed Quartermaster General by President Abraham Lincoln, Meigs became one of the president's most trusted allies and confidants. When Meigs' son, Major John Rodgers, Meigs was killed during the war, Lincoln and his Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, attended the funeral. Less than a year later, in April 1865, General Meigs was at Lincoln's dying bedside.
Quartermaster Corps
(May 15, 1861 - February 6, 1862)
As head of the Quartermaster Corps, Meigs was responsible for transporting and outfitting Union soldiers with vital supplies. He created a network of field depots and operated a complex transportation system that included the purchase and delivery of food, clothing, housing, weaponry, animals, equipment, and services.
At critical points in 1864 and 1865, Meigs assumed direct control of the supply lines for General Ulysses S. Grant (at Fredericksburg and Belle Plain, Virginia) and General William T. Sherman (in Savannah, Georgia, as well as in North Carolina). For four days in July of 1864, he was directly engaged in the defense of Washington, DC, at Fort Stevens.
The most enduring legacy of Meigs' command was the establishment of Arlington National Cemetery on the former plantation of Mary Custis and Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee. On June 15, 1864, Meigs appropriated 200 acres of the Arlington House estate overlooking the capital and the Potomac River. By ordering the burial of thousands near the mansion's garden, Meigs ensured Lee would never be able to return.
Rank: Brigadier General to Major General (two stars). |