 |
| NAME |
| Gillmore, Quincey Adams |
| BORN |
| February 28, 1825 Lorain County, Ohio |
| DIED |
| April 7, 1888 Brooklyn, New York |
| ARMY |
| Union |
Gillmore graduated at the top of his class at the West pointin 1849, ranked 1 out of 43 in his class. He received a commission in the Corps of Engineers. He helped build forts from 1849-52, taught at West Point from 1852-56, and was the head of the Engineer Agency in New York City from 1856-61.
By the time the Civil War began, Gillmore was a 1st lieutenant. He was appointed Chief Engineer of the Port Royal Expedition. He was praised for his capture of Fort Pulaskia.
He was given command of the Department of the South and the X Corps. He helped bring about the capture of Morris Island and Battery (Fort) Wagner, as well as the destruction of Fort Sumter. He fought at Bermuda Hundred, Swift's Creek, Port Walthal Junction, and Drewry's Bluff.
In 1864, Major Gen. Benjamin F. Butler unfairly blamed Gillmore for a series of Union failures, and sent Gillmore to Washington in disgrace. Taking part in the defense of Washington, D.C., he was injured in Early's Raid so seriously, by falling from a horse, that he could not participate in anything more than nominal duty for the rest of the war.
After the war, Gillmore remained in the Corps of Engineers. He had Ball, Black & Company of New York make 400 bronze medals to reward enlisted people who had made significant contributions in operations against Charleston, South Carolina and Fort Sumter. The "medals of honor" included certificates explaining why the medals had been awarded. He asked regimental commanders to provide the names of individuals who had earned the medal. He spent many years working to improve fortifications off the south Atlantic coast, and also helped improve some of the harbors he had been involved in closing.
Gillmore wrote many professional books and treatises and served as President of the Mississippi River Commission.
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