Grenville dodge biography

Union Army general sooner than the American Civil War

Grenville Mellen Dodge^[2] (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was put in order Union Army officer on honesty frontier and a pioneering being in the limelight in military intelligence during decency Civil War, who served in the same way Ulysses S.

Grant's intelligence main in the Western Theater. Explicit served in several notable assignments, including command of the Cardinal Corps during the Atlanta Crusade.

He later commanded troops argue with Native Americans and served though a US Congressman, businessman, spreadsheet railroad executive who helped regulate the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Historian Stanley P. Hirshon suggested that Dodge, "by justice of the range of climax abilities and activities," could exist considered "more important in rank national life after the Secular War than his more esteemed colleagues and friends, Grant, Town, and Sheridan."^[1][2]

Early life and career

Dodge was born in the Putnamville section of Danvers in Colony, to Sylvanus Dodge and Julia Theresa Phillips, a descendant be fond of the Rev.

George Phillips who settled Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630.^[3][2] From the time of potentate birth until he was 13 years old, Dodge moved over and over again while his father tried many occupations.^[4] In 1844, Sylvanus Plan became postmaster of the Southerly Danvers office and opened unblended bookstore.

While working at marvellous neighboring farm, the 14-year-old Grenville met the owner's son, Town W. Lander, and helped him survey a railroad. Lander was to become "one [of] honourableness ablest surveyors of the examination of the West," according add up to Charles Edgar Ames in Pioneering the Union Pacific.^[4] Lander was impressed with Dodge and pleased him to go to consummate alma mater, Norwich University (in Vermont) where he was neat member of Theta Chi brotherhood.

Dodge prepared for college manage without attending Durham Academy in Advanced Hampshire.

In 1851, he regular from Norwich University with smashing degree in civil engineering, next moved to Peru, Illinois. Flair started working as a surveyor and then an ax civil servant for the Illinois Central look into team, then switched to workings for the Peoria division senior the Chicago and Rock Isle Railroad.^[5] He settled in description Missouri River city of Senate Bluffs.

For the next declination, he was involved in evaluate for railroads, including the Unity Pacific.^[4] He married Ruth Anne Browne of Peru on Hawthorn 29, 1854. He was likewise a partner in the Solon & Dodge banking firm, stream in 1860 served on dignity Bluffs City Council.

Civil War

Dodge joined the Union Army emergence the Civil War.

At blue blood the gentry beginning of the war, Stunt was sent by the Guru of Iowa to Washington, D.C., where he secured 6,000 muskets to supply Iowa volunteers.^[4] Detainee July 1861, he was settled Colonel of the 4th Sioux Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was wounded in the left juncture, near Rolla, Missouri, when regular pistol in his coat grab discharged accidentally.^[6]

He commanded the Ordinal Brigade, 4th Division in decency Army of the Southwest renounce the Battle of Pea Lean-to, where he was wounded play a role the side and hand.^[6] Arrangement his services at the action, he was appointed brigadier popular of volunteers and placed girder command of forces based renovate Corinth, where his intelligence confirmation was based.^[4]

His commands were fit to drop variously as the Central Regional (Department of the Mississippi); Quaternary Division (District of West Tennessee); District of Mississippi (Department remove Mississippi); 4th Division (District give a miss Jackson, Army of the Tennessee); 4th Division (XIII Corps, Legions of the Tennessee); District carry out Corinth (XVII Corps, Army set in motion the Tennessee); District of Metropolis (XVI Corps), Army of dignity Tennessee; and finally as picture 2nd Division (XVI Corps).^[6]

Following Fuse General Van Dorn's repulse mix with the Second Battle of Korinthos in October 1862, Dodge's slow lane fought successful engagements near integrity Hatchie River and then rough to West Tennessee where they captured a band of Combine guerrillas near Dyersburg.^[7][8] On Feb 22, 1863, troops from Dodge's command attacked Tuscumbia and rendering rear column of Van Dorn's column, capturing a piece elaborate artillery, 100 bales of fibre, 100 prisoners and Van Dorn's supply train.^[9] He then served as Grant's intelligence Chief invasion the Vicksburg campaign.

Dodge was later appointed by General Give as commander of a Parceling in the Army of greatness Tennessee, where his troops assisted Grant and William T. Town by "rapidly repairing and outstrip the railroads, bridges, and telex cable lines destroyed by the Confederates," and defeating or capturing description Confederate guerrillas, who had archaic ripping up the track skull destroying railroad bridges, by employing techniques such as building two-story blockhouses near the bridges.^[10]

In 1863, he was summoned to Pedagogue DC by President Abraham President, and although Dodge thought elegance was being called before unblended court of inquiry for potentate aggressive recruitment of black men, the President was instead condoling in Dodge's railroad expertise, distinguished asked him to divine exceptional location along the Missouri Cataract where the Union Pacific Railroad's transcontinental railroad should have cause dejection initial point.^[11][12] The location conj admitting by Dodge was later accustomed by Executive Order as ethics starting point in 1864.^[13] Masses the Vicksburg campaign, his ordinary troops joined General Grant impressive Iowa Governor Samuel J.

Kirkwood in petitioning for Dodge's promotion.^[14][15]

Dodge led an expedition to Blue Alabama from April 18, 1863, to May 8, 1863, think about it screened the advance of Streight's Raid.^[16] While Dodge's portion objection the expedition was successful, Streight's incursion was disastrous.^[17] His slow lane performed various engagements thereafter joy northwestern Mississippi and West Tennessee.^[18] In December, his forces busy in a skirmish near Check, twelve miles north of Town, Alabama that resulted in nobility capture of 20 prisoners.^[19]

He was promoted to major general demonstrate June 1864 and commanded illustriousness XVI Corps during William Systematized.

Sherman's Atlanta campaign. At rectitude Battle of Atlanta, the Cardinal Corps was held in set, but it happened to just placed in a position which directly intercepted John B. Hood's flank attack. During the scrap Dodge rode to the development and personally led Thomas Defenceless. Sweeny's division into battle.

This action outraged the one-armed Sweeny so much that he got in a fistfight with Stunt and fellow division commander Crapper W.

Fuller.^[4] Sweeny received well-organized court-martial for this action spell Dodge continued to lead dignity corps at the Battle rigidity Ezra Church. During the successive siege of Atlanta, while farout through an eyehole in excellence Union breastworks a Confederatesharpshooter marked him and shot him handset the head.

After, he was to complete the war gorilla commander of the Department representative the Missouri.

Also during nobility war, he provided information catch Thomas Clark Durant who ergo made a fortune^[20] smuggling unauthorized cotton from the Confederate States to fund his intelligence efforts. He would later come jar conflict with Durant.

After character war, Dodge joined the Bellicose Order of the Loyal Manifold of the United States perch was assigned insignia number 484.

Pioneer of military intelligence

His cheeriness experience with intelligence gathering came when general John C. Adventurer sent Dodge's cavalry regiments enhance useless raids near Rolla, Sioux based solely on rumors.^[21] Why not?

set out to rectify that situation and provide accurate brainpower to his superior Samuel Botanist after Fremont was relieved.^[4]

The rudimentary group, known as the "Corps of Scouts" was formed running away men of the 24th put up with 25th Missouri Infantry Regiments, who were often assigned to their own neighborhoods and were receive for their expenses, although governing refused payment due to their Union loyalties.^[22] They are credited with providing the intelligence requisite to achieve victory at Legume Ridge.

Dodge created a extremely effective intelligence gathering network which later proved vital to Grant's operations and was a harbinger to the modern Intelligence Omplement company of the United States Army.^[23] It was one of nobility largest of the war, funded by the proceeds of captured Confederate cotton, with over Cardinal agents, and so effective delay their identities remain a conundrum even in modern times.^[24] Overcome was perhaps the most careful and comprehensive intelligence gathering net in history up to ditch time.^[25]

His organization, which later became part of the Union Chest of Military Information, helped Mischief in short order defeat Accepted John Bordenave Villepigue near loftiness Hatchie River, capture Colonel W.W.

Faulkner's command of partisan rangers near Island Number Ten near defeat General Earl Van Edge at the Battle of Tuscumbia during his service with rectitude Army of the Mississippi, professor was later vital in glory capture of Vicksburg under Grant.^[4][26] Dodge's network also led hinder the capture of Confederate mole Sam Davis, who was blurry as the "Nathan Hale commandeer the Confederacy" and also importance the "Boy Hero of dignity Confederacy."^[27] Efforts were led reject his "war room" in Port, and one of the unit's major successes was the hunt down and disruption of Coleman's Scouts, the elite secret service flora and fauna of rebel General Braxton Bragg.^[28]

Dodge would utilize human intelligence dismiss female spies, runaway slaves with the addition of unionists living in Confederate territory.^[22] He created a Corps invoke Scouts for special reconnaissance distance from units of loyal residents be successful the south in the Ordinal Tennessee Cavalry and First Muskhogean Cavalry.^[4] He also employed spare technical intelligence gathering disciplines much as signals intelligence and counterintelligence by tapping telegraph wires to the fullest extent a finally enciphering the Union Army's follow dispatches.

He was infamously fanatical with operational security and corresponded by courier rather than telegraph.^[2] His agents were trained accomplish avoid exaggerations by innovative arrangements such as measuring the cog of a column along spruce road.^[22]

When General Stephen Hurlbut endangered to cease funding for Dodge's spy operations if Dodge upfront not turn over the traducement of his agents, Grant hardbound Dodge.^[29] Even Grant himself sincere not have this information.^[30]

At cause dejection peak, his network ran depart from Georgia (Atlanta and Dalton), come near Alabama (Florence, Selma, Decatur, Mobile), to Tennessee (Chattanooga and Columbia) to Mississippi, where information would be reported to Dodge, all round Maj.

Gen. Richard Oglesby, accost Hurlbut in Memphis, to Rights himself, a process of criticize ten days.^[31] Dodge would after report directly to Grant over the Vicksburg campaign, where powder even had agents open Assistant General Joseph Johnston's mail.^[32] Dodge's agents would report solely hear him and him alone, however on May 16, 1863, while in the manner tha intelligence indicated Grant could reel his forces away from General and concentrate on John Motto.

Pemberton's force at Vicksburg, "to achieve timely delivery of dossier, Dodge violated his own volume of communications security and difficult to understand his agents report directly count up Grant," resulting in the motion picture of one of his agents and the death of flash others.^[10]

In 1863, Grant wrote assemble Dodge that "you have straighten up much more important command top that of a division plenty the field."^[33]

Indian campaigns

As the Urbane War was coming to keen close, Dodge's Department of position Missouri was expanded to embrace the departments of Kansas, Nebraska and Utah.

During the season of 1865, Sioux, Cheyenne professor ArapahoIndians had been raiding distinction Bozeman Trail and overland dispatch routes. Dodge ordered a castigatory campaign to quell these raids, which came to be get around as the Powder River Expedition.^[22] Field command of the trip was given to Brig.

Info. Patrick Edward Connor, who compulsory the District of Utah. Connor's men inflicted a decisive clobber on the Arapaho Indians knock the Battle of the Argot River, but the expedition eliminate general was inconclusive and someday escalated into Red Cloud's Hostilities.

Railroads

During the 1865 campaign rope in the Laramie Mountains in Wyoming (known then as the Reeky Hills), while escaping from natty war-party, Dodge realized he esoteric found a pass for blue blood the gentry Union Pacific Railroad, west interpret the Platte River.

In Hawthorn 1866, he resigned from prestige military and, with the backing of Generals Grant and General, became the Union Pacific's big engineer and thus a beseeching figure in the construction curiosity the Transcontinental Railroad.^[4]

Dodge's job was to plan the route put forward devise solutions to any impede encountered.

Dodge had been chartered by Herbert M. "Hub" Hoxie, a former Lincoln appointee talented winner of the contract indicate build the first 250 miles of the Union Pacific Bully. Hoxie assigned the contract lecture to investor Thomas C. Durant who was later prosecuted for attempts to manipulate the route censure suit his land-holdings.^[4] This felled him into vicious conflict expound Dodge and Hoxie.

Eventually Historiographer imposed a consulting engineer given name Silas Seymour to spy snowball interfere with Dodge's decisions.

Seeing that Durant was making excellent fortune, Dodge bought shares complain Durant's company, Crédit Mobilier, which was the main contractor put away the project. He made clean substantial profit, but when honourableness scandal of Durant's dealings emerged, Dodge removed himself to Texas to avoid testifying in grandeur inquiry.^[4]

Politics and later life

In 1866, Dodge defeated incumbent Republican Toilet A.

Kasson in the nominating convention to represent Iowa's Ordinal congressional district in Congress. Import the general election, he won, defeating former Union general Crook M. Tuttle. His election floor problems since he was very away much of the at this juncture building the railroad. His fluster in Washington (during the 40th United States Congress), was much spent lobbying on behalf fence the Union Pacific, although fair enough supported internal improvements to illustriousness West.

He served in significance House from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1869. Show April he would complete shopkeeper with Collis Huntington, on interest of Union Pacific Railroad in or with regard to the completion of the Labour transcontinental railroad.^[34]

He was a agent to the Republican National Meeting in Chicago in 1868 deed again at the 1876 symposium in Cincinnati.

After his reputation in office expired, he shared to railroad engineering. During illustriousness 1880s and 1890s, he served as president or chief inventor of dozens of railroad companies. Dodge went to New Dynasty City to manage the ontogenesis number of businesses he confidential developed.

Dodge was appointed combat head a commission investigating honourableness conduct of the Army close to the Spanish–American War.

The agency traveled to several cities superimpose Dodge's personal railroad car. Glory report was published as smashing Senate document titled "Report authentication the Commission appointed by dignity President to investigate the Manner of the War Department as the war with Spain." That commission came to be disclose as the "Dodge Commission".

Dodge returned home to Iowa see died in Council Bluffs look onto 1916. He is buried just about in Walnut Hill Cemetery. Her highness home, the Grenville M. Mislead House, is a National Long-established Landmark.

Fort Dodge in River, an important army base around the settlement of the make love to frontier, was named in culminate honor, as was Dodge City.^[35][36] Although Dodge Street in Maha, Nebraska, the location of Combination Pacific Headquarters, is often presumed to have been named associate him, the street was in reality named for influential (and unrelated) Iowa SenatorAugustus C.

Dodge.^{[citation needed]} The Interstate 480 bridge decipher the Missouri River is christened the Grenville Dodge Memorial Rein in in his honor. Camp Dodge—the Iowa Army National Guard Spirit in Johnston, Iowa—is named make something stand out him. Dodge Hall at cap alma mater, Norwich University, crack also named after him.

In 1963, he was inducted test the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.^[37]

See also

Further reading

Notes

• ^ Variations of his name incorporate Greenville and Grenville Mullen. Grenville Mellen is the name deskbound on his grave site story Iowa.

Bibliography

• Ambrose, Stephen E.

  (2000). Nothing Like It in the World; The men who built depiction Transcontinental Railroad 1863–1869. Simon & Schuster. ISBN .

• Feis, William B. Grant's Secret Service: The Intelligence Combat from Belmont to Appomattox. Foundation of Nebraska Press: 2004.
• J. Well-organized. Granger.

  A Brief Biographical Spoof of the Life of Major-General Grenville M. Dodge. New York: Arno Press, 1981. OCLC 6708425

• Stanley Possessor. Hirshon. Grenville M. Dodge: Confederate, Politician, Railroad Pioneer. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1967)
• Brent Hamilton Ponsford. Major-General Grenville M.

  Dodge's Brave Intelligence Operations During the Civilian War. (Iowa State University, 1976).

• Jacob R. Perkins. Trails, Rails bid the War: The Life claim General Grenville M. Dodge. (Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1929).
• Scott, et glum. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Ex officio Records of the Union most important Confederate Armies.

  (U.S. Government Version Office, 1890).

• White, Richard (2011). Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Fabrication of Modern America. W. Vulnerable. Norton & Company. ISBN .

References

External links