Jeremy Gilmer and the Confederate engineers

This is a biography of Confederate Major General Jeremy Francis Gilmer. The primary emphasis of the paper is on Gilmer's career during the Civil War and his contributions to the Confederate Bureau of Engineers. Jeremy Francis Gilmer was a native of North Carolina. In 1835 he was appointed to West Point from where he graduated in 1839, ranked fourth in his class. He was subsequently appointed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When the Civil War began, Gilmer and his family were stationed in San Francisco. He resigned his U.S. Army commission when North Carolina seceded from the Union. After he returned to the South, Gilmer was assigned to Albert Sidney Johnston's command in Kentucky. At the battle of Shiloh Gilmer was wounded and subsequently reassigned to Virginia. Following a brief assignment to the Army of Northern Virginia, Gilmer was named Chief of the Confederate Bureau of Engineers. The Corps grew in numbers and influence as a direct result of Gilmer's influence. At the end of the war Gilmer settled in Savannah with his family where he became President of the Savannah Gas Light Company. He held that position for the remainder of his life. In addition, Gilmer invested in real estate and railroads, amassing a substantial fortune. In 1883, Gilmer died peacefully in his Savannah home.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Department dc:contributor.department

History

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Year dc:date.issued

1983

Author dc:creator

• Rhodes, Steven B.

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Robertson, James I. Jr.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Miller, J. Donald
• Williamson, Gustavus G.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101347

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/101347