John G. Barnard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John G. Barnard
Born	(1815-05-19)May 19, 1815 Sheffield, Massachusetts
Died	May 14, 1882(1882-05-14) (aged 66) Detroit, Michigan
Place of burial	Barnard Cemetery Sheffield, Massachusetts
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1833–1881
Rank	Colonel Brigadier General Brevet Major General
Commands held	Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy Chief Engineer, Department of Washington Chief Engineer, Army of the Potomac Chief Engineer, U.S. Field Armies
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War
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John Gross Barnard (born May 19, 1815 – died May 14, 1882) was an important engineer and officer in the United States Army. He fought in the Mexican–American War and was a general for the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was also the leader of the West Point military school.

Barnard served as the main engineer for the Army of the Potomac from 1861 to 1862. He was also the chief engineer for the Department of Washington from 1861 to 1864. Later, he became the chief engineer for all armies in the field from 1864 to 1865. Besides his military work, he was a talented scientist, mathematician, and writer.

John Barnard's Early Life and Career

John G. Barnard was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, into a large and talented family. His brother, Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, was a famous educator. He even became president of Columbia University and has a college named after him, Barnard College.

Both John and Frederick, along with many family members, had a type of hearing loss. It became worse as they got older. John Barnard married Jane Elizabeth Brand and they had four children. Later, he married Anna E. Hall and they had three children.

In 1833, when he was 18, Barnard graduated from the West Point military school. He was the second-best student in his class of 43 cadets. Because he was such a good student, he became a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. This started his 48-year career in engineering for the army.

Barnard's first job was helping to build Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island. He worked there from 1833 to 1834 with Colonel Joseph Gilbert Totten. Totten was a very important American military engineer at the time. He was the Army's Chief Engineer for much of Barnard's career. They became close friends.

Throughout his career, Barnard helped build many forts and coastal defenses. He worked on important forts in New York City like Fort Jay, Fort Hamilton, and Fort Wadsworth. He also worked in New Orleans, Pensacola, and Mobile.

During the Mexican–American War, Barnard led the building of American defenses in the captured Mexican port of Tampico. This made sure the city was safe as a supply route for American troops. He also helped survey the battlefields of the war. From 1855 to 1856, Barnard was the Superintendent (leader) of the United States Military Academy. He took over from Robert E. Lee. After this, he went back to working on coastal defenses, especially near New York and New Jersey. He even studied construction projects in Europe.

Barnard's Role in the Civil War

When the Civil War began, Major General Winfield Scott remembered Barnard's success in the Mexican-American War. Scott put Major Barnard in charge of defending Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Barnard became the chief engineer for the department defending the capital.

When the Union Army moved into Northern Virginia in May 1861, Barnard supervised the building of forts on the Arlington hills. He was also with the army at the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), where the Union Army lost. From June to September 1861, Barnard also worked on the U.S. Navy's plan to block Southern ports.

When General George B. McClellan took command of the troops around Washington, D.C., Barnard became the chief engineer for the Military District of Washington. Barnard planned and oversaw the building of many forts around Washington, D.C.

On September 23, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln made Barnard a brigadier general. Barnard was the engineer for the Army of the Potomac from August 1861 to August 1862. He took part in the Peninsula Campaign. He directed the siege works at Yorktown, Virginia. He also worked on defenses along the Chickahominy River.

During the march to Harrison's Landing, he scouted and chose locations for battles like the Battle of Gaines' Mill and the Battle of Malvern Hill. After this campaign, he returned to working on Washington's defenses as chief engineer until May 1864. He also helped design defenses for Pittsburgh.

Barnard was the chief engineer for General Ulysses S. Grant during the Overland Campaign in 1864. On July 4, 1864, President Lincoln honored General Barnard. He was given the honorary rank of brevet major general for his "Meritorious and Distinguished Services during the Rebellion."

Barnard became the chief engineer for all armies in the field while on General Grant's staff. He stayed in this role during the Siege of Petersburg. This included the capture of Fort Harrison and the Battle of Hatcher's Run. He was there until the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865.

General Barnard was part of the honor guard for President Lincoln's funeral in April 1865. He left the U.S. Volunteers on January 15, 1866. He received more honorary ranks for his brave service during the war.

After the Civil War

Barnard was promoted to colonel in the Regular Army on December 28, 1865. He continued his career in the Army Corps of Engineers until January 1881.

After the war, Barnard became president of the Board of Engineers for Fortifications and River and Harbor Improvements. He held this job until he retired in 1881. Barnard changed how coastal defenses were built because wooden ships and old cannons were no longer effective. He also suggested using parallel jetties to improve the mouth of the Mississippi River. He was an important member of the United States Lighthouse Board from 1870 until his retirement.

Barnard also helped spread scientific knowledge in the USA. He influenced David Van Nostrand, a publisher, to work with many young army officers. These officers became authors and advisors for Van Nostrand's books. Some of them included William T. Sherman and Philip Sheridan.

Barnard was one of the first members of the Aztec Club of 1847 and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He was also a co-founder of the United States National Academy of Sciences.

General Barnard retired from the Army on January 2, 1881. He died in Detroit, Michigan, on May 14, 1882. He is buried in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

Writings by John G. Barnard

Barnard wrote many books and papers about science, engineering, and the Civil War. Some of his most well-known works include:

• Phenomena of the Gyroscope analytically examined. 1858.
• Dangers and Defences of New York City. 1859.
• Notes on Seacoast Defence. 1861.
• The C. S. A. and the Battle of Bull Run. 1862.
• Reports of the Engineer and Artillery Operations of the Army of the Potomac from its Organization to the Close of the Peninsular Campaign. (Written with General Barry.) 1863.
• Eulogy on the late Major-General Joseph G. Totten, late Chief Engineer, IT. S. A. 1866.
• Report on the Defences of Washington. 1871.
• Fabrication of Iron for Defensive Purposes. (Written with General Wright and Colonel Michie.) 1871.
• Report on the North Sea Canal of Holland. 1872.
• Problems of Rotary Motion presented by the Gyroscope, the Precession of the Equinoxes, and the Pendulum. 1872.
• On the Internal Structure of the Earth considered as Affecting the Phenomena of Precession and Nutation, being the Third of the Problems of Rotary Motion. 1877.
• Over 90 articles in Johnson's Cyclopaedia on scientific subjects. 1874–1877.

See also

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)
• List of Massachusetts generals in the American Civil War
• Massachusetts in the American Civil War