George Lewis Gillespie Jr.

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George Lewis Gillespie Jr.
Chief of Engineers
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
AwardsMedal of Honor

George Lewis Gillespie Jr. (October 7, 1841 – September 27, 1913) was an American soldier who received the highest military decoration that the United States bestows to members of the military, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the American Civil War.

Biography

At West Point in 1862

George Lewis Gillespie Jr. was born October 7, 1841, in Kingston, Tennessee. He graduated second in the Class of 1862 at the United States Military Academy and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers on June 17, 1862.[1]

A Southerner who remained loyal to the Union, Gillespie joined the

surrender at Appomattox
in April 1865.

On October 27, 1897, Gillespie received the

Army of the Shenandoah
and the Military Division of the Gulf.

At the end of the war, Gillespie held the Regular Army rank of captain and a brevet (temporary promotion) to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After the Civil War, Gillespie successively supervised the improvement of harbors at

Cleveland, Ohio, Chicago, Boston, and New York City. He initiated construction of the canal at the Cascades of the Columbia River and built the famous Tillamook Rock Lighthouse off the Oregon coast. Gillespie also served on the Board of Engineers and for six years as president of the Mississippi River
Commission.

He was promoted to major on September 5, 1871, lieutenant colonel on October 12, 1886, and colonel on October 2, 1895.

With the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Gillespie was promoted to brigadier general of Volunteers on May 27, 1898. He commanded the Army's Department of the East until October 31, 1898, when he was discharged from the Volunteers and reverted to his Regular Army rank of colonel.

Gillespie was appointed as

U.S. Secretary of War in August 1901. He had charge of ceremonies at President William McKinley's funeral and at the laying of the cornerstone of the Army War College
building in 1903.

About 1904 he redesigned the United States Army's version of the Medal of Honor. The new design replaced the original design dating from 1862 which was often erroneously mistaken for the membership badge of the Grand Army of the Republic—an organization for Union veterans of the American Civil War. General Gillespie's design entirely changed the planchet to feature the head of Minerva in the center of a star surrounded by a wreath. The ribbon was changed from red, white and blue stripes to a light blue ribbon with thirteen white stars.

Gillespie's final assignment was as Assistant Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1904 to 1905 with the rank of

major general
.

Gillespie was a companion of the District of Columbia Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) and was assigned MOLLUS insignia number 4061. He was also a member of the Society of the Army of the Potomac.

Major General Gillespie retired from the Army on June 15, 1905, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64. He died on September 27, 1913, in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was buried at West Point Cemetery.[3]

Family

General Gillespie married Rhobie Frances McMaster (1844-1921). By her he had two sons - Robert McMaster Gillespie (1871-1947) and Laurence Lewis Gillespie (1876-1940).[3]

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. Place and date: Near Bethesda Church, Va., 31 May 1864. Entered service at: Chattanooga, Tenn. Birth: Kingston, Tenn. Date of issue: 27 October 1897.

Citation:

Exposed himself to great danger by voluntarily making his way through the enemy's lines to communicate with Gen. Sheridan. While rendering this service he was captured, but escaped; again came in contact with the enemy, was again ordered to surrender, but escaped by dashing away under fire.[2]

See also

  • List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: G–L
  • List of United States Military Academy alumni (Medal of Honor)
  • List of major generals in the United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920
  • List of United States Military Academy alumni (engineers)
  • List of United States Military Academy alumni (Union Army)

References

  1. ^ Cullum, George Washington (1891). Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. From Its Establishment, March 16, 1802, to the Army Reorganization of 1866–67. Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. pp. 305–306. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b "Civil War (A-L); Gillespie, George L. entry". Medal of Honor recipients. United States Army Center of Military History. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Gen. Gillespie Dies Suddenly". The Washington Herald. September 28, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.

This article contains public domain text from "Brigadier General George Lewis Gillespie Jr". Portraits and Profiles of Chief Engineers. Archived from the original on March 6, 2005. Retrieved August 24, 2005.

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Military offices
Preceded by
Chief of Engineers

1901–1904 		Succeeded by
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