John Wesley Turner
John Wesley Turner | |
---|---|
Third Seminole War
| |
Signature |
John Wesley Turner (July 19, 1833 – April 8, 1899) was a career
Early life
Turner was born in New York in 1833 and was appointed to
Civil War
Early service
When the Civil War began, Turner was 1st lieutenant and was quickly promoted to captain. He served on the staff of
Charleston
On June 13, 1863 Turner was appointed chief of staff in the Department of the South under
Petersburg
In May 1864 Gillmore's X Corps was transferred to the Petersburg front and Turner continued as chief of staff through the
Fort Gregg and Appomattox
The defeat of Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley freed up available units in
Later and personal life
Turner remained in command of the XXIV Corps, as brevet Major General of Volunteers responsible for overseeing occupied Virginia when he was mustered out of the volunteer service on September 1, 1866. He commanded the District of Henrico, Virginia (including Richmond, the former Confederate capital city) from June 9, 1865 until April 6, 1866, and the entire Department of Virginia from April 7 until May 17. Part of his responsibility in Virginia was re-establishing the local government and persuading it to take responsibility for law enforcement as well as support of unemployed persons (both former soldiers and former slaves). This proved especially problematic, as Richmond's long-time mayor,
Turner continued as major general in the U.S. Army until 1871, and commanding the purchasing depot and commissary in St. Louis, Missouri (from October 31, 1866 – February 1871), resigning from the regular army on September 4, 1871.[7]
In 1869, Gen. Turner married Blanche Soulard, daughter of Benjamin Soulard (1817-1884) of St. Louis, Missouri and Rose Closey (1819-1896) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had two sons and two daughters who survived the general: Voluntine Covel Turner (1870-1933), Marie Soulard Turner Clarkson (1872-1957), John Bige Turner (1879-1914) and Blanche Turner White (1886-1919); George Soulard Turner died as an infant.[8]
Upon retiring from the Army, Turner settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he became a prominent citizen. He worked as a banker, civil engineer and served more than a decade as commissioner of streets and public works until his death.
Death and legacy
General Turner died in St. Louis, survived by his widow, two sons and two daughters. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery.[citation needed] He was one of the subscribers who helped found Washington University in St. Louis.[9]
References
- ^ U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865 available on ancestry.com although link to American Civil War General Officers down on January 7, 2018
- ^ a b Eicher p.538
- ^ Official Records
- ^ Epperson, James F., "The Final Assaults and the Fall of Petersburg". Archived from the original on June 20, 2006. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Michael B. Chesson, Richmond After the War: 1865-1890 (Virginia State Library, 1981) pp. 92-93
- ^ W. Asbury Christian, Richmond: Her Past and Present (Richmond: L.H. Jenkins, 1912) pp. 272, 275
- ^ U.S. Civil War Soldier Records on ancestry.com
- ^ 1880 U.S. Federal Census for St. Louis, family at 3204 Pine Street. The 1890 U.S. Federal census may have been misindexed, as he only shows in the 1890 Veterans schedule
- ^ Probate record available online (File No. 24797-24830, 1898) but does not include will, only accounts
Sources
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.