René Edward De Russy
René Edward De Russy | |
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Superintendent of the United States Military Academy |
René Edward De Russy (February 22, 1789 – November 23, 1865) was an engineer, military educator, and career
Early life
René Edward De Russy was born into a family of ethnic French planters in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) on February 22, 1789.[1] Two years later, soon after the birth of his younger brother Lewis, the De Russy family fled the violence of the slave revolution and settled in Old Point Comfort, Virginia.[2]
At the age of 18, De Russy enrolled in the
Career
After
In 1825, De Russy returned to
On July 1, 1833, De Russy was assigned as Superintendent of the
De Russy was credited with inventing the barbette depressing gun carriage.[5]
In recognition of his service, on July 17, 1866, De Russy was posthumously nominated by President Andrew Johnson for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general in the Regular US Army, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate approved the appointment on July 26, 1866.[8]
Personal life
De Russy was married to Harriet Elizabeth Taylor (1805–1834). Together, they were the parents of the following:[9]
- Gustavus Adolphus De Russy (1818–1891), who became a brigadier general, serving as quartermaster at Fort Monroe from 1848 until 1857. He married Frances Clitz (1836–1901), sister of John Mellen Brady Clitz (1821–1897), commander of the Asiatic Squadron.
- John Allen De Russy (1826–1850), also served in the military; died at Fort Monroe in Virginia in 1850.
- Clara Louise De Russy (1829–1900), married William Augustus Nichols (1818–1869)
- Emily Caroline De Russy (1831–1857), who married Henry Jackson Hunt (1819–1889), who became a brigadier general.
De Russy then married Ann Alida Denniston, daughter of Isaac Denniston (1767-1852.) Their son was Isaac Denniston De Russy (1840–1923), who became a brigadier general. He married Laura Requa (1859–1929). Their son Rene Edward De Russy, Jr (1844–1895) served in the Army Artillery 1863-1874. Ann died in March 1849 at Fortress Munroe.[10]
After Ann's early death, De Russy married Helen Augusta Maxwell (1832–1908). Together, they were the parents of the following:[9]
- Laura De Russy (1853–1923); she married Washington Berry (1851–1921) in 1876.
- Helen Maxwell De Russy (1856–1901), who married Charles Hobart Clark (1851–1915) in a double wedding with her younger sister Sara.
- Fanny De Russy (1857–1925), who married Eli DuBose Hoyle (1851–1921), who became a brigadier general. Their son Rene Edward De Russy Hoyle (1883–1981) also became a brigadier general.
- Sara Wetmore De Russy (1860–1926), who married Arthur Murray (1851–1925); a career officer, he became a major general. They had a double wedding with her older sister Helen. Their son Maxwell Murray (1885–1948) also had a military career, becoming a major general. He commanded the 25th Infantry Division in Honolulu during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
The senior De Russy "died while on active duty at
Legacy
There are five Forts DeRussy in the United States: Fort DeRussy Military Reservation in Honolulu, two in Louisiana, one in Kentucky, and one in Washington, D.C. The latter four were all built during the American Civil War. All of the forts were named for two brothers, René Edward and his younger brother Louis Gustave De Russy. Louis (also known as Lewis) graduated in 1814 from the United States Military Academy, two years after René but on an accelerated schedule. An engineer and career officer, he was assigned to Red River outposts in Louisiana in 1826 and made much of his career in that state.
At advanced ages, they served on opposite sides of the Civil War: René on the Union side and Lewis as a colonel in the Confederate Army; he was the oldest West Point graduate to serve on the Confederate side.[14][15]
- DeRussy Drive on Dyker Heights was named for Rene E. DeRussy, who built a house there while stationed in New York.[6]
See also
- Brooklyn Eagle
- Dyker HeightsHistorical Society
References
- ^ ISBN 9780804780353. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ Academy, United States Military (1902). List of Cadets Admitted Into the United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.: From Its Origins Till September 1, 1901, with Tables Exhibiting the Results of Examinations for Admission, and the Corps to which the Graduates Have Been Promoted. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 29. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ "René E. de Russy • Cullum's Register • 89". penelope.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- The Library of Congress. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ a b c The Military Engineer, Vol. VII, No. 31. Society of American Military Engineers. January–February 1915. p. 758. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ Forgotten New York. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ "Civil War Defenses of Washington". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 733.
- ^ ISBN 9780806311784. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ The Evening Post, New York City, March 14, 1849
- ^ "Funeral of the Late General Rene E. De Russy". Daily Alta California. Vol. XVII, no. 5743. 26 November 1865. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-1572335769. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "DeRussy, Rene Edward". Army Cemeteries Explorer. U.S. Army. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Mayeux, Steve. "DeRussy Biography". www.fortderussy.org. The Friends of Fort DeRussy. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ "Fort DeRussy (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 16 October 2017.