JOSEPH GILBERT TOTTEN

(Redirected from Joseph G. Totten)
Joseph Gilbert Totten

'Joseph Gilbert Totten' (August 23, 1788April 22, 1864) fought in the War of 1812, served as Chief Engineer and was regent of the Smithsonian Institution and cofounder of the National Academy of Sciences.

Contents
Early life and education
Military career
Namesakes
References
External links

Early life and education


He was born in New Haven, Connecticut and graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers on July 1, 1805.
He resigned in 1806 to assist his uncle, Major Jared Mansfield, who was then serving as Surveyor General of federal public lands.

Military career


Totten re-entered the Corps of Engineers in 1808 and assisted in building Fort Williams and Fort Clinton in New York harbor.
During the War of 1812, he was Chief Engineer of the Niagara frontier and Lake Champlain armies under General Stephen Van Rensselaer. He was brevetted lieutenant colonel for gallant conduct in the Battle of Plattsburg. As a member of the first permanent Board of Engineers, 1816, he laid down durable principles of coast defense construction. In 1828, Totten oversaw the construction of Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island. He was appointed Chief Engineer in 1838, and served in that position for 25 years.
He was greatly admired by General Winfield Scott, for whom he directed the siege of Veracruz as his Chief Engineer during the Mexican-American War. He later served as a Civil War Union Army general, being brevetted as an US Army Brigadier General in 1847 and receiving his permanent appointment in 1863.
He died of pneumonia in Washington, D.C. and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery.

Namesakes


Several places have been named after General Totten, including: the Civil War Fort Totten built to defend the federal capital-- while this fort no longer exists, the surrounding neighborhood and Metro station still bear the name-- as well as a fort in New York City.

References


''This article contains public domain text from''
Brigadier General Joseph Gilbert Totten

External links



Find-A-Grave biography

US Army Corp of Engineers history: Chief Engineer

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

psst.. try this: add to faves