Edition |
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition. |
Description |
x, 304 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, portraits, facsimile ; 24 cm |
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text txt rdacontent |
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still image sti rdacontent |
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unmediated n rdamedia |
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volume nc rdacarrier |
Summary |
"Born to a prominent family in 1816, Meigs graduated from West Point and joined the Army Corps of Engineers. He worked to improve navigation on the Mississippi River under Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, and later built forts in the North. In Washington, DC, he created the city's aqueduct, including the longest stone arch in the world. and oversaw the design, construction, and decoration of the new wings and iconic dome of the US Capitol. As Lincoln's quartermaster, Meigs showed logistical genius as he created a vast, unprecedented supply system for Union armies. He and his department supported Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign and resupplied Sherman's forces after the March to the Sea. Meigs also created Arlington Cemetery--on land that had been Robert E. Lee's home. William Seward and others gave much credit to Meigs for the Union victory: "Without the services of this eminent soldier, the National cause must either have been lost or deeply imperiled."--Dust jacket flap. |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-289) and index. |
Contents |
Rigid duty -- Patience and perseverance -- Wholesome water -- An aqueduct worthy of the nation -- A rival to the Parthenon -- America's curse -- The Saturday Club -- The workload grows -- Rowdy looking -- Energetic, obliging, firm -- An inscription for all time -- "Everything into confusion" -- "Eternal blot" -- Tall and awkward candidate -- Floyd resigns -- He plucked a laurel -- A secret mission -- A soul on fire -- Building an army -- Shoddy -- "Hard work and cold calculation" -- "The war cannot be long" -- Gunboats -- "His best name is honesty" -- "Vast in quantity" -- Hope wanes -- "Fret him and fret him" -- "Exhaustion of men and money" -- "A beauteous bubble" -- A vulnerable capital -- The refit at Savannah -- The journey home -- "Dogs to their vomit" -- "Soldier, engineer, architect, scientist, patriot." |
Subject |
Meigs, Montgomery C. (Montgomery Cunningham), 1816-1892.
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Quartermasters -- United States -- Biography.
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United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Biography.
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United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Supplies and stores.
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Genre/Form |
Biographies.
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ISBN |
9781451671926 (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
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145167192X (hardcover ; alkaline paper) |
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