Joseph Bailey (General)

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Joseph Bailey (born April 28, 1827 in Salem , Ohio (according to other information: May 6, 1825 in Morgan County , Ohio), † March 21, 1867 in Nevada , Missouri ) was an American brigadier general in the US Army in the Civil War , who was particularly known for the construction of the dam ( Bailey's Dam ) named after him and thereby earned merits in military construction.

Life

Farmer and entry into the Civil War

Bailey initially worked as a farmer and began his military service in the US Army on July 2, 1861 , where he was captain in the 4th  Infantry Regiment of Wisconsin . Shortly thereafter, the regiment was transferred to Maryland to take part in the expedition of General Benjamin Franklin Butler , who took New Orleans after the advance of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's flotilla in April 1862 . In December 1862, Bailey was appointed engineer officer responsible for the defense structures of New Orleans and promoted during this use on March 30, 1863 to major and on June 24, 1863 to lieutenant colonel.

In August 1863 the infantry regiment was converted into a cavalry regiment and Bailey was tasked with the recruitment of troops. In February 1864 he returned to his regiment to assist General Nathaniel Prentiss Banks in the Mississippi campaign. During this time he achieved one of the most outstanding achievements in military construction at that time: The campaign was carefully terminated to take into account the regular annual increases of the Red River in order to involve the US Navy and to use the river as a basis for supply routes. General Banks was at the time, accompanied and supported by a fleet of twelve gunboats and thirty transports in the south of the Red River. Banks's advance suffered a setback at Sabine Cross Roads on April 8, 1864 and then retreated to Alexandria , where he found that the river water had sunk so much that the fleet could not pass the falls of the Red River. Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter , who commanded the Missippi squadron, was already preparing to self-destruct the gunboats in order not to lose them to the Confederate States Army and to withdraw with the army units under General Banks. However, before the ships destroyed themselves, he learned that the land positions were not tenable.

Bailey's Dam and promotion to brigadier general

Lt. Col. Bailey then promised to build a dam to increase the water level for the fairway in the middle of the river and make it navigable. While the other pioneers found the dam impossible, Bailey insisted on the feasibility against all opposition on the part of the pioneers and the navy and finally received the necessary approval from General Banks on April 30, 1864. Shortly afterwards, construction of the dam began with a large use of personnel and materials. The future general and then an officer on Banks' staff, James Grant Wilson , endorsed the building and helped with the construction. Around 3,000 soldiers and several hundred lumberjacks from Maine regiments worked day and night erecting, felling, and moving lumber.

The section that had to be deepened was more than 1,600 meters long, between 210 and 300 meters wide and a flow speed of 16 kilometers per hour. A wooden dam was built on the northern bank, while on the southern side, instead of wood, a series of heavy mesh baskets were filled with materials from old mines that were reinforced with railroad tracks. The damming caused by this reduced the width of the river to almost 20 meters and enabled the support fleet to pass the river on May 12, 1864.

For the military merits achieved by the dam (Bailey's Dam) that was named after him, Bailey was awarded the brevet rank of brigadier general on June 7, 1864 and the formal rank of colonel on June 30, 1864 , who, with an express thanks from the US Congress was connected. The officers of the Mississippi Squadron also presented him with a sword and a sum of US $ 3,000 . Due to his increased reputation, he was appointed Brigadier General of the Volunteer Forces in November 1864. In the following years he held various commands in the military division of the Gulf ( Department of the Gulf ) and the Army Group West Mississippi ( Military Division of West Mississippi ). Among other things, he commanded the Pioneer Brigade of the XIX. Corps, the pioneer brigade of the XVI. Corps and various cavalry divisions as well as military districts. On July 7, 1865, he retired from active military service.

He then settled as a farmer in Newton County and was elected sheriff there. In the exercise of this activity, he was shot dead by two desperados while being arrested.

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bailey's Dam (civilwar.org)
personal data
SURNAME Bailey, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Brigadier General of the Northern States in the American Civil War
DATE OF BIRTH May 6, 1825 or April 28, 1827
PLACE OF BIRTH Morgan County , Ohio or Salem , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH March 21, 1867
Place of death Nevada , Missouri