Maj. Gen. Edward Ord
Born: October 18, 1818
Cumberland, Maryland
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Died: July 22, 1883
Havana, Cuba
1839: West Point Graduate
1839: 2nd Lieutenant
1843: 1st Lieutenant
1850: Captain
1861: Brigadier General
May 3, 1862: Major General
Maj. Gen. Edward Ord
1839: West Point Graduate 19th out of 31 graduates
1839: Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 3rd U.S. Artillery
1847: Sailed around Cape Horn to Monterey, CA. to assume command of Battery F, 3rd U.S. Artillery with orders to complete Fort Mervine, which was renamed Fort Halleck. It is now called the Presido of Monterey.
1848: During the California Gold Rush, assisted Capt. William H. Warner of the Army Corps of Engineers to survey Sacramento, CA.
1850: Promoted to Captain
1859: Attending artillery school at Fort Monroe, VA, was summoned by Secretary of War John B. Floyd to quell John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry arsenal. Col. Robert Lee reached Harper's Ferry first and signaled Captain Ord of the situation and to halt at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
April 1861: Captain of Battery C, 3rd U.S. Artillery and port commander at Fort Vancouver in Washington Territory
Promoted to Brigadier General
May 7, 1861: Led 2 companies of 3rd Artillery to San Francisco
Once in the east, became brigade commander in Pennsylvania Reserves
December 20, 1861: Battle of Dranesville
May 3, 1862: Promoted to Major General
October 5, 1862: Battle of Hatchie's Bridge - was seriously wounded and left field command for a short time
Ord assumed command of XIII Corps at the end of the Siege of Vicksburg
Command of XIII Corps in the Department of the Gulf
1864: Transferred to Easter Theater to assume command of XVIII Corps
July 30, 1864: Battle of the Crater
September 29-30, 1864: Seriously wounded during the attack on Fort Harrison and did not return to duty January 1865
March 1865: During a prisoner exchange, Ord spoke with Gen. Longstreet and the subject of peace talks supporting Lee and Grant should have a meeting
After the meeting with Lee, Grant took Lee's proposal to President Lincoln
Was present at the McLean House for the signing of the surrender
Gen. Grant asked Ord to investigate the assassination of President Lincoln in the Southern States. Ord found no involvement by the Confederate government which greatly quenched the call for revenge on the former Confederate States.
​Assigned by Gen. Grant to command the Army of Occupation
Assigned to Department of the Ohio until he was mustered out of volunteers in September 1866
December 11, 1865: Received commissions ​of Lieut. Colonel, and Brigadier General in the regular army
1866-1867: Department of Arkansas
1867-1868: 4th Military District
1868-1871: Department of California
December 1871-April 1875: Department off the Platte
Department of Texas
December 6, 1880: Retired
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Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 609-610
Edward Ord. 3 August 2024. web. 12 August 2024.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1964. p 350-351
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