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Contributed by: Diane Siniard Name: Jeremy Francis Gilmer State Served: North Carolina Highest Rank: Major-Gen Birth Date: 1818 Death Date: 1883 Birth Place: Guilford County, North Carolina Army: Confederacy Promotions: Promoted to Full Colonel Promoted to Full Brig-Gen Promoted to Full Major-Gen Biography: GILMER, Jeremy Francis VIRGINIA. Lieutenant colonel, Corps of Engineers, C. S. A., 1861. Brigadier general, P. A. C. S., 1862. Major general, P. A. C. S., August 16, 1863. Died December 1, 1883. Commands. January 29, 1862, Chief Engineer in Department No. 2. Chief Engineer Department of Northern Virginia, August 4, 1862. October 4, assigned to duty as Chief of Engineer Bureau. 1863. Assigned to duty in connection with the defense of Charleston and announced as second in command of Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. February 23, 1864, assigned temporary and special service in District of the Gulf, Department of Tennessee. April 2, relieved from duty in Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and ordered to resume his duties as Chief of the Bureau of Engineers. Gilmer, Jeremy Francis, born in North Carolina, appointed from North Carolina cadet United States Military Academy, July 1, 1835; graduated fourth in class of thirty-one. Second lieutenant, engineers, July 1, 1839. First lieutenant, December 29, 1845. Captain, July 1, 1853. Resigned June 26, 1861. Source: General Officers of the Confederate States of America Major-General Jeremy Francis Gilmer was born in Guilford county, N. C., February 23, 1818. He was graduated at the United States military academy in 1839, number four in the class of which General Halleck was third. Receiving a second lieutenancy of engineers, he served in the military academy as assistant professor of engineering till June, 1840, and then as assistant engineer in building Fort Schuyler, New York harbor, until 1844, after which he was assistant to the chief engineer at Washington, D. C., until 1846, with promotion to first lieutenant in 1845. During the Mexican war he was chief engineer of the army of the West in New Mexico, constructing Fort Marcy at Santa Fe. He afterward served at Washington, and was superintending engineer of the repairs to various forts and the building of Forts Jackson and Pulaski, Georgia, and of the improvement of the Savannah river. In consideration of his continuous service of fourteen years, he was promoted captain, July 1, 1853. After this, as a member of various commissions of engineers, he was continually engaged in fortification work, and the improvement of rivers throughout the South until 1858. From that time he was in charge of the construction of defenses at the entrance of San Francisco bay until June 29, 1861, when he resigned to join the Confederate States army. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel, corps of engineers, CSA., in September, 1861, and was assigned to duty as chief engineer of Department No. 2, on the staff of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston. He was present at Fort Henry at its surrender, and rode to the front with General Johnston at the opening of the battle of Shiloh. Here he was severely wounded late on the second day. Subsequently he was promoted to brigadier-general, and on August 4, 1862, was made chief engineer of the department of Northern Virginia. October 4, 1862, he became chief of the engineer bureau of the Confederate States war department. In 1863 he was promoted major-general and assigned to duty as second in command, in the department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, in which capacity he rendered valuable services in the defense of Charleston, and fortified Atlanta. Subsequently he resumed his duties as chief engineer, and so continued until the evacuation of Richmond. After the war he engaged in railroad and other enterprises in Georgia, and from 1867 to 1883 was president and engineer of the Savannah gaslight company. He died December 1, 1883. Source: Confederate Military History, vol. V, p. 309 |