Montgomery C. Meigs

Montgomery Cunningham Meigs
Montgomery C. Meigs
Born(1816-05-03)May 3, 1816
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJanuary 2, 1892(1892-01-02) (aged 75)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried
AllegianceUnited States
Union
Service / branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1836–1882
Rank Brigadier General
Brevet Major General
CommandsQuartermaster General
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
RelationsJohn Rodgers Meigs (son)
"Monty" Meigs (son)
Other workSmithsonian Institution regent
National Academy of Sciences, member, builder of Arlington National Cemetery

Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (/ˈmɛɡz/; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and military and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Although a Southerner from Georgia, Meigs strongly opposed secession and supported the Union. His record as Quartermaster General was regarded as outstanding, both in effectiveness and in ethical probity, and Secretary of State William H. Seward viewed Meigs' leadership and contributions as key factors in the Union victory in the war.

Meigs was one of the principal architects of Arlington National Cemetery. Meigs's decision to locate the cemetery on Robert E. Lee's family estate, Arlington House, was partly a gesture to humiliate Lee for siding with the Confederacy.